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Prototyping the sculptors’ designs proved difficult given the constraints of pressed steel manufacturing, resulting in only one sculpture actually making it to the shelves. Worse, the wasted effort to build prototypes for the collection diverted resources from Alessi’s bread-and-butter industrial products.
If you are familiar with the history of Alessi, you already know that this nearly century-old company has come quite far from its industrial beginnings as the top supplier of stainless-steel serving equipment to Italy’s professional kitchens.
The transformation of homely kitchenware into a medium for high-concept design won plaudits from cultural gatekeepers as well as popularity with consumers. The New York Times suggested Alessi had created a brand-new market for “designer kitchenware”.
Worse, the wasted effort to build prototypes for the collection diverted resources from Alessi’s bread-and-butter industrial products. Consequently, sales of the company’s existing product lines suffered. Meanwhile, the collection received only modest attention from tastemakers.