SP01’s first collection with Rometti is inspired by the simple geometry of mechanical components and the junctions between them. Cogs, wheels and industrial elements fit together to form a series that is muted and earthy.
In the first collaboration with Umbrian-based Italian ceramic studio Rometti and its art director Jean-Christophe Clair, SP01 is launching a collection of mix-and-match ‘industrial totems’ embedded with the beauty of the studio's ancient hand-thrown process and the appeal of clay’s imperfections, a material that has been used to form objects for thousands of years.
Founded in the 1920s, Rometti has boosted the art of Italian ceramics by creating objects made with clay dating back to the 9th century BC and a glaze developed by the Romans. It’s a process that adds depth and decoration and has allowed the studio to experiment with complex techniques and take its artisan skills to the international stage.
SP01’s first collection with Rometti is inspired by the simple geometry of mechanical components and the junctions between them. Cogs, wheels and industrial elements fit together to form a series that is muted and earthy. Each piece belongs to a set with three glaze colours, deep brown, warm light grey and blue, and textures including matte, gloss and jute, that together form the visual rhythm across the collection.
About: Jean-Christophe Clair
After studying art history at the Universities of Toulouse and Bordeaux and courses in applied art in tempera painting with the Greek iconographer Eva Vlavianos, he realized that he wasn’t interested in just one artistic field, but wanted to explore the link between the arts, their meeting points and the uniqueness of their relationship.
Jean Christophe Clair eagerly devoured every book and score, searched for interesting stimuli and themes and built new creative bridges. Rejecting the role of the designer as a creator of serial production, he became passionate about ceramics and Rometti's extraordinary objects, pouring into this new field the different cultural influences accumulated over the years, learning new techniques and opening new paths for the historic Umbertide company. The fantasies and motifs from his imagination find expressive form in the clay, in the colours and shapes of objects that don’t simply follow trends but dreams and visions inspired by the great classics or stolen from everyday life. As in a fairy tale, he inaugurated a new, extraordinary creative path as Artistic Director of Rometti.
About: Rometti
Founded in the 1920s, Rometti has boosted the art of Italian ceramics by creating objects made with clay dating back to the 9th century BC and a glaze developed by the Romans. It’s a process that adds depth and decoration and has allowed the studio to experiment with complex techniques and take its artisan skills to the international stage.
In 2012, with the arrival of Massimo Monini, patron and entrepreneur of art and beauty, and Jean Christophe Clair, current artistic director with a thousand forms of expression, that Rometti began a new and prosperous era that is still evolving. The extraordinary ability of the couple at the head of the company lies in finding the perfect balance between contemporary vision and the enhancement of Rometti's artistic and craft heritage. Rometti boasts prestigious collaborations with brands and artists who have chosen its uniqueness to produce special pieces and collections. B&B Italia, Roche Bobois, Cartier, Borbonese, Fresh and many other big brands, international design names such as Ambrogio Pozzi, Lilian Lijn, Sergio Fiorentino, Chantal Thomass, Studio MAMO, Christian Tortu, Ugo La Pietra and Kenzo Takada form a constellation over the past and present history of iconic Rometti.
After studying art history at the Universities of Toulouse and Bordeaux and courses in applied art in tempera painting with the Greek iconographer Eva Vlavianos, he realized that he wasn’t interested in just one artistic field, but wanted to explore the link between the arts, their meeting points and the uniqueness of their relationship. Jean Christophe Clair eagerly devoured every book and score, searched for interesting stimuli and themes and built new creative bridges. Rejecting the role of the designer as a creator of serial production, he became passionate about ceramics and Rometti's extraordinary objects, pouring into this new field the different cultural influences accumulated over the years, learning new techniques and opening new paths for the historic Umbertide company. The fantasies and motifs from his imagination find expressive form in the clay, in the colours and shapes of objects that don’t simply follow trends but dreams and visions inspired by the great classics or stolen from everyday life. As in a fairy tale, he inaugurated a new, extraordinary creative path as Artistic Director of Rometti.