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“When I think of this milestone, and of the changes that Superstudio has brought to our lives, I still can’t believe what we’ve achieved”. Full of emotion and pride, Gisella Borioli, CEO of Superstudio Group, marked Superstudio’s 40th anniversary with these words. It was 1983 when she and her husband, Flavio Lucchini, opened their now famous Superstudio 13 photography studios in Via Forcella, Milan, as a place for fashion art photography, and hosting events and fashion shows. “A group of journalists, creators, and directors of important Italian magazines, but still employees,” she continues, “we’ve become entrepreneurs with complete autonomy in our choices.”
Over the years, Superstudio has opened a number of branches around Milan, such as the large multipurpose exhibition and cultural center in Via Tortona, Superstudio Più. Again during this year’s Milano Design Week (April 17–24), this exhibition space in the heart of the Tortona District will host Superdesign Show, a boutique exhibition intended to be “less of a tradeshow and more of a contemporary museum”. Organized under the direction of Borioli and with art direction by Giulio Cappellini, Superdesign Show 2023 will showcase the latest products from a select group of international firms, while inviting visitors to discuss today’s most topical issues in the world of design.
Gisella Borioli, how important is collaboration between international brands and individual talents in the world of fashion and design?
It’s essential that the big brands collaborate with international talent. It’s an exchange of cultures, a combining of visions, a continuous process of innovation with each recognizing the other’s skill. Every time, you rediscover how creativity is universal. It’s the underpinning of contemporary fashion and design.
Again with this year’s event, entitled “Inspiration Innovation Imagination,” the Superdesign Show is looking “beyond” – to design after design. Were you surprised by the submissions on this topic you received from the numerous exhibitors participating in the event?
I wasn’t surprised because every edition brings us innovative submissions and surprising installations. The “less a tradeshow and more a museum” concept we’ve been talking about since 2000 – which has greatly influenced the design presentations in Milan – encompasses within itself the idea of deepening the cultural message of the object or project, and making room for the emotions. People are used to being amazed by Superstudio and having fun. No one will be disappointed.
The press conference for the 21st Superdesign Show was held in the newly opened spaces of the FLA, the studio-museum dedicated to the work of Flavio Lucchini. What was behind choosing this venue for such an important event?
In a certain sense, the FLA is our corporate museum. It represents the sum of my husband’s and my interests and passions as the founders of Superstudio: fashion, art, design, architecture, beauty, innovation. Flavio’s work is rooted in, and relates to, all of this: the upper space was his studio for 20 years, while the basement spaces are used to store hundreds of his works. Today, there are more than 500 of them on display. They’re his memories, his research, and his goals, which evolved hand in hand with Superstudio. For us, choosing this place for hosting meetings and telling the most important stories means sharing the many forms in which the creative act is expressed, from art to design and business.
The FLA galleries, inside Superstudio Più, are also used for Superstudio Academy’s classes, one of your most recent initiatives. How did this new educational project come about?
It’s a gift I gave myself for Superstudio’s 40th anniversary. I felt that the time had come to pass on the knowledge I’ve gained in the areas of creativity and event organization over my many years of working in publishing, art, and event management. I wanted to help the many young people who have the practical skills and the personal knowledge that universities don’t provide join the workforce. It’s an important project, set up in collaboration with LUM, the International School of Management, in which many friends – all leading professionals – also participate as visiting professors.
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Superstudio Group turns 40 in 2023. Are there any special memories you’d like to share?
Among my fondest memories is Flavio’s idea to open the first avant-garde center for fashion photography that’s available to everyone. In 1983, that didn’t exist anywhere in the world. There’s also the day in 1999 when we stopped in front of the sign at 27 Via Tortona that said that 17,000 m2 of the General Electric building was for sale. It was too big for us. We were only looking for 1000–1500 m2 for Flavio’s studio and a studio for shooting videos. It was also beyond our budget. But Flavio convinced me to have the courage to take it on, and, once again, he was right.
As you wrote in your editorial in @AT magazine, “The question arises: what’s next?”
That “What’s next?” refers to all the uncertainties fueled by an absurd and increasingly protracted war, increasingly advanced technology that’s so intelligent it can replace humans, and an increasingly fragile planet left at the mercy of events. I want to think that humans will quickly come to their senses and give the question some of the positive and wonderful answers that the immense capacity of our reasoning minds could give us. In our own small way, we’ll do our best to make a contribution. What’s next?
All images courtesy Superstudio Group
Cover image by Giovanni Gastel
