Cassina was founded in 1927 in the northern Italian region of Brianza. Operations were initially focused on woodworking and gradually expanded towards modern furnishing. During the mid-50’s Cassina engaged the talents of architects such as Gio Ponti, Afra and Tobia Scarpa, Mario Bellini and Vico Magistretti for design collaboration.
In order to broaden the appeal of the Cassina Collection, Franco Cassina initiated a visionary collaboration between Le Corbusier and Cassina. Building upon the success of the Le Corbusier license, the company launched the I Maestri Collection (Masters Collection), which today includes major icons of design history: Le Corbusier, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Gerrit Rietveld, E. Gunnar Asplund, Charlotte Perriand, and Franco Albini.
The unparalleled success of our I Maestri Collection is documented in “Only Cassina”, our awareness campaign to educate the consumer about the value of authentic, licensed designs. All of our I Maestri products are signed and numbered, and manufactured under exclusive worldwide licenses from the designers or their estates. No other company is authorized to produce these designs.
Contemporary architects and designers continue the company’s commitment to the landmarks of modern furniture design.
The list of designers in the Contemporary Collection reads like a brief history of design… from the pioneering work of Gio Ponti to the conceptually flamboyant designs of Philippe Starck. From the sculptural shapes of Vico Magistretti, and humanistic industrial style of Mario Bellini, to the innovative forms of Toshiyuki Kita, and the artistic expression of Gaetano Pesce. Designers Francesco Binfaré, Andrea Branzi, Paolo Deganello, Piero Lissoni, Jorge Pensi, Hannes Wettstein, and newcomers Patrick Jouin and Jean Marie Massaud epitomize Cassina’s commitment to the Italian design ideals of craftsmanship and quality. It is a true fusion of industrial technology with artisan manufacturing.