The refined sinuous modular lighting system designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and produced by Flos Architectural in 2020, has won the oldest, most prestigious international design award which has today reached its twenty-seventh edition.
Set up in 1954, the Premio Compasso d’Oro ADI is the oldest and most prestigious international design award. Once again this year, it was held in the beautiful industrial location of the ADI Design Museum in Milan and in the adjacent square of the same name, Piazza Compasso d’Oro.
The international jury awarded Belt with the esteemed Compasso d’Oro award as “an original lighting system composed of leather and leds, with a fascinating environmental dimension”. Designed for Flos by the French duo Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, this system was developed, engineered and produced in 2020 by Flos Architectural, the division of Flos Group specializing in technical lighting solutions for interiors, headquartered in Valencia.
Belt is an innovative modular architectural lighting system that sees the light source housed in long refined artisan-crafted leather elements. The soft sections, which act as power supply and connecting elements, lend each module its characteristic sinuous shape, recalling the fluidity and lightness of a belt and hence its name.
Belt is available in a black, green or natural leather finish and comes in different lengths and sizes, allowing it to be adapted to a wide variety of interiors and colour palettes. Thanks to technical inventiveness and masterful skills with the material used, Belt embodies discreet elegance, sturdy aesthetics and refined tailored style.
At the recent exhibition for the FuoriSalone 2022, Flos presented as a world premiere a brand new version of Belt, featuring a durable, highly resistant, 100% recyclable stretch fabric in the finishes grey olive and copper brown. Belt Fabric will be launched on the market later this year.
The award was picked up by a very proud, emotional Roberta Silva, CEO of Flos, accompanied by Pablo Illueca, CEO of Flos Architectural, and the designer Erwan Bouroullec. “I am particularly happy about this win because it marks an important milestone for our brand,” said Roberta Silva. “This is the tenth Compasso d’Oro won in the history of our brand for a product, but it is the first one for our Flos Architectural division, which realised this extraordinary project conceived by the creative genius of Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec thanks to its great technical knowledge, high manufacturing quality and artisan knowhow. With Belt, Flos has cancelled out any lines that separated the categories of technical and decorative lighting, proving that the brand’s philosophy is strong and consistent in all its production units. Belt represents the perfect fusion of innovation, lighting performance, human-centered design, elegance of form and refined craftsmanship.”
This new ADI award joins the remarkable list of Compasso d’Oro wins by Flos over the years for its extraordinary objects, which include the famous Parentesi by Achille Castiglioni and Pio Manzù in 1979, the eclectic Mayday by Konstantin Grcic in 2001, and the technological minimal OK again by Grcic, in 2016, while at the last Compasso d’Oro in 2020, awards went to both by Arrangements, the poetic collection of geometric lighting elements by Michael Anastassiades, and also the iconic Arco lamp by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, the first object to bring home the Product Lifetime Achievement Award.
About FLOS
Founded in Merano, Italy in 1962, Flos is recognised as a leading international-level manufacturer of top-end designer lights and innovative lighting systems for residential, hospitality, and commercial projects. The company boasts an extensive catalogue of iconic lamps created by legendary names in the history of design such as Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Tobia Scarpa, Philippe Starck, Antonio Citterio, Piero Lissoni, Marcel Wanders, Konstantin Grcic, Jasper Morrison, Patricia Urquiola, Ron Gilad, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Michael Anastassiades, Vincent Van Duysen, Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby, Formafantasma, and many others.
In sixty years, Flos has grown significantly, showing a constant commitment to research and innovation in lighting, teamed with a remarkable capacity for identifying new creative talent. In 2015, Flos purchased Ares, a renowned Italian manufacturer of outdoor architectural lighting. The Outdoor division thus became the fourth production unit at Flos, alongside its historic Decorative, Architectural and Bespoke product lines. In the same year Flos also acquired NYC-based Lukas Lighting, a company specializing in the design, development, and manufacturing of sophisticated custom lighting products. This move gave a strong boost to the Flos growth in the North American contract market.
In June 2019, Roberta Silva was appointed CEO of Flos, with a view to managerial development of the Group. Today, Flos offers a universe of fully integrated solutions. It exports to more than 90 countries worldwide and has single-brand stores in Rome, Milan, Paris, New York and Stockholm, in addition to the two e-commerce platforms shop.flos.com and usa.flos.com. Its creations have received countless international awards and many of them now feature in the permanent collections of major art and design museums around the world. www.flos.com
Flos is part of Design Holding, a leading global high-end design group operating a number of legacy brands in the world of luxury furnishings and lighting, with a European cultural heritage. Driven by a purpose of “We design for a beautiful life,” the Group designs for the planet, people and culture. The Group includes Flos, B&B Italia, Louis Poulsen, Maxalto, Arclinea, Azucena, FENDI Casa, Designers Company (Menu, by Lassen) e YDesign Group (Lumens). www.designholding.com