About Seletti

Seletti is a story of vision and evolution. Established in 1964, in Cicognara, Mantova by Romano Seletti, who since 1972 travelled extensively to the Far East, especially around China with Luigi Goglio, who was an expert in international business. This new venture allowed Romano to become a true pioneer in the importation of products for the home- objects in bamboo, tableware and cloths – typical Chinese products for the era.The dynamic eighties were a time of growth and the channels of distribution underwent drastic changes and the next generation of the Seletti family (Stefano and Miria) brought new energy to the business.Stefano Seletti, aged 17 and still a student, started to accompany his father on his business trips to China, India and Thailand, which opened up to him new horizons and cultures that would make a lasting impression on his future professional and personal life.

During those early years, the process of distribution transformed into large distribution systems, large chains with huge sales areas, from assisted sales to "free service" sales. So with a new spirit of service in mind, Seletti became one of the first companies to optimize its products, a few products repackaged 'ad hoc, giving new importance to the creativity of the packaging and to all its services that has made the company a strategic supplier of large distribution systems.Stefano got involved with marketing strategy, creative and communications, "it was in this training ground of "large distribution systems" that shaped my first steps into design, the habit of thinking in large quantities, to satisfy the needs of large numbers of consumers led me to think of design as democratic, popular, for all".

In the 1990's, the company continued to evolve, Stefano together with his sister Miria at the helm and with Luca Goglio taking over international relations from his father Luigi. Other than just commercial strategies the company was constantly expanding its productivity in the Far East, not only producing "Arts & Crafts" but also products using metal, glass and porcelain on an industrial scale.Expanding new horizons and new ideas, Stefano Seletti began to "play around" with new materials, an example is the fine porcelain and borosilicate tableware collection " Estetico Quotidiano" (the name of the collection is also a "statement" of the company's new philosophy) that has become a classic and has repositioned single use items into fine object pieces."Following firsthand and living through the evolution of processes and productive materials in China, (from straw to I phones) we have experienced all the fundamentals: visiting factories, dealing with artisans and craftsmen and inserting new ideas in to the process. From imperfection comes a successful idea, a finished product that is "unfinished" – a shelf left unpainted, an undefined shape, or even a "ready-made object", can make all the difference."Enthusiasm, passion, creativity and experimentation, the Seletti family, over time, have created a brand recognized all over the world, a series of collections that have revealed design classics.

The new millennium has seen the company expand to include a worldwide commercial network with two international offices (Seletti North America Ltd., and Seletti China) as well as substantial investments in the general headquarters in Cicognara, Italy. A new showroom and warehouse covering an area of more than 7,000 sq ms, featuring one of the largest solar panel installations in Northern Italy.As Stefano states "the process is evolving once again we have gone from large quantities of large distribution systems to small quantities of selected designs. Today, we have reinvented the process, my attention is focused on making popular products with high level of creativity and artistry, at a reasonable price. The 2013 collection "Florigraphie" (tablemats and pot place mats in straw) Egg of Columbus (lamp in pressed paper), new plates and cups signed by the designer mark a return to the native origins of the materials."Today, Seletti is working with young Italian and international designers, who are quickly making their own mark, the desire is to create a group that can grow and evolve together, a challenge, that, so far, is producing great results."I am also working with people outside of the design world, artists, visionaries with whom I would like to break down some barriers. My unconventional non-academic education naturally leads me to "crossover", a journey towards the idea of a "new beauty". For us, this is (r)evolution."