85 years of history
1936
Maletti was founded in 1936 at the initiative of Guerrino Maletti, father of the current Chairman – Danilo – and Vice Chairman, Guido.
In the past years, Maletti has profoundly innovated the world of hair salon furnishings, becoming a reference point for the whole sector.
A long road which, began in the 30s and which with its many moments of innovation, has led Maletti to become the world leader in its own market.
Guerrino Maletti, the founder, began working in Milan, manufacturing and selling hair salon equipment.
The first products carrying the Maletti trademark were a hair grip and a curler.
The company’s administrative offices were in Sesto San Giovanni (Milan), and the workshop was in Scandiano, beginnning to sell its hair salon furnishings exclusively to wholesalers, creating a distribution network which was to become its sales force.
50’s
The first wash units with mechanical base release (facilitating the hair stylist’s work in adjusting the height) were patented by Guerrino Maletti, who as early as 1955 boasted a prestigious catalogue – targeting exclusively wholesalers – of wash units, shower units, equipment tables and metal accessories.
From the 1950s, the company began to work closely with the sectoral press.
1962
The great turning point of the company came in the 60s, with the start of the mass production of its several ranges of salon furnishings.
The distribution network expanded to cover the entire Italian territory, and the first exports to Europe began.
The workshop moved and expanded, opening a large showroom for its hair salon furnishings, produced by highly specialist workers, providing work also to many small firms in the area and building important bridges with the local community and the institutions, which were to strengthen over the years.
Noris Maletti’s entrepreneurial spirit opened up new horizons for the company, which soon moved from a craftwork dimension to an industrial one.
The historic showroom in the Maletti factory
The historic showroom in the Maletti factory
1970
The headquarters in Viale della Repubblica, Scandiano, Reggio Emilia counted on 13,000 m2 of covered surface area, including offices, showroom and the integrated production of wood, metal and plastic materials.
1979
In 1979, on the death of the founder Guerrino Maletti,, his three children succeed him: Danilo was appointed President, also personally dealing with distribution and all aspects related to the company management and administration; Guido took over research, production and development; Edgardo was in charge of marketing and communication.
The brand is renewed, the design office is enlarged and becomes the company’s flagship.
Skilled technicians and designers were trained: these were magical years for the company, expressed through many hair salons across Italy.
Constant research into new technologies and innovative materials led quickly to the internationalisation of the group, which today has a sales network covering 5 continents, with exclusive dealers in 101 countries which continuously purchase Maletti products.
1981-82
In 1982 the term ”gabbiano”, seagull, was coined to describe the company’s distributors, all beauty-design specialists.
From this year onwards, meetings and continuous training for the seagulls became systematic.
Philippe Starck, Danilo Maletti and Aldo Coppola
1988
These are the years of great progress combined with an entrepreneurs intuition. Maletti heads in the direction of design which will enable the company to reach heights previously unknown in this sector.
Philippe Starck, Danilo Maletti and Aldo Coppola
1992
And it’s Philippe Starck, that well known genius, the first designer to work with Maletti.
First on the MODERN COLLECTION then with the CLASSIC COLLECTION.
Maletti invents beauty design and becomes the definitive leader in its sector.
The Modern Collection designed by Starck for Maletti
2001
In 2001 Maletti was proud to inaugurate the new headquarters in Fellegara di Scandiano.
The new production site, designed by architects Matta and Varaschin, home to all the companies in the Maletti Group, has a surface area of 49,000 m2, of which 3,300 m2 are occupied by offices and over 3,000 m2 by the showroom, the largest European complex dedicated to beauty design.
2003 was a year of great challenges and great results: Claudio Silvestrin, rigorous designer for Armani designed “I TAGLI” a severe and elegant hair salon range which had no room for the imaginative swirls of Sipek, projecting new furnishings into a minimalist world of impalpable fabrices, natural materials and enchanting details.
But 2003 was also a year of great suffering: the sudden death of Edgardo left a huge void.
2003
I Tagli Collection
A Little Less Talk Collection
Organic Dreams Collection, design Lovegrove.
2004
Didier Gomez, reserved, quiet, sensitive, enjoyed mixing poor materials like plexiglas with other more noble materials like glass and wood, to create “A LITTLE TALK COLLECTION“, a pleasant conversation between refined objects which was highly appreciated by such a wide audience that it became one of the Maletti “classics”.
Ross Lovegrove, the opposite of Didier Gomez. The guru of organic design, an eclectic dreamer, created a brand new collection of hair salon furnishings, opening a breach in the rigour of the previous ranges and inaugurating a new era in the world of hairstyling: ORGANIC DREAMS, only for true dreamers.
Christophe Pillet came to Maletti as Philippe Starck’s assistant, and after a few years returned as an acclaimed designer. METROPOLE was his first furnishing range, followed by another two.
2008
Maletti started to think about the environmental sustainability of its activities in the 1980s when it began its internal paper recycling, controlled temperature and separated waste collection campaigns.
Eco Fun collection designed by Christophe Pillet.
Green First Collection, design Giovannoni.
2010-11
In Maletti’s vision, the eco-sustainable salon becomes a charming place, rich in interesting new features, connoted increasingly as a luxurious, elegant environment but with an intimate, relaxing and comfortable and at times even playful appeal. Three different ranges in terms of spirit, material and price range, all sharing the use of eco-sustainable materials and great design contents.
In 2010 Maletti developed the first three ranges of salon furniture with low environmental impact. Two ranges – Green First® and Alu Green® – were designed by Giovannoni Design, and the third – Eco Fun® – by Christophe Pillet.
Wash units from Green First Collection – Photo by Oliviero Toscani
Choosing to appoint one of the most famous designers on the international scene to design these three ranges, Maletti aims to express the strength of its own philosophy and tradition which, even in a time which strongly embraces criteria of environmentally sustainable production, continues to be inspired by the values of beauty, design and style which have always underlined their products and confirmed their global success
Three different ranges in terms of spirit, material and price range, all sharing the use of eco-sustainable materials and great design contents.
In 2015 Elisa Giovanonni creates the Bohème range and its sinuous lines and attractive design capture the worlds’ attention.
The renowned designer becomes artistic director for Maletti group and brings a breath of fresh air to the company’s image with her rational femininity.
Her first task is the renewal of the showroom.
2015
La più bella del reame, Styling chair from Collection Bohème
2017
Maletti is a byword for design in the hairstyling and beauty world.
Under the chairmanship of Danilo Maletti and through the opening of new branches in France, Brazil, England, USA, the Group grows with the establishment of new companies operating in the same sector or in adjacent sectors and is projected towards an increasingly international dimension.
Today the Maletti Group portfolio includes hair styling furniture ranges designed by the world’s greatest designers, including Philippe Starck, Claudio Silvestrin, Borek Sipek, Ross Lovegrove, Didier Gomez, Christophe Pillet, Ducciomaria Grassi, Matta & Varaschin and others besides.
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