The Materials of Design with Michele Caniato

Michele Caniato’s companies have transformed the world of design, allowing renowned designers like Starck, Wanders, and Dror to become household names

By Stephanie Wilson

[highlight_text] Some of the largest companies in the world rely on Material ConneXion, which has offices and libraries in New York, Bangkok, Milan, and Cologne. [/highlight_text]

Michele Caniato firmly believes that innovative materials are the basic foundation of any good design; the 38-year old Italian has even based his life’s work around that fact. He is the executive vice president of Material ConneXion, a worldwide one-stop library for contempo new materials and technologies. As if this wasn’t enough to keep this material authority busy, Caniato is also the president of Culture & Commerce, a firm that aggressively represents designers in a similar way to how IMG reps elite athletes. He is busy; there is no doubt about that. But with Caniato’s tireless drive comes great success, both on a professional and personal level. In fact, his personal successes were multiplying as we spoke: his wife, Margaux, was at the hospital about to deliver their first child-a boy.

Caniato knows to count his many blessings. “I have to say that I am lucky,” he humbly mentions when speaking of the birth of his son, and of the lifestyle he and his wife enjoy, with homes in New York, Milan, and near Portofino, Italy. Yet when speaking of his work, the humility disappears, and excitement about the companies’ many projects exudes. When he speaks, it is as an authority in the design world, and people listen.

His venture into the world of design was a fated one. His mother was a graphic designer, and his uncle, Giulio Castelli, founded Kartell, the venerable Italian company that has been credited with being the first to use the latest technologies in their designs. He credits Castelli as being an important mentor in his life. Caniato also worked for his aunt, Anna Castelli Ferrieri, one of the first female architects to emerge after World War II. “She taught me a lot about work, integrity, and having passion for what you do,” Caniato explains, qualities he still displays today. On the other side was Caniato’s father, a banker. “The result is that I have always lived my life with 50% [of my time] looking at the financial aspects, 50% looking at design,” he says.

His proud pedigree led him to the Polytechnic University in Milan where he received his degree in architecture and design. He made the move to the US in 1994 in order to work with yet another mentor: George Beylerian, founder and CEO of Material ConneXion. Caniato has been working with Beylerian since the inception of the worldwide company. “The concept behind Material ConneXion was to create a one-stop location where you can find the most innovative technologies and materials,” he explains. This stems from a period in the late 1990’s when Beylerian felt there was staleness in buildings and products available on the marketplace. As Material ConneXion’s catchy slogan states, “Every idea has a material solution.” Beylerian and Caniato’s solution was to create a place for designers to learn about the latest materials and technologies. Caniato elaborates: “[We wanted] to create a materials library for architects and interior designers, but we immediately understood, after opening in February 1997, that our resource center was for every professional related with the creation of anything which surrounds us, from cars to consumer electronics. Everyone needs information regarding materials, and the processes applied to it.”

So Material ConneXion created a unique material library where users can discover the latest and most exciting materials for virtually every field. The library houses over 4,000 material samples referenced in eight categories: polymers, glass, ceramics, carbon-based materials, cement-based materials, metals, natural materials, and natural material derivatives. Some of the largest companies in the world rely on Material ConneXion, which has offices and libraries in New York, Bangkok, Milan, and Cologne. Their impressive client list runs from for Nike to Target, from Cotule Lighting Design to Urban Outfitters, amongst others. “We currently work with over 400 international corporations. We have choreographers of Broadway shows to every major company in the footwear industry.”

Certain success tales have Material ConneXion creating innovative packaging from recycled materials for Aveda’s Uruku^TM line and unique gel seats to improve the comfort and safety of guests at the Second Stage Theater. Another great success involves the team at Material ConneXion working tirelessly with the design firm Pompei A.D. in order to create the perfect showroom for Levi Jean’s Young Men’s Store. Thanks to access to the Material ConneXion library, Pompei A.D. used colored Plexiglas, recycled rubber flooring, parallam, corrugated polypropylene, and honeycomb aluminum in the construction of the new shop. The result is never-before seen applications that helped Levi create a new flagship that allowed the brand to flourish.

In 1998, Material ConneXion hosted an event in honor of one of their clients, design guru Philippe Starck. “Starck was spending a lot of time in New York, and we asked to become his agent and help him develop business in North America. Six months later, we signed the contract and started to collaborate. There was no business plan behind it then, just a great love for design.” Culture & Commerce was then born. The goal of the company is simple: to develop designs into high-performance financial assets.

The first project at Culture & Commerce was developing a relationship between Starck and Target. “Target is a pioneer in the mass market in respect to design, and [the project with Starck] was one of their first true design partnerships. Together, we set out to create truly unique pieces for every day, from baby monitors to accent furniture, at competitive prices that would make those products accessible to more people across the US.” The slam-dunk had Starck creating 52 design-driven products for Target. This started a trend that can still be seen today, as is evident by Target’s new advertising campaign, which shows a plethora of design-orientated household objects.

Today, Culture & Commerce represents some of the world’s most talented and creative people and agencies, including Philippe Starck, Marcel Wanders, Dror Benshetrit, Yves Behar, Sammy Hayek, Assouline, COSMIT (the organizer of the Milan Furniture Fair), and more. “Our goal is to remain the top design management firm,” says Caniato. “We are matchmakers, strategists, and facilitators. We understand our client’s needs, and we create the plans to develop successful products and concepts to meet those needs.” Culture & Commerce has many successes, such as hooking Studio Dror up with Rosenthal, Boffi, and more.

As president of Culture & Commerce, Caniato’s role is to look at the market and find the opportunities for the designers. “I love the adrenaline rush that comes with closing a deal,” he says. “I love the challenge of understanding the clients’ needs, and bringing them to a solution; every problem has a solution.”

The two firms consistently share clients, as they have an ideal sibling-like relationship. “We strongly believe that materials are as important as designs. When you create a product, you have the idea, but then you have to find the materials. So Material ConneXion is giving the right answer for materials. Culture & Commerce is the answer for the design point of view; clients approach Material ConneXion for materials, and Culture & Commerce finds the right designer to design a product.” In fact, Microsoft is a client of Culture & Commerce. Caniato then brokered a deal with Philippe Starck to create the Starck Mouse for Microsoft, and in turn, Microsoft became a client of Material ConneXion during the development of the innovative computer piece, which brought contemporary design to the digital world.

For both companies, the sky is the limit. “We are in a growth mode, and love learning along the way.” In the future, look for both companies to grow into household names, as is a goal of Caniato’s business-minded half. “But,” he coyly explains, “design is always of the utmost importance.” And thanks to his efforts, the rest of the world is starting to agree.