Brionvega was born as an electronics company B.P.M in Milan in 1945. In 1960, it reinvented itself as Brionvega and in the following years repositioned its place in the design world by collaborating with designers Marco Zanuso and Richard Sapper for portable television sets Doney (1962) and Algol (1964). 

Brionvega soared to prominence in the following decade, thanks to iconic, award-winning products by the likes of Mario Bellini, Ettore Sottsass, and the Castiglioni brothers. Thanks to these designs, the brand has been revived twice from obscurity, and appropriately updated for today’s niche audiophile market. Some of the brand’s iconic creations are now available in Singapore from Xtra. 

Xtra celebrated the brand’s arrival with an intimate soiree at its new showroom extension at Marina Square attended by 50 industry friends and partners. The centrepiece of the evening was Castiglioni Brothers’ Radiofonografo RR226, an audio system with moveable sound modules and a friendly anthropomorphised face.

Originally debuted in 1965, Radiofonografo has been updated internally by technology from Bang & Olufsen and today it is a coveted collector’s item that graces the permanent collections of some of the most prestigious museums in the world, as well as many celebrated musicians.  

“We are proud to celebrate a historic brand like Brionvega who was so far ahead of its time to create iconic design pieces in the 1960s that are still relevant in today’s landscape,” said Jahan Rezai, Brionvega Resident Manager at the opening of the event. 

Lim Choon Hong and Jahan Rezai

Highlights of the evening included authentic Italian canapes by Acqua e Farina, Italian wines by Angra Wine & Spirit, and delicious selections of Italian soft drinks by Jupiter 57. 

And of course, what’s a product launch celebration without a lucky draw? The prize of the evening was a Radio Cubo TS522D+S, a Bluetooth radio with a rechargeable battery designed by Marco Zanuso and Richard Sapper. Rafiq Mohamad, Founder and Creative Director of branding studio Feral was the night’s lucky winner. 

Were you there with us? View more images from the event in the gallery below!

Images courtesy of Xtra.