The 8 women that wrote the design history in the world

Women’s day is a historic holiday to honor and remind the whole world about the importance of women throughout history. For the occasion, Mohd, wants to credit contemporary women whose have been taking part in writing the history of international design. Uniqueness, creativity and revolutionary spirit: these are the characteristics that highlight women such as Patricia Urquiola, Paola Navone, Cini Boeri, Inga Sempè. Obviously, not forgetting sector’s pioneers such as: Gae Aulenti, Florence Knoll, Charlotte Perriand and Eileen Gray.

Born in Spain, but grown up in Italy, Patricia Urquiola moved as youngster to Italy to attend the school Politechnic in Milan. Since then, begins collaborations with Achille Castiglione and Vico Magistretti, which enable her to grow and experiment within the design field. Such growth will allow Urquiola to become a designer for the most important brands in the international landscape: B&B Italia, Flos, Kartell Molteni, Moroso, De Padova, Driade, Emu, Salvatore Ferragamo, Foscarini, Gallotti & Radice, Glass Italia, Kvadrat, MDF Itali, Panasonic, Paola Lenti, Rosenthal. Her work is rewarded with international awards and becomes Cassina Art Director since 2015.

Paola Navone graduated In Architecture at the Politecinc of Turin. Outspoken character, eclectic style and a traveler spirit, enable Paola Navone to become an icon of the Italian design. Architect, designer and art director, collaborates with brands such as Knoll International, Alessi, Driade, Molteni, Natuzzi, Lando, Kasthall, Opinion Ciatti, Slide, Triconfort, Riva 192, Poliform ed Emu. Her works and knowledge have left an everlasting mark in the history of design made in Italy.

Cini Boeri earned her degree at Milan Polytechnic in 1951 before starting a long career as architect and industrial designer. Among her peculiarities, we can find a deep focus in the study fields of space functionality and psychologic relationship between men and environment. In the field of industrial design she focused especially in designing furniture and building components.

Inga Sempé is a French designer graduated in industrial creation at the ENSCI institute in Paris. After training in Italy, she sets up her own office in the early 2000 and begins a collaboration with the Italian brands Cappellini and Edra. Most of her lamps are made of lampshades that allows a huge variety of cretive light impressions and shades. Nowadays she realizes furniture, lamps and other design objects for Italian, French and Scandinavian brands such as HAY, Ligne Roset, Wàstberg, Alessi, LucePlan, Mutina, Roros, Moustache, Svenskt Tenn, Garsnas.

Gae Aulenti was an Italian architect and designer, especially dedicated to the field of architectical restoration and preparation. She shapes her architectural knowledge in Milan around 1950, the city which distantiated from rationalism and where the italian architecture was interested in recovering architectural values from the past and environment, which later will end being part of the Neoliberty style. In 1979 she becomes artistic director of Fontana Arte, of which lamps and designs are still sold nowadays. Other than her industrial design work, in her long lasting carrer, stands out internal architecture of components and important restoration of various artworks all over the world.

Florence Marguerite Knoll is an American architect and furniture designer who studied under Mies van der Rohe and Eliel Saarinen. She graduated  at the Cranbrook Academy of Art and briefly worked with leaders of the Bauhaus movement before moving to New York where established her company. Florence Knoll defined the standard for the modern corporate interiors of post-war America. Drawing on her background in architecture, she introduced modern notions of efficiency, space planning, and comprehensive design to office planning.

Charlotte Perriand is part of a cultural vanguard that since the beginning of the 20th century has promoted a deep innovation regarding aesthetic values, giving birth to a modern sensibility in within everyday living. Is such context, her contribution focuses on internal architectural spaces, which is perceived as motor of a new way of living and still nowadays is the center of the contemporary living style.

Eileen Gray was a furniture designer and an Irish architect considered among the mothers of the modern aesthetics of International Style. After a period of study between London and Paris, she decided to settle in France permanently. Among her most famous works we find the controversial villa E1027, mistakenly known as the house "Le Corbusier" which overlooks the Gulf of Montecarlo.

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