Lampoon, Vero
WORDS
REPORTING
TAG
BROWSING
Facebook
WhatsApp
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Email
twitter X

What is Vero? – the Italian for truth according to Riccardo Crenna and Simona Flacco

Despite its young age, Vero can count on the long experience of its creative directors, Riccardo Crenna and Simona Flacco, founders of Simple Flair

Lampoon presents Vero

Vero, a newborn design brand, the brainchild of Pasquale Apolonnio, founder of Level Project As declared by its name (Italian for true), Vero embodies the values of transparency, truth, simplicity, and timelessness well expressed by its aesthetics and the raw materials employed by the designers.

Filling the gap between industrial and collectible design thanks to its pieces’ high level of craftsmanship, Vero can rely on a contemporary language halfway between digital and traditional. It is capable of communicating with different stakeholders, from design experts to collectors and art lovers.

«Vero wants to contribute to a new era of Italian design by putting experimentation and research back at the center and considering communication as part of its DNA. Vero makes simple, honest, and timeless home products. But it wants to generate a branded lifestyle ecosystem», Crenna and Flacco explain. 

A combination of different atmospheres and aesthetic suggestions characterized both the branding conceived with Studio Temp and the social profile of Vero. When buying an object or piece of furniture, Vero enables you to identify with brand values and be part of a community.

It wants to become the reference for those who are aware of the importance of the spaces we live in. Vero shares several characteristics with other international brands. But is very little widespread in the Italian design sector. It works by drops, it is ready to order. Products are shipped in 2-4 working days. And it conceives communication – online and offline – as an essential part of its creative contents.

The production process

The first drop of Vero draws inspiration from several different cultural influences as it involves the creativity of Italian and international designers, such as CARA \ DAVIDE, Frederik Paulsen, Marco Campardo, Natalia Criado, Federica Elmo, and a617. The pieces showcased on the occasion of the presentation to the public of Vero range. From stools to chairs, trolleys, and mirrors. All common-use objects are reinterpreted in a curious and sophisticated way to transform daily environments into contemporary settings. 

All the pieces are manufactured under the supervision of Apollonio in Galatina, in the heart of Puglia. Here specialized workshops, suppliers, and artisans put their experience at the service of Vero and its long-term commitment to sustainability.

«It is a great challenge, but together with Pasquale Apollonio, we have the objective of giving our contribution to the sector. Well aware that products are not enough. Today a furniture brand cannot have the collection as its only output but must build a sense of belonging to one’s community. It must be based on a system of values and integrated communication, both online and offline», Crenna and Flacco claim.

With an international scope and a conscious approach to furniture making process, Vero proposes itself as a bridge between Italian highly specialized craftsmanship and contemporaneity while allowing the export of avant-garde yet straightforward made-in-Italy design. 

Vero’s first launch-April 2022

Presented on April 7th on the premises of Riviera, the first drop of Vero consisted of eight pieces, all endowed with a strong identity and faithful to a precise set of values. «Vero is, first of all, a brand made by people. All the creatives involved share its values and believe in the brand’s essence. Informal, direct, empathetic, like its communication and its collection», Vero’s creative directors assert.

According to Crenna and Flacco, the selection of the designers for the first drop was one of the most challenging phases of the first year of work. This because the designers involved had to transfer the vision and essence of Vero into a single collection.

«The first group of designers, which we presented in April, had some characteristics. They are very creative with strong personalities and distinctive design signs. We were looking for designers who could interpret the brand through a unique vision. And we asked them to express themselves and do what they had not yet been able to do with other realities. We asked them to dare and try to bring the change they always wanted to see in the sector», Crenna and Flacco explain

Without imposing strict guidelines, the creative directors asked for recognizable pieces capable of telling the personal story of each designer. Although each piece is different from the others and characterized by a robust and unique identity, the designers had to respond to some technical and logistical requests. Vero combines the aesthetics of collectible design with the logic of serial production.

Cara/Davide

«This represented a great challenge for each one of them». CARA/DAVIDE – a multidisciplinary design studio based in Milan – presented a furniture collection composed of a stool and a bookcase conceived as a duo and characterized by pronounced edges. In addition, a sinuous 1930s feel can be perceived in the chair designed by Fredrik Paulsen, the result of an experimental process initially conceived as a trial aimed at exaggerating the structural elements of a simple design.

Marco Campardo proposed a project inspired by cross-laminated timber: from the front, the table and the stool look like simple square sections, while the top discloses the layers of lumber arranged diagonally, revealing the complex production process and manufacturing details. The word “wave” is the main inspiration for the playful tray presented by the Latin-American designer Natalia Criado. Its undulating lines and irregular forms are designed to change the perception of a table.

Irreverence is also the keyword to describe the object designed by Federica Elmo: a mirror finished in lacquered deep red with an interrupted frame composed of six different elements. Lastly, the product conceived by a617 recalls the classical traits of historical Italian design: a magazine rack equipped with wheels and adaptable to different home settings. 

In 2022, the second drop will coincide with the Salone del Mobile in Milan, a short distance from the first. The designers involved, Sam Stewart and Zaven, will bring into the universe of Vero a bit of NYC and a bit of Venice, two very different cities but with a recognizable and unique aesthetic and atmosphere. «Here is another spoiler: this won’t be the only news. There will also be a new address in Milan to share with the Vero community».

Vero

Italian design company Vero transforms everyday environments into contemporary places with simplicity, honesty, and timelessness. Founded by Pasquale Apollonio, its creative direction is by Simona Flacco and Riccardo Crenna, founders of Simple Flair and Riviera Creative Space, while the graphic design and brand identity are by Studio Temp.

Agnese Torres

The writer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article.

SHARE
Facebook
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Email
WhatsApp
twitter x