About
Jacopo Foggini is a different kind of designer, positioned on the border between design and art. Born in Turin, his work stems from an encounter with polycarbonate produced in his family’s businesses, a material that became a revelation for him: imprisoned in an industrial context, he was deprived of the ability to express his own poetry. Since his debut at the 1997 Salone del Mobile, his career has been built on installations and one-of-a-kind pieces, handcrafted on all scales, along with a long-standing collaboration with Edra.
Each project is different, the fruit of an intuition that develops into reality, with a strong element of craftsmanship, freedom, and research. Polycarbonate, derived from petroleum—and therefore from what was once alive—is interpreted as a “living” material, capable of surviving time and undergoing its own aging process. Foggini works to ennoble the material, making it stable and long-lasting, in stark contrast to the idea of plastic as an ephemeral element. His work is grounded in a constant tension between technique and gesture: rigorous and expressive freehand drawing remains the first step in every project, a synthesis of proportion, space, and intuition.
The secret of his work lies in continuity: working with the same material as an infinite opportunity for evolution, unafraid to experiment, in a constant quest that fuels passion. The result is a work that combines memory and innovation, capable of restoring a poetic and timeless dimension to plastic.
Each project is different, the fruit of an intuition that develops into reality, with a strong element of craftsmanship, freedom, and research. Polycarbonate, derived from petroleum—and therefore from what was once alive—is interpreted as a “living” material, capable of surviving time and undergoing its own aging process. Foggini works to ennoble the material, making it stable and long-lasting, in stark contrast to the idea of plastic as an ephemeral element. His work is grounded in a constant tension between technique and gesture: rigorous and expressive freehand drawing remains the first step in every project, a synthesis of proportion, space, and intuition.
The secret of his work lies in continuity: working with the same material as an infinite opportunity for evolution, unafraid to experiment, in a constant quest that fuels passion. The result is a work that combines memory and innovation, capable of restoring a poetic and timeless dimension to plastic.
Biography
Jacopo Foggini, born in Turin, lives and works in Milan, his adopted city. From an early age, he developed a strong interest in methacrylate and polycarbonate, materials he discovered through his family’s business in the automotive plastics sector. He soon began experimenting with thermoplastic resins beyond the constraints of mass production, creating unique pieces and light installations with a powerful evocative quality. His work bridges the worlds of art and design, establishing him as one of the most eclectic figures on the contemporary design scene.
Since his debut in 1997 with an installation for the Milanese space of Romeo Gigli, his friend and mentor, his career has developed through projects and exhibitions in international galleries, museums, and institutions. For years, he has participated in Milan Design Week, creating monumental installations in some of the city’s most prestigious locations. Since his debut, he has staged more than one hundred exhibitions, installations, and special projects worldwide, collaborating with international architecture and interior design practices to create unique, large-scale works.
As part of his research, Jacopo Foggini has conceived numerous personal collections that embody a unique vision in the field of lighting design, many of which are increasingly commissioned in bespoke versions. The artisanal nature of his workshop has given rise to monumental chandeliers and unique pieces equally at home in a futuristic penthouse in Singapore or a noble seventeenth-century villa.
Alongside private projects, his work has been presented in installations and special projects at leading international institutions, including the Carrousel du Louvre, the Centre Pompidou, the Musée d’Orsay, the Triennale di Milano, the Haus der Musik in Vienna, the Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts, the Shanghai Expo Museum, the Gandhi Museum in New Delhi, and the Museo Bagatti Valsecchi in Milan, among many others.
He took part in the opening ceremony of the Turin Winter Olympic Games with a monumental chandelier.
In 2022, he created the installation La Nuvola e l’Ombra for the Gallerie d’Italia in Naples, designed to welcome the public and accompany the presentation of Caravaggio’s Martirio di Sant’Orsola. Several of his works are also part of the permanent collections of the Palazzo del Quirinale and the Reggia di Monza.
He has collaborated with Edra since 2009, beginning with the Capriccio table and subsequently creating iconic pieces such as the Alice luminous armchair for the “Edra in Wonderland” collection, followed by the “Nel blu dipinto di blu” chair, designed exclusively for the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
Subsequently, the Ella, Gina, and Gilda B. chairs were created, the latter dedicated to his friend Gilda Bojardi, creator of Fuorisalone, with whom Jacopo Foggini has produced some of his most significant installations. In 2021, he designed the A’Mare outdoor collection for Edra, which was presented at Milan Design Week and won the “Elle Decor EDIDA International Award 2022” and the “Wallpaper* Magazine Best Disappearing Act Award 2023”. The extensive body of work resulting from his long-standing collaboration with Edra continues to grow each year with new pieces, all strictly handmade with meticulous, Renaissance inspired craftsmanship.
In 2023, Jacopo Foggini launched a collaboration with the Turin-based company Dott. Gallina for the innovative application of polycarbonate in one of the most ambitious contemporary architectural projects internationally.
In 2024, he created The Rivers collection, comprising eight monumental chandeliers presented for the first time in the splendid courtyard of Palazzo Durini in Milan during Design Week. During the same period, he took part in the University of Milan’s exhibition for the Salone del Mobile with Tandem, a four-metre-high chandelier composed of thousands of transparent and magenta polycarbonate rods.
In September 2024, he won the Dual international competition, designing the new administrative building in Tirana, Albania, in collaboration with the architectural firms Coldefy and Atelier4.
In November 2024, he participated in Downtown Design Dubai with a stand dedicated to Monolite, a project exploring polycarbonate as a material for architectural innovation.
In December 2024, he created three artisanal bottles inspired by the twentieth-century master Giorgio Morandi for the Around Morandi exhibition and charity auction. The project was presented in March 2025 at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
In 2025, he served as an ambassador for Italian design at Italian Design Day in Tokyo.
In 2026, he presented the new Dilly lamp for Edra and the Curly chandelier collection at the Salone del Mobile, presented at Palazzo Durini in Milan.
Since his debut in 1997 with an installation for the Milanese space of Romeo Gigli, his friend and mentor, his career has developed through projects and exhibitions in international galleries, museums, and institutions. For years, he has participated in Milan Design Week, creating monumental installations in some of the city’s most prestigious locations. Since his debut, he has staged more than one hundred exhibitions, installations, and special projects worldwide, collaborating with international architecture and interior design practices to create unique, large-scale works.
As part of his research, Jacopo Foggini has conceived numerous personal collections that embody a unique vision in the field of lighting design, many of which are increasingly commissioned in bespoke versions. The artisanal nature of his workshop has given rise to monumental chandeliers and unique pieces equally at home in a futuristic penthouse in Singapore or a noble seventeenth-century villa.
Alongside private projects, his work has been presented in installations and special projects at leading international institutions, including the Carrousel du Louvre, the Centre Pompidou, the Musée d’Orsay, the Triennale di Milano, the Haus der Musik in Vienna, the Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts, the Shanghai Expo Museum, the Gandhi Museum in New Delhi, and the Museo Bagatti Valsecchi in Milan, among many others.
He took part in the opening ceremony of the Turin Winter Olympic Games with a monumental chandelier.
In 2022, he created the installation La Nuvola e l’Ombra for the Gallerie d’Italia in Naples, designed to welcome the public and accompany the presentation of Caravaggio’s Martirio di Sant’Orsola. Several of his works are also part of the permanent collections of the Palazzo del Quirinale and the Reggia di Monza.
He has collaborated with Edra since 2009, beginning with the Capriccio table and subsequently creating iconic pieces such as the Alice luminous armchair for the “Edra in Wonderland” collection, followed by the “Nel blu dipinto di blu” chair, designed exclusively for the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
Subsequently, the Ella, Gina, and Gilda B. chairs were created, the latter dedicated to his friend Gilda Bojardi, creator of Fuorisalone, with whom Jacopo Foggini has produced some of his most significant installations. In 2021, he designed the A’Mare outdoor collection for Edra, which was presented at Milan Design Week and won the “Elle Decor EDIDA International Award 2022” and the “Wallpaper* Magazine Best Disappearing Act Award 2023”. The extensive body of work resulting from his long-standing collaboration with Edra continues to grow each year with new pieces, all strictly handmade with meticulous, Renaissance inspired craftsmanship.
In 2023, Jacopo Foggini launched a collaboration with the Turin-based company Dott. Gallina for the innovative application of polycarbonate in one of the most ambitious contemporary architectural projects internationally.
In 2024, he created The Rivers collection, comprising eight monumental chandeliers presented for the first time in the splendid courtyard of Palazzo Durini in Milan during Design Week. During the same period, he took part in the University of Milan’s exhibition for the Salone del Mobile with Tandem, a four-metre-high chandelier composed of thousands of transparent and magenta polycarbonate rods.
In September 2024, he won the Dual international competition, designing the new administrative building in Tirana, Albania, in collaboration with the architectural firms Coldefy and Atelier4.
In November 2024, he participated in Downtown Design Dubai with a stand dedicated to Monolite, a project exploring polycarbonate as a material for architectural innovation.
In December 2024, he created three artisanal bottles inspired by the twentieth-century master Giorgio Morandi for the Around Morandi exhibition and charity auction. The project was presented in March 2025 at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
In 2025, he served as an ambassador for Italian design at Italian Design Day in Tokyo.
In 2026, he presented the new Dilly lamp for Edra and the Curly chandelier collection at the Salone del Mobile, presented at Palazzo Durini in Milan.
