Poltrona Frau Celebrates 110th Anniversary with Limited Edition Archibald Armchair by Artist Felipe Pantone
An icon, reimagined.
In celebration of Poltrona Frau’s 110th Anniversary, the brand has collaborated with Argentine-Spanish Felipe Pantone to reimagine its iconic Archibald chair with a mesmerizing, limited edition design.
The chair's digitized gradient of colours in Poltrona Frau's new Impact LessⓇ leather underscores the brand's tradition of craftsmanship and innovation.
The 110th Anniversary edition takes an iconic design and pairs it with the bold and dynamic colourful designs of Argentine-Spanish Artist Felipe Pantone.
Each piece comes with a tag identifying the limited edition piece.
“The idea was to use a very minimal and iconic design and juxtapose it against my graphics, which are very loud and dynamic.”
A behind-the-scenes look at the production process.
Using Poltrona Frau’s ColorSphere® as inspiration, Pantone created a mesmerizing pattern that vibrates across Archibald’s leather surface, a gradient grid of reds, oranges, yellows, whites and blues resembling the cool and warm temperatures of a heat map. The base and slender metal legs of the chair are finished with Multicolor Natural Chrome, leaving a purplish-blue iridescent finish that shimmers under the light. The gradient pattern is printed directly onto the leather using the same type of production usually reserved for small luxury leather goods. This pioneering printed leather technique was developed thanks to Poltrona Frau’s traditional in-depth artisan leather working knowledge that has kept the Brand an industry leader for over a century.
The Anniversary Limited Edition Archibald makes use of Poltrona Frau’s new Impact Less® leather, a result of the brand’s ongoing commitment to maximizing sustainability. Impact Less® leather is chrome-free, uses less and cleaner water and further reduces the consumption of chemical components of Poltrona Frau's already sustainable leather, itself a product of the circular economy. The full range of colours featured in the Limited Editions represents the endless possibility of configurations that the brand represents.
The limited edition Poltrona Frau X Felipe Pantone Archibald armchair and the miniature edition.
"As they say, opposites attract. Collaborating with Felipe, whose philosophy of expression through colour as the essence of light, with light being the essence of life, allowed us to explore a theme that strongly resonates with our Brand narrative. This project allows us to push the boundaries of how we communicate to an audience that appreciates truly unique, durable pieces that can be cherished as both a masterpiece of artistic expression and Italian craftsmanship as well as a functional solution for comfortable living meant to last generations." Leonardo Allasia, Global Marketing & Communications Director, adds.
As a nod to Poltrona Frau's 110th anniversary this year, only 110 pieces of Archibald Limited Edition will be made and available for purchase through Poltrona Frau's e-commerce channel, flagship stores and select dealers worldwide following its digital launch in April. Each armchair will come with a custom-made clutch made of Pelle Frau® Impact Less leather, a signed certificate of authenticity as well as a dedicated Pelle Frau® leather cleaning kit. In addition, a hand-made miniature scale model of the armchair in leather will be available for purchase to give fans and followers of both Felipe Pantone and Poltrona Frau an opportunity to own a product of this special collaboration.
The miniature edition of the collaboration Archibald armchair is 1/5 of the size.
The Limited Edition armchair and the project can be explored online in April and during Milan's 2022 Salone del Mobile design week June 7th-12th at Poltrona Frau's via Manzoni flagship showroom where there will be a physical installation to showcase the brand's entire 2022 True Evolution Collection, and a dedicated digital installation that will feature the work of Felipe Pantone. The Poltrona Frau Museum in Tolentino will also feature a dedicated display of the armchair coupled with a "larger-than-life" murales created by the artist celebrating the 110th Anniversary of Poltrona Frau.
