PaperCity Magazine

September 2019- Houston

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Minotti Studio, which Renato describes as "a place of study"— an in-house, intimate setting to address and assess the contemporary zeitgeist, consumer needs, trends, materials, fabrication, and technologies. Referring to himself in the fi rst person, he pontifi cates, "I think, 'What works in this market, Renato, and what do designers and architects need?'" The introduction of the studio to filter Minotti's newest creations and anticipate yearly collections was integral to the expansion of the Minotti vision beyond a specialized niche of residential furnishings. Minotti needed to represent a comprehensive lifestyle and attitude to appeal to a global market. Renato analogizes Italian fashion both in aesthetics and breadth of product: "I see Minotti as between Valentino and Prada." Such mobilization beyond provincial recognition requires shrewdness and acumen, of which he has plenty — and relishes. He likens the coordination of the efforts of his staff of 250 to an orchestra: "The company is formed from people. Every person plays an instrument, and together we make music — a symphony. Roberto, Rodolfo, and I, we are the conductors." He is strategically aware that this pivot in strategy — Minotti exports 95 percent of its products — requires cultivating external, international relationships and integrating them into the family business. "I searched for the right people who speak the same language, who could speak the same vision, who want the best results, who have the capacity to understand the opportunity," he says. The Minotti monobrand stores evolved as a brick-and-mortar solution to edifying the Minotti vision globally, and now consists of more than 30 stores in Miami, Tokyo, and Cape Town, among others. Renato respects and acknowledges the need to contextualize the Minotti tradition of style and artistry within these diverse destinations and to act as an infl ection point of different cultural values; for example, in Singapore, the store is encased within a historic hotel. To this end, after 20 years of exclusive Rodolfo Dordoni designs, Minotti introduced collaborations with Oki Sato of Nendo, Christophe Delcourt, and Stine Gam and Enrico Fratesi of GamFratesi. He vets each accordingly: "Nendo brings the philosophy of Japanese proportion and attention to detail; Delcourt is from Paris, his style French and warm; GamFratesi's design is clean and sophisticated, with the light emotion of Scandinavian design." "Every company has a soul", he says. "You need to follow the soul." He pauses a n d r e f l e c t s , " I n Houston, Carla is the right person to create a strong market and we trust her. Carla has soul." Left: Angie chair, 2019 collection Minotti's exhibit space at the 2019 Salone del Mobile Milano The iconic Van Dyck Outdoor collection Brothers Renato and Roberto Minotti Minotti Quadrado outdoor collection (continued from page 120) 122

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