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MY SITE
Site, diary, archive and container... Useful for me to make order in a thirty-year career.
The collaboration with almost all my clients lasts always several years and consequently hundreds of projects have been developed and produced.
Here only a small part of it, perhaps the most interesting or the best photographed, or those of which I have at least some photos to represent this long professional career.
FABRIZIO RICUPITO
ABOUT ME
In 1984 I graduated from the artistic high school of Pescara (Italy) where I had my first important experience in the world of GRAPHICS, thanks to my teacher Ettore Spalletti, a great italian artist. In October the same year, I moved to Milan where I studied at the European Institute of Design (IED) and graduated
in PRODUCT DESIGN in 1988
L/O DESIGN
During the last 2 years of study I had my first working experience in the L / O design studio by Roberto Lucci and Paolo Orlandini in Milan. I worked on office furniture projects like chairs and also kitchens and learned so their working methodology: to develop the projects by creating mock-ups using EVERY material.
This way to work had a big influence to me.
This experience taught me as well a simple principle but in my opinion the basis for those who do this job:
to seek always innovation, in every project whether it is small or big
WORK
In 1988 I started freelance working in different sectors, from ceramics to mosaic, from glasses to small domestic appliances to then focus on products related to the sports world. It is in this area where I designed helmets for many sports, motocross/ enduro bikes, a lot of clothing (bike, motorcycle and mountain), gloves for all sports, bags and backpacks and also a lot of product graphics.
360°
In 1993 I started my collaboration with Clover.
The first project was the BACK PRO back protector. Then we started a totally new topic for me: technical motorcycle GEAR! This new approach clearly couldn't be only the one of a stylist, but the one of a designer, product designer with also skills in graphics. From here a great experience that lasted 15 years. Thanks to
the owner's great skills in the field of technical clothing, I learned a new trade.
The experience with Clover was 360°. The design ranges from products like protections, jackets, trousers and gloves. Products to face long journeys or simply used in the city, therefore with very different technical characteristics, style and materials for each one.
In this long professional journey, one of the protagonists was the leather. From the first one-piece or divisible sports suits to always more technical products for specific uses ranging from motorcycle touring on the track to supermotard. But also classic leather jackets with vintage references or more technical ones without
visible seams f.ex..
Furthermore ther was the design of the stand for the motorcycle fair in Milan - modular, designed to occupy surfaces of various sizes and with the idea of emphasizing the products by highlighting their details to underline the maniacal care that was in every centimeter of product.
In 1999, after a long study, we created the new logo, following by the application on tags, hangers, packaging, corporate identity etc.
Thanks to this experience I was able to design technical and less technical clothing for various brands such as Castelli (bike), Briko (ski and bike), Decathlon (bike), Circuit (motocross enduro) Specialized (bike), Gimoto (motorbike), OJ ( motorbike), Tucano Urbano and T.UR (motorbike) and Yamaha (motocross enduro).
HOW
The example of the experience with the Clover helps me to explain two fundamental aspects:
1 - the relationship between product, communication and marketing has to run in total symbiosis and that's why I often also communicate with them
2 - how the skills of industrial design, clothing and graphics all coexist within more or less technical sports products
Every project I work on, whether object, clothing or graphics, I approach in the same way, with a detailed PLANNING which is the mixture of FUNCTIONALITY, CONSTRUCTIVE RATIONALITY, MARKET NEEDS and STYLE.
CLIENTS
BACK TO SCHOOL
In 2000 began the first didactic experience at the IED European Institute of Design (Milan, Turin, Venice and Sao Paulo). In collaboration with companies such as Mini, Renault, Whirlpool and Hurgh, I have held design courses and workshops as part of master’s courses.
EXHIBITIONS
1990 Abitare il tempo - Verona
1991 Abitare il tempo - Verona
1991 Design balneare- Cattolica
1997 Oggetti del desiderio. Mosaico e design - Ravenna
1998 Easy Reading giovani designers per lo sport - Milano
1998 Biennale del Design - Saint-Etienne
1998 BIO 16 Industrial Design Biennale - Lubiana
2008 SPORT DESIGN designing competition Torino World Design Capital 2008 - Ivrea
2009 SPORT DESIGN designing competition Beijing – China
2009 EICMA presentation Ricoò, Milano - Italy
2010 EICMA presentation Ricoò, Milano - Italy
2011 EICMA presentation Ricoò, Milano - Italy
PUBBLICATIONS
RICOO'
In 2010 "Ricoò" was born, a brand for technical motocross, enduro, rally and flat track gear. I've combined my huge passion for motocross with my professional experience and the knowloedge of this market. I realized that something new was needed.
Until then, motocross clothing was not very technical, all products were very similar and the graphics (mostly completely overloaded) were almost the most important factor. Jerseys, pants and gloves were always coordinated with each other.
I decided instead to offer with Ricoò pants with innovative technical solutions, monochrome, few colors like
black, blue, red and jerseys that can be freely combined according the clients taste. The black pants V9 judged by many to be unsellable in the cross world, become the bestseller, also because they can be combined with all our jerseys.
In 2010 during the motorcycle fair EICMA in Milan we presented, at prototype level, a patented extendable back protector.
The story continues on su www.ricoostyle.com
RICUPITODESIGN SPACE
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