Name Enrico Cinzano | ||
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Environment | Enrico Cinzano | TEDxKingsCollegeLondon
Count Enrico Marone Cinzano (April 5, 1963) was born in Turin, Italy to Count Alberto Paolo Rodolfo Marone Cinzano Alcorta and Cristina Marone Cinzano, born Countess Camerana. Enrico Marone Cinzano went to boarding school at age nine, graduated from a military academy in the UK, and then attended business school at Babson College, in Massachusetts. After graduation, he worked in the US in advertising, banking, and real estate before working in design. Following employment as co-creative director of the ready-to-wear line, Project Alabama, Cinzano started designing furniture.
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Family History
Enrico Marone Cinzano comes from a family of entrepreneurs, politicians, and industrialists. Cinzano is a descendant of FIAT Automobiles family on his maternal great-great-grandfather's side, and a scion of the Cinzano liquor company family on his father’s side. His father’s family business was one of the first to incorporate in Italy, in 1757. His step-grandmother, Infanta Maria Cristina de Borbon y Battenberg was a member of the Spanish royal family. He descends from Francesco Cinzano, founder of the Vermouth business created in 1757, which originated the eponymous Cinzano liquor.
His grandfather, Enrico, was named the 1st Count Marone by King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy on May 13, 1940 to mark his marriage to the Infanta Maria Cristina de Borbon y Battenberg. Other notable relatives include Argentinian diplomat Amancio Alcorta and former President of Argentina José Figueroa Alcorta.
On July 8, 1989 Enrico married Princess Mafalda of Hesse-Cassel, a descendant of Queen Victoria, from whom he has since been separated. He lived in New York City for many years where he had a reputation for having a glamorous and extravagant lifestyle and lived in the landmark Bacchus House, which was eventually sold to Facebook’s Sean Parker in 2011 for $20 million.
Career
Enrico Marone Cinzano studied business administration at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. He worked in advertising, banking, real estate, and then became an entrepreneur, developing residential real estate in Connecticut and New York City. In 2000, he co-founded and later sold Project Alabama, a fashion label with Natalie Chanin in her hometown of Florence, Alabama: Project Alabama was an environmentally friendly fashion company that used sustainable fabrics for design and local factories for production. Project Alabama's accolades include winner of the 2003 Ecco Domani award and runner up for the 2005 CFDA award.
In 2007, Cinzano established Enrico Marone Cinzano Collection, which focuses on designing ethical and sustainable home products and homes. His pieces aim to advance the cause of sustainability in a modern and visually-pleasing way, born from the belief that products can be made better, more efficiently, and with less waste, making way for objects that are useful, durable, and timeless. Cinzano uses recycled materials including but not limited to metal, fabric, and wood in creating his designs. His pieces, including coffee tables, lamps, sofas, and cabinets range in price anywhere from $9,500 to $75,000 or more. Cinzano's upcycled furnishings are sold online at Pamono and at art galleries, such as Pearl Lam Galleries in China and Spazio Rossana Orlandi in Milan.
In 2011, Cinzano became a member of ADI; a world-wide industrial design organization based in Milan, Italy that brings professionals, researchers, teachers, critics, journalists, and the like together to examine the foremost topics of design.
Inspired by nature and local craftsmanship, Cinzano launched his first collection of sustainable design in 2012. The collection emphasized the use of natural or environmentally-friendly materials such as reclaimed wood, recycled steel, and homemade glue. It comprised an armoire, bookcase, couch, armchair, table, and Lazy Susan.
In 2015, Cinzano launched his first solo exhibition at Hong Kong’s Pearl Lam Design Gallery. Entitled “China Clean”, the exhibition featured eight sculptural pieces inspired by Cinzano’s travels to mainland China, crafted from recycled elm wood using traditional Chinese joinery, beeswax with natural lacquer finish, and eco-friendly glue. As opposed to his more “conservative” first collection, “China Clean” included details like hand-carved skulls and classic tattoo motifs. In a collaboration with Shanghai-based Stellar Works, Cinzano also created a recycled leather chair and table for the collection, designed as flat-pack for eco-friendly transport.
Cinzano is committed to demonstrating that luxury and environmentally conscious design are not mutually exclusive. At Milan Design Week 2016, Cinzano unveiled “Dondolo,” a rocking chair made from salvaged Alfa Romeo car parts. Entirely sourced and made in Turin, the chair was inspired by his hometown’s industrial roots. Other 2016 works include Cinzano’s “Guiltless Bedspread” and “Clean Cover,” which use Astrakhan fur recycled from fur coats and cashmere woven from recycled yarn.
Beyond furniture design, Cinzano has brought his sustainable living philosophy into the realms of architecture and interior design. In 2016, he embarked on a radical home improvement project on his London micro-apartment with the goal to create a home that felt restorative, emphasized purity, and used only recycled materials for the furniture and joinery. With the project completed, Cinzano looks to create an international design firm that helps build affordable, healthful living spaces.