“Gianni Ruffi’s Cova is a place”, explains Axel Iberti, production director of the renowned brand founded in 1966. “It had been forgotten but is part of our strategy of returning to the  origins of the radical design movement and the company itself.” This time, Kvadrat fabric was applied to Raimondi’s seats in a challenge centred on staying true to the company’s historic identity by drawing “fantastic” but still very contemporary products from the archives and finding ways to update them.

The historic-design work of rediscovering many iconic pieces goes hand in hand with the key feature of the material – a secret formula, like that of Coca-Cola – first experimented with by Gufram in the 1960s. “Piero Gilardi was behind the application of Guflac”, continues Iberti “and the aim was to create a stretchable, strong and extremely resilient skin that would work with polyurethane, bringing the incredible advantage of having moulds for a foam material, which shortens work times and resolves technical issues not possible with fabric, for example.”

Guflac is still prepared manually, albeit as part of an industrial process. “It is paint and goes where it likes so it has to be hand-finished and treated to remove any flaws. It takes 12 brush-applied coats and is a precision job. Then comes the catalyst process, which must be monitored as it is a material with a natural base. It all takes unique craft knowhow”, continues Iberti. “Having a workshop behind Gufram’s surrealist products is a unique thought.”

“Our other focus is the presentation of new products that will fit into this catalogue of masterpieces of Italian design. Last year, Studio Job told us they could put our entire universe inside a piece of furniture and they have succeeded admirably, creating a cupboard with many levels of interpretation that go beyond the mere aesthetic.”