We sat down for a brief chat with Flexform’s Giuliano Galimberti on his recent collaboration with Fanuli and what their partnership means for both brands in the Australian market.

Is this your first visit to Australia?

No, I’ve actually already been to Australia various times.

And what is your perception of the Australian design market?

Well, Flexform is dedicating particular attention to Australia because we’ve encountered a certain level of interest from Australian consumers towards products of design and quality, and responsiveness to the Made in Italy brand. It’s a pleasure for us to come and see this market because the feedback is so positive, and it motivates you with the endeavour.

Tell me about the relationship between Flexform and Fanuli?

My family, the Galimberti family, who owns Flexform, has known the Fanulis for many years, but for reasons outside our control we didn’t do business together. Then, three years ago we began discussions on how we could collaborate, we started a shared project for the development of the [Flexform] brand in Australia, and thanks to our having a harmony of thought and shared vision – maybe even due to the Italian blood that runs in the Fanulis veins – together we have developed this program of expansion in the Australian market. Two years ago around this time we were celebrating the opening of the flagship in Sydney, and today we’re here celebrating the Melbourne opening, the second step in the expansion. So the Fanulis are an excellent partner in this endeavour of making Flexform products available to the Australian market, with our objective to expand further in the future.

And what do you think of the new showroom?

I had the pleasure of seeing it for the first time this morning completed, after following it for months from afar. It’s a showroom of beautiful architecture in a vey strategic position in South Yarra on chapel street, right near the Yarra river, in a design district, and we chose this building precisely for its particular architecture. It has a dedicated space for Flexform, which has been designed in line with our branded spaces around the world.

What is Flexform’s philosophy on brand identity?

We are firmly convinced that a brand must demonstrate itself independently to the market it operates in. The image of a brand has its own identity, made up of its colours, fabrics, pieces, branding etc. And we believe this must be repeated and communicated to all the consumers of the globe, as today the consumer is truly global. It’s not unusual for us to see consumers in more than one context – across Sydney, Milan, New York, Dubai, Singapore or wherever – so we must present ourselves with a consistent identity, also because we are proud of it!

Can we expect to see Flexform’s new release from this year’s Salone de Mobile in Australia?

Yes certainly, the Salone del Mobile is the occasion in which the brand presents new product, and the Fanulis have already taken on the responsibility of presenting the collection in Australia. We are currently manufacturing the product, and we will present the full collection here in Australia in September.

Fanuli
fanuli.com.au