Mami

Memory, one of the basic components of Giovannoni's design, is at the heart of this project as well. Refusing to design "the umpteenth pot", the designer goes in search of the archetype, the pot whose origin lies in the collective imaginary. Mami's curves are borrowed from crockery with smooth round handles from the past, of the kind once used by our grandmothers.  Transferring this image to a product made of stainless steel is no easy task; hence, the project marks one of the highest points in research carried out for Alessi, involving both the studio and the company in a long period of testing, and in philosophical discussions between Alberto Alessi and Stefano Giovannoni as to the intimate essence of this basic kitchen tool.

After Richard Sapper's Orion's Belt and Alessandro Mendini's Falstaff, this project for a range of Mami pots satisfies the need to have, as part of the Alessi catalogue, a pot that combines classical style with modernity. The challenge to produce an object that strongly differs within the very vast scenario of existing pots and pans has been won brilliantly, and in terms of sales, this product is the company's greatest commercial success.