High-end furniture company FIAM Italia recently showcased their latest collections at Salone del Mobile in Milan. We interviewed Daniele Livi, CEO, and the second generation of the family company. 'Culture of glass is the motto that synthesises the company's mission better than anything else: projecting, developing and producing curved-glass home furnishings, combining the skilful craftsmanship of its artisans with innovative technologies.'
On the left: Daniele Livi. On the right: the Remind Bookcase.
The history of the brand
'FIAM Italia is a family company. Founded by Mr. Vittorio Livi in 1973 as the fulfilment of a lifetime passion for glass, today the company is considered as one of the icons of Made in Italy worldwide, as the many awards received during the years, such as the Compasso d'Oro alla Carriera and the Leonardo Italian Quality Award clearly demonstrate,' Daniele says. Daniele and Francesco, Vittorio's sons, turned FIAM Italia in a brand that offers collections that can fully decorate atmospheres in the dining and living room, but the glass remains the soul. The company's catalogue includes a wide range of products: mirrors, dining tables, coffee tables, consoles, chairs, desks, showcases and sideboards, all realised in partnership with the most world-renowned international designers.
The company's showroom, Villa Miralfiore in Pesaro, is an iconic manor of the Italian Renaissance acquired in 1992 and restored in the following years by Mr. Vittorio Livi. Villa Miralfiore also hosts "Spazio Miralfiore", the first and only museum in the world entirely dedicated to curved glass where many artefacts realised by famous international artists are exposed.
Cristaline Table and Inori Bookcase.
Italian products, sold worldwide
The Made in Italy trademark is important for FIAM Italia. 'We remain one of the few design furniture companies in the world, that still has the production inside: we work our material, the glass, 100% internally from the sheet to the final product, and of course all the rest of the components are 100% made in Italy,' Daniele explains. 'Taking an example from the food, we can say that we're a Slow Food - design company (in Italy we've a food philosophy called Slow Food that is in opposition to the Fast Food, taking care of our food-traditions). To preserve the high standards of quality that we're used to, to provide to our world customers, we have to respect specific glass rules. Every piece of glass that enters in our furnace will remain in for 8 hours and half, not more, not less. And every product is similar but never really the same, because it's hand made, bent by our masters and after this hot-process it still needs a big amount of hours of masterly manual labour.'
FIAM Italia sells all over the world. 'We deal with more than 1600 re-sellers in the world: in Italy, EU, East EU, Russia, USA, Middle East, Asia, Africa, India, etc. 30% of the business is focused in Italy, the other 70% in the rest of the world, but the percentage of the market share out of Italy is growing every year. In general, we noticed that the markets are growing well, except for China, France and Germany, which are not performing as the other markets do.'
The Remind Bookcase.
Salone del Mobile
'The fair in Milan is the most important international furniture fair,' Daniele says. 'There is no other in the world comparable for the numbers of qualified visitors. For FIAM it is the most important event of the year: it really represents the opportunity to express our vision and design philosophy to all the markets we deal with, and also to get in touch with new re-sellers, and to communicate to the international press.'
FIAM Italia presented complete atmospheres for living and dining rooms with several new products, such as ceiling lamps, tables and sofa's. Among them, was a new glass pattern for the Wander's collection, called ECHO LINE and a new size of the SHIFT mirror, with a diameter of 2 metres. 'The products were received very well, in therms of design and saleability. They strengthen our lifestyle project,' Daniele explains.
What's in store for FIAM now?
FIAM Italia has some exciting plans for the rest of the year, with the opening of their first monobrand in the world in Pechino in June. In July they have the Grand Opening of the largest FIAM flagship store in the world, of 500 square metres in the Molto Bello furnishing store in India. In addition, they are opening flagship stores in Lebanon, and in September in Croatia, Albania and Serbia. Finally, they will participate at the High Point Furniture Fair in the US.
Agos Table, Echo Showcase.
More information:
FIAM Italia
Via Ancona 1
61010 Tavullia (PU), Italy
+39 0721 20051
[email protected]
www.fiamitalia.it