Interview with Carola Rho, Key Account Manager at Telami, about Tripolina and Director's Chair

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by Mehmet Kaplan

Two iconic design, Tripolina chair and Director's chair. As in every successful design, they are also simple but useful. Founded in 2017, Telami, reshaped both chairs with giving priority to the 'freedom of choice' idea of the 21st century, without changing their historical features. In this short period, they have become a brand that continues the tradition of these products, which require the right choice of wood, the use of quality fabrics and leather, and perhaps most importantly, good craftsmanship. I talked to Carola Rho, Key Account Manager at Telami, about their products, production processes and customization features.

Carola, before talking about Telami, I would like to learn more about you, could you tell us about yourself?

I have an Economic bachelor degree and an International Management Master of Science, in which I have specialized my academic path about Italian SMEs. I have enjoyed this new project and the born of this new brand Telami since the beginning, for its strong Italian manufacturing business model, that truly valorizes the Made in Italy values and strengths, and its international ambitions to grow and develop worldwide, exporting our culture and our expertise and “sharing” them with valuable partners.

Telami

How did you come up with the idea of reinterpreting the iconic historical designs?

The project was born thinking about the customization as an art, as an endless process, applicable to all the products that we like. We decided to start from two particular design icons: the Tripolina chair and the Director’s chair. Two timeless furniture items that are extremely recognizable from a functional and aesthetic side, being used by many artists and being folding and easy-to-use both indoor and outdoor. Telami rediscovered and reinterpreted them with innovative materials, colors, and intended use, for a contemporary and indisputably Italian style. Telami aim is to bring the legacy of a glorious past back to life and combining it with the needs and tastes of modern life.

Telami

Could you tell us about Telami?

Telami is the Italian brand that re-edits iconic design furniture and accessories, famous for their functionality and iconic elegance, bringing made-to-measure customization.

Warp and weft are at the heart of the Telami products; fabric, with its infinite variations of textures, colors, and materials, could be customized with endless possibilities.

Today Telami presents the first two outcomes of this design journey: the Tripolina Chair and the Director’s Chair - two icons rediscovered and reinterpreted with innovation, for a contemporary and indisputably Italian style.

Telami

How do you combine Italian Handcrafting and Iconic Design in Telami products?

The Tripolina and the Director’s chairs became international icons and symbols of Italian style, but the late 1900s saw their decline as inexpensive plastic chairs took over. Some small manufacturers, however, have safeguarded their secrets until now…

Telami, entrusting the original designs and skillful hands of the historic Italian manufacturers, is ensuring the best Italian quality and the original design of these two icons.

Telami

Could you tell us about your two main designs, Tripolina and Director's Chair? What are their features?

The Tripolina and the Director’s Chair are foldable, lightweight, strong, and long-lasting.

Their functionality and iconic elegance made them the absolute across-the-board protagonists of the aesthetic imagery of the 1900s.

They populated the covers of trendy magazines as well as the homes and gardens of legendary figures, such as Theodore Roosevelt, and were chosen by artists and intellectuals the likes of Italo Calvino, Chet Baker, Alfred Hitchcock, and Federico Fellini.

How often do you change up your collections?

Once a year our "normal" chairs catalogues, every 3-4 months a new co-branded collection. In the future, we will add new products ranges.

Telami

What kind of materials do you prefer to use in your designs? What is the importance of wood and leather in the Italian lifestyle?

Our Tripolina armchair is made of accurately selected ash wood for the Tripolina and beech wood for the Director’s chair, providing great robustness, flexibility, and lightness to the whole structure. Every element is a single piece of solid wood, with perfect fibers orientation. No joints, no knots. This is one of the secret ingredients behind the outstanding reliability and functionality of our chairs.

The structure of every chair is finely varnished with water-based paints and natural wood stains, which guarantee high protection under every weather condition. From sun to rain, from humidity to cold, the Telami chairs will always maintain their look and functionality.

The wooden frame is covered by a wide range of fabrics and materials, such as cotton, juta, acrylic, polyester, suede. The most luxurious one is our Tuscan leather.

Telami’s leather covers are crafted with top-quality vegetable-tanned leather from Tuscany.

Telami

We choose only the finest pieces of leather, and the workmanship is handmade by selected high-end curriers in Italy.

Tuscan Leather that needs to be fresh in order to be Vegetable-Tanned. Vegetable tanning is an artisan tradition that the Tuscan tanneries have handed down from father to son for centuries, mixing antique recipes and state-of-the-art technology.

Tripolina with Tuscan Vegetable-Tanned Leather means choosing a one-of-a-kind object.

Selecting the best Italian wood and the best Italian leather means selecting the best Italian craftsmanship tradition and the best Made in Italy.

Telami

Could you briefly tell us about your design and production processes?

The Telami Tripolina armchair is 100% Made in Italy by the finest artisans and craftsmen, and its production is accurately handmade by experienced Italian carpenter.

All the Telami products use only premium-quality materials, and all of our fabrics come from the highest quality Italian manufactures.

In order to provide remarkable strength and coziness to the chair, all of our covers are double-layered and their borders are double seamed.

Moreover, Telami introduces an extra-ordinary innovation to its Tripolina covers: the structural pockets are now reinforced with an exclusive anti-tear cloth, for an improved tear and wear resistance.

Regarding the folding mechanism, each one of our hinges is laser-cut and made of stainless steel, for a remarkable result both on the aesthetic and functional side.

Telami

How many different customization options for your products? How could your customers make their own selections?

The possibilities for customizing the Telami products are endless. Each customer has the possibility to choose among different materials, fabrics, functionalities, colors, and patterns for the cover; among different frame colours; and even among a brass or stainless steel joints. It all depends on his/her need, situation, season, or just the mood. Each customer could personalize his/her chair not only among our catalogue products list, but as he/she may prefer, with embroideries, printing, personalized details. We are strongly working with several and important co-brandings, that are enlarging our products catalogue and that are bringing an added value. An example that is already on sales is the Rossana Orlandi collection: the Milanese guru has selected our Director’s chair and has “dressed” it with Dedar fabrics. The result is a customized and even unique product, and it is only the beginning…

Telami

What is the importance of social media for Telami? How can our readers follow Telami?

We are live on Telami and Facebook. We are strongly improving our social media importance, as we believe that our communication, through beautiful images or videos about our products set in appealing locations, could be very effective.

How can our readers buy Telami products?

Telami products are sold on our worldwide online store telami.it and in selected retail and online stores worldwide.

What is next for you and Telami?

We will keep enlarging our co-branded collections, so we will have an "all flavours" range.

We do not want to anticipate much, so you will have to stay tuned!

Thank you Carola.

For more information, please visit the website of Telami

Tuesday, October 16, 2018.

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