Клементина Karpanelli - mind, honor and conscience of the company CARPANELLI. Ее все

Passing the gallery

Interview prepared: Dilara Muradova

Portraiture: Kirill Ovchinnikov

Magazine: N (87) 2004

Клементина Karpanelli - mind, honor and conscience of the company CARPANELLI. Its all. She helps brother Luigi in managing the factory, inspires brother Leopoldo to create new collections, communicates with clients and the press, oversees the younger generation of the family. Besides, Клементина Karpanelli Included in the directorate of the Milan exhibition. Of women, she is there alone, and it is worth a lot. She told the magazine SALON-interior how she did all this.Carpanelli - this is a clan. This, with a huge number of uncles, aunts and great-nephews. All family members live a quiet patriarchal life in the town of Desio, 15 km from Milan. This is the area of ​​Brianza, a traditional furniture district. There, Joseph Carpanelli, father of Clementine, Leopoldo and Luigi, founded a factory in 1919, which now employs the second and third generations of the family and almost the entire population of the town - about 100 people. For Italy - a common phenomenon. Luigi Carpanelli, the older brother, runs the factory, Leopoldo, the youngest, comes up with collections. Клементина Karpanelli deals with public relations, but this is not important. She is a sister, a manager, a muse. Being a muse, sister and manager is really hard work. Signora Karpanelli lives in an apartment above the office, her working day starts at 7 am, and ends late in the evening. And so the past 40 years.SALON: Do you remember how your father worked? - Of course. He was a woodcarver. Worked day and night. He started with two, then with three workers. Then we appeared and began to help him. My father was a true artist. Leopoldo went into it.S: Where do you get the masters? - The right question. It is very difficult to find people who have enough patience. Now the people whose fathers started working with my father are working with us. For example, the son of the very first master.S: You work in a factory, you live in a factory ... - True. The fact is that the Leopoldo and Luigi houses are very close and I can look after both brothers. In addition, there is always the opportunity to go down and check the mail.S: Did it ever occur to you to change your lifestyle? - Not. My father died when I was only 18 years old. I was young, very young. Loved him very much. I did not get married: I wanted to work, to do maximum for my father’s company. I had to go into the commercial part of the family business. I am happy that I did it.S: Tell us about the design. Collection Author Carpanelli - Is your brother Leopoldo? - Yes. What he creates is truly unique. Leopoldo never copies existing furniture. He can create a shop window, inspired by the paintings of Modigliani or a piece of paper, which he picked up on the way to the factory. It seems to me that he has very hard work. Because before covering the furniture with varnish, one must imagine the final result of the color of the tree, foresee how the picture will look. He must make different wood species in a pattern in accordance with his concept. It takes a year to create one Leopoldo collection. You know, people who see our furniture say: "At the company Carpanelli one of a kind style. You are different from other manufacturers of the classics, because every piece of furniture you have is a work of the artist. "S: What is your new collection about? - About roses and butterflies. On Saturday evenings, Leopoldo loves walking around Monte Napoleone, the street of the most famous fashion boutiques in Milan. Once during one of these walks, he saw butterflies on his clothes and thought why not make a furniture collection with them. We used a new tree for us - zebrano. Roses are not painted, but laid out of wood.S: Leopoldo seems to be very romantic. And you? - Also. But I have more enthusiasm. I always say that our furniture is the best, and my brother always says: "You exaggerate."S: Who will continue the work of Karpanelli? - The third generation. These are three men. Joseph Carpanelli is an architect, he began working this year, Daniel Carpanelli is an economist and Angelo Carpanelli is a lawyer. They work in the company for several years.S: What do you think is it hard for a woman in Italy to be the head of the company? - No, I think not. (Laughs.) My character attracts people. I have my clients. As I already told you, I am single and passionate about my work. In fact, there are quite a few women heading the company in Italy, but not in the furniture industry. I guess here I am one of the first. By the way, I enter the directorate of the Milan exhibition. There are seventy men and no women among my colleagues. Not bad, right? It gives satisfaction.