Flos Announces Appointment of US Managing Director
Flos, the world leading manufacturer of lighting solutions, is pleased to announce the appointment of Cinzia Bernasconi as the new Managing Director of its Flos USA subsidiary, guiding the brand in the North American region. She will actively drive and work with the Flos USA team, in collaboration with the Corporate Teams, to implement all key projects for Flos’s Decorative, Architectural, Outdoor, and Bespoke divisions to further grow the great market potential in North America.
Bernasconi is a global lifestyle and retail executive with proven experience leading teams, setting go-to-market strategies, and identifying growth opportunities for ultra-luxe brands such as Roberto Cavalli, Emilio Pucci, Kilian Paris, and Frederic Malle for Estee Lauder. She moved to the US over 20 years ago and has acquired a great knowledge of North American consumers and how to develop high-end brands with an Italian and European heritage. Her expertise in sales, marketing, negotiation, and networking will not only benefit Flos North American Retail opportunities, but will also enlarge their influence within the architecture and design community and contract business.
Born and educated in Italy, Bernasconi was exposed to the language of design and aesthetics very early in her career working in Florence for Enrico Coveri. Among other fashion designers, Roberto Cavalli notably selected her to launch and develop his brand in the US, while raising his corporate identity to a higher level. She also spent eight years with LVMH, most recently as General Manager of North America for the ultra-luxe fragrance cluster at Estee Lauder.
Flos CEO Roberta Silva said: “With so many years successfully introducing and promoting high-end Italian fashion houses in the US, Cinzia Bernasconi brings to Flos an unparalleled combination of luxury brand experience and long-term personal relationships with high-end US retailers. Her success stems from her ability to be a cultural translator of European brands, seeking growth in USA. She is a perfect link between Italian brands and American consumers.”
Flos USA Managing Director Cinzia Bernasconi said: “Flos is the best in lighting – the best in design – in the world and it’s with great excitement that I join the team to help capitalize on the great potential for the brand in North America. We’re at a point in time where people want to trust, appreciate, and love the products around them – and Flos’s leadership in sustainability, technical innovation, and revolutionary design remains unmatched.”
About Flos
Founded in Merano, Italy in 1962, Flos is recognized 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 usa.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
