The studio founded in Bergamo by Mauro Micheli and Sergio Beretta in 1994 is the custodian of the iconic Riva design DNA.
It has now also reached a major milestone of its own in a year that will bring the launch of some of its largest yachts yet, consolidating its position as one of the leading presences on the international yacht design scene Officina Italiana Design is celebrating its first 25 years in business. Founded in Bergamo, Italy, in 1994, by Mauri Micheli and Sergio Beretta, this is a major milestone for the design studio: a quarter century of challenges embraced, goals achieved and success celebrated. Today, in fact, OID is one of the leading presences on the international yacht design scene (the Guarmari report based on data declared in 2018, acknowledges it as one of the world’s top 100 architecture and design studios).
Since 1994, Officina Italiana Design has enjoyed an exclusive partnership with the legendary Riva yard which continues the latter’s century-long tradition of creating iconic designs that have made its boats synonymous with elegance, status and perfection. Mauro Micheli, co-founder and chief designer of Officina Italiana Design, has been the custodian of the design of the world’s most iconic yachts for 35 years as he began his design career in the Riva style centre in 1984. So this is a double anniversary for him!
“Sometimes I think I’d be happy to give it up. But I still haven’t lost my love of what I do. Designing a Riva isn’t an ambition or an end in itself. The real challenge is creating something that is in step with the times – contemporary – yet also follows Riva tradition.
This is my world. It is part of me,” says dice Mauro Micheli Officina Italiana Design is responsible for both the exterior lines and the interior design of the entire Riva range. Clean lines, meticulous detailing, beautifully balanced volumes, carefully selected materials and colours are the greatest strengths of the yachts designed by Officina Italiana Design and also underpin the studio’s philosophy.
“We are very proud of this milestone which also coincides with, amongst other things, our very fruitful collaboration with Riva, one of the most important Made in Italy brands. We are honoured to continue to design for a brand that references classic design but with a touch of modernity and contemporary spirit with nothing left to chance and the elements of innovation as part of its development. In doing so, we always feel great satisfaction and emotion in creating small and medium-sized craft as well as large ones, which are our fascinating new research focus,” Sergio Beretta.
Recently, in fact, Officina Italiana Design designed the lines of several craft that hailed the studio’s entry to the megayacht world in no uncertain terms: the recently launched Riva 50m Race (March 2019), and the presentation of two medium-large craft, the Riva 90’ Argo and the Riva 110’ Dolcevita. March of this year also brought the launch of the 64-metre Attila 64Steel for Sanlorenzo (with exterior lines by Officina Italiana Design) which, like the 52 Steel Seven Sins (2017), was part of a collaboration contract signed with the yard in 2014 that also included the redesign of several other models and the creation of the exteriors of the revolutionary SX88.
All of the aforementioned yachts have their own very unique character, however, boasting ultra-clean lines melded with flawless volumetric and formal balance.
“We adore clean, rigorous design. We don’t want dazzle with special effects. Quite the contrary – we try to create things that will never go out of fashion. We design for ‘the few’ and we have a duty, moral included, to create excellence,” conclude Mauro Micheli and Sergio Beretta.
The Officina Italiana Design’s latest gems will showing at the Cannes Yachting Festival (10- 15 September 2019) and the Monaco Yacht Show (25-28 September). Mauro Micheli and Sergio Beretta will also be available for interview.
