Andreas Zapatinas

Early life and education

Zapatinas was born in Athens. He studied at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and graduated in 1986.

Career

He worked at Fiat Centro Stile from 1988 until 1994, where he met Chris Bangle. Zapatinas was chief exterior designer of the Fiat Barchetta. He also contributed to the design of Fiat Coupé and Alfa Romeo 145.

In 1994 he followed Bangle to BMW. In 1998 he became chief designer at Alfa Romeo Centro Stile near Milan. He has been credited for the unique (for its time) rear end design of the Alfa Romeo 147.

In 2002 Zapatinas joined Subaru as Head of Advanced Design. At Subaru, he is often credited with the controversial "spread wings grille" first introduced on the R2, and later the B9 Tribeca and the Impreza, but Subaru have said that this concept was proposed before Zapatinas joined the Japanese company. This design created some controversy, and it was abandoned by Subaru. This controversy is said to have been related with Zapatinas's departure from Subaru in July 2006 when he was its chief designer.

In 2009, as Industrial Designer, Andreas Zapatinas started cooperating with KLEEMANN Lifts designing elevator cabins and doors. "We see the lift not as just a small square box that moves you up and down but as a means of transportation that provides a unique experience. It's not only the new curved shape and design. Above all, it is the different new feeling you get in the FUTURE TREND cabins. We design the lift as a high tech vehicle that provides you added sensations". With these sentences, Andreas Zapatinas, the designer of the Future cabins and doors, creates the concept of the new trend; the Future Trend.

As of 2016 he joined Changan, a Chinese automotive company with a design headquarters in Turin Italy.