Colombian-born designer Edgardo Osorio had the idea to name the chic shoe brand he launched in 2012 after him, but in the back of his mind he foresaw that one day it would go from shoes to brightly colored women’s made in Italy to a full brand. -full-fledged lifestyle business. So he opted for Aquazzura instead “because it suggested the idea of Italian sweet life“, he tells AD PRO. A decade later, Osorio’s vision of expansion is coming true with the unveiling of Aquazzura Casa, a cheerful housewares company spanning ceramics, linens and glassware. , at the Salone del Mobile this week.
Osorio, who worked for brands such as Salvatore Ferragamo and Roberto Cavalli before making his mark with Aquazzura, is synonymous with handmade, celebrity-loved footwear. But the designer has always had a passion for designing built environments and objects for the home. “My mother was an interior designer and my father worked in real estate and construction, and that influenced my life a lot,” he explains, noting how much free time he spends visiting art fairs and flea markets and browsing auction catalogs.
The brand’s theatrical boutiques, which can be found in Florence, London, New York, Miami, Doha, Dubai, Milan, Capri and São Paulo, are as exciting as the products they display, adorned with black and white stripes . and shimmering brass. “These are my little living rooms,” adds Osorio. “I want you to feel like you’re coming home when you’re inside.”
Osorio, who believes in comfort and beauty, saw the Aquazzura Casa line as natural crossover territory. Life in lockdown gave him time to develop the project, for which he tapped event planner Fiona Leahy, from the eponymous studio in London, to be co-creative director.
Together, they imagined tableaux vivants that capture joy of living, a spirit that it lacks in the luxury market. “I wanted to get away from the usual crystal and gold and white. There’s so much that can be done with color and pattern,” Osorio says.
