Designers Andrea Trimarchi (1980) and Simone Farresin (1983) are the founders of Studio Formafantasma, with offices in Milan and Rotterdam. While they established the firm in 2009, they had met previously in 2003 at the Isia Institute of Design in Florence and later at the Design Academy in Eindhoven. Their guiding principle is expressed by the studio's name, indicating the desire to prioritise material over objects and process over form. The two apply this approach to all fields of investigation, from product design to spatial design, from strategic planning to design consultancy.
For Formafantasma, design is a way of understanding the world; it is born from research and cross-pollination with other disciplines like science, biology and botany. Trimarchi and Farresin boast an extensive portfolio of projects. They have appeared at Dutch Design Week, Salone del Mobile in Milan, Abu Dhabi Art, ICFF in New York and Design Miami/Basel. Their objects have been exhibited in prestigious museums like MoMA and the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Victoria and Albert in London, the Chicago Art Institute, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. In March 2020, Serpentine Galleries dedicated a solo exhibition to Formafantasma's investigation into the governance of the wood industry, exhibited in 2021 at the Centro Pecci in Prato.
Formafantasma collaborates with fashion and luxury brands, including Fendi, Max Mara Sportmax, Hermès, Krizia International, Lexus. They work with brands from the art world - Droog, Galleria Giustini Stagetti Roma, Gallery Libby Sellers - and design - Flos, Natuzzi, Nude, Bitossi, Cedit. They designed the WireRing wall lamp for Flos, composed of two elements: a custom-made belt, like an electric cable, and a ring containing a LED strip. For Natuzzi, they created the Apuli sofa, a reflection upon the changing needs of contemporary life, drawing inspiration from the traditions of rural Puglia. They produced a wide range of mouth-blown glassware in collaboration with Nude. For Bitossi, they designed Clay, a vase that explores the raw and expressive qualities of ceramics. The Cromatica collection for Cedit is an investigation into the potential of colour in the contemporary production of ceramic coverings. Their most recent projects explain perfectly what design means for Formafantasma -multidisciplinary, sustainable, capable of questioning rules to find new solutions. The most emblematic project is perhaps the design of the studio's website, created in collaboration with Studio Blanco to minimise energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The clear, minimalist site is available in a dark view, favouring text over images.