In the heart of Brianza, where design is culture and every detail tells a story, BertO was born, a company that since 1974 has interpreted and renewed the production identity of Meda , capital of the Compassi d’Oro and cradle of the most authentic Made in Italy.
In an era in which the home is increasingly an emotional and identifying place, BertO has transformed comfort into a project, the sofa into a language, and local tradition into a global vision.
At the helm of the brand, Filippo Berto represents a generation capable of combining heritage and innovation: his vision has led the company to be among the first to experiment with digital communication, telling with sincerity and transparency the behind the scenes of a design that puts people at the centre.
We met him to talk about roots, future and how a brand born in productive Brianza has become an international model of contemporaneity, capable of fusing research, sustainability and design culture .
Filippo Berto tells us about BertO: Our design was born in Meda but speaks to the world
BertO was born in 1974 in Meda, in the heart of Brianza. How does that productive and cultural context continue to shape the company’s identity today?
The territory is our DNA and it is also our idea of the future. We are heirs of this territory, we have perceived its importance for its past and its strength for the future. Meda, capital of the Compassi d’Oro, is the place where design was born and where it continues to renew itself.
Our commitment is to ensure that the heritage of the past lives again and inspires a new generation.
Your Made in Meda has become a recognizable manifesto. What does it mean to preserve and renew this artisanal heritage in a global market today?
Our objective is to make known the value of this territory. We have published a book and we are constantly present in schools and in local social life, to involve more and more people. We like the idea of ??making more and more people passionate about this territory, fundamental for design, still little known, but which deserves to be valorised.
You lead a family business that has managed to transform itself into an international brand: what were the most complex steps and what were the decisive insights?
BertO has always had an innovative soul. My father had a constant desire for change and improvement: he never stopped. I was lucky enough to observe his talent and, when it was my turn, I tried to interpret the changing reality. At the beginning of the 2000s, the decisive intuition was the Internet: not only as a sales channel, but as a tool for direct dialogue with customers. Thanks to this approach, we have built a company capable of listening to people and serving their needs in a direct and authentic way.
In your stories it emerges that the sofa is not a simple piece of furniture, but the heart of domestic life. How much does this vision guide the design of the collections?
The sofa has always been the place of intimacy, relationships and everyday life. Our commitment is to offer modular solutions, capable of making the space functional and at the same time transforming it with design and style, giving a personal imprint. We look for cutting-edge solutions also from a technical and qualitative point of view, constantly raising the bar.
Customization is a distinctive feature of BertO. What does it mean to create a “tailor-made” product today and how does it respond to new living needs?
Every home and every person is different. Offering the possibility to customize is extraordinary, because it allows you to create solutions that truly reflect everyone’s style and project. We were born as artisan upholsterers, capable of making anything to measure: this ability is an integral part of our DNA.
Craftsmanship and technology coexist in your projects. How do traditional craftsmanship and research into materials and production processes intertwine?
The work of the upholsterer maintains a very high level of craftsmanship: it is the distinctive signature of our territory. At BertO we enhance it with unique processes, the result of local knowledge and our experience. At the same time, we have embraced the evolution of design and construction, convinced that a product made in Italy must be cutting edge not only in style, but also in technique. In our sofas, research, innovation and quality come together, both in the padding and in the structures.
In your story, attention to people often emerges: those who work at BertO, the hands that sew, individual stories. How important are the faces behind the products to define the identity of the brand?
Valuing people is fundamental. The finished product is the result of very important work, accomplished by those who put skills, talent and commitment into every detail. The relationship between those who create and those who use the product is at the center of our approach. This is why we have opened the doors of our laboratory: we want to show a process that, for us, has the same importance as the final result.
What guiding values must a team working on Made in Italy design embody to stand out internationally?
Today Made in Italy must combine technical innovation and quality, taking into account issues such as circular economy, sustainability and process efficiency. The world expects not only distinctive design, but also technical excellence and that human component that makes perceived craftsmanship so precious.
You have created spaces for artists like Ermal Meta or Rudy Zerbi. What does it mean to interpret the character and sensitivity of creative personalities through furniture?
It is a fascinating challenge: it means knowing how to read the soul of those who will live in those spaces and transform it into shapes, materials and details, giving life to places that truly reflect their uniqueness.
What role do collaborations with studios like Castello Lagravinese have in defining the aesthetic and design language of your collections?
With Castello Lagravinese Studio there is an authentic partnership work. We share a common vision of the brand and an approach to work that goes beyond a single project. Together we aim for quality, combining technique and materials, and guide the evolution of coverings. Above all, we create new collections starting from the concrete needs of customers and the brand: nothing is born by chance. Our approach is scientific and, over the years, we have constantly evolved every creative aspect, from production to research and development, to everything that interacts with customers. Even photos, videos and catalogs are the result of total sharing of the project.
You were among the first to experiment with digital with blogs, social networks and today an international YouTube channel. Why is communication an integral part of the design project for you?
When I realized that I fell in love with the work that took place every day in our laboratory and with everything that happened in my city, I understood the importance and necessity of sharing these experiences, bringing them to as many people as possible. Once I recognized the value of what we had in our hands, I was fortunate enough to experiment with digital channels whenever the opportunity arose.
The blog, born in January 2004, was the first tool: a real diary in which to tell the story and the path we were taking. Thanks to this we were able to show what was happening behind the scenes and make ourselves known, even as a small company. It has been a journey of learning and growth, just as social media has been, which we have always welcomed and experimented with, trying to experience it firsthand. We understood that these tools were tailor-made for us, capable of overcoming the barriers that separated us from the media in the traditional world.
Telling the story of Made in Italy in English to a global audience also means translating cultural values. What are the challenges of this narrative?
The challenge is certainly to make the international public perceive that behind every project there are people, territories and knowledge that make Made in Italy unique.
From your observatory, what resultsDid tangible products return your investment in digital in terms of recognisability and relationships with customers?
Digital has allowed us to get closer to people and create authentic relationships. We have always conceived communication in this way: as an opportunity to come into contact with many people and accompany them in rediscovering the value of work, manufacturing and design. Communication allows us to stay close to people, to “hold their hand”. It is a complex language, to be interpreted and translated with care, but it has given us great results: a more recognizable brand and concrete, tangible growth.
Sustainability for you is a word that concerns materials, processes, but also leadership styles. How is this approach concretely expressed in BertO?
For us, sustainability means respecting the territory, aware of the impact that our economic activity has on it. It means collaborating with people who share the same challenges, carrying out constant research and innovating in processes, from packaging to gluing, from the circular economy to the creation of products. Sustainability for us is concrete and daily: not a slogan, but a real choice and a guiding principle that runs through every aspect of our work.
What is the biggest challenge in combining business growth, social responsibility and innovation in design?
The biggest challenge is learning. Every day, in my work as an entrepreneur, I try to learn from everything that happens around me: it is a continuous personal challenge. it is essential to balance speed of growth and depth of values, without sacrificing quality and identity to chase only numbers.
At Milan Design Week you opened CASA BertO, creating a meeting place between professionals and enthusiasts. What does building a community around the brand mean to you?
It means sharing a cultural project, not just a commercial one. Create bonds that go beyond the purchase. It is the essence of BertO: without the community, this project would not exist. It’s extraordinary to see customers and enthusiasts participate simply for the pleasure of meeting each other.
We have been lucky enough to build authentic relationships: by listening to our customers, we can improve and create objects that become protagonists of spaces, useful and significant. The events strengthen the bond with the brand, offering the opportunity to discover news, tell stories and share experiences. This gives us great energy and makes us proud of the journey we have accomplished.
Read the article Casa BertO, Fuorisalone: design comes to life in a loft in Milan
How do podcasts, meetings and collaborations with young designers help transform a brand into a shared experience?
Each initiative broadens the story, ignites new perspectives and makes the brand a living laboratory, not just a furniture manufacturer.
Looking at the future of Made in Italy, which trends do you consider fundamental for the design of tomorrow?
Personalization, sustainability, digital and sharing between disciplines.
What, in your opinion, will be the role of BertO in the next ten years: an increasingly international brand, increasingly digital or even more rooted in the territory?
Digital will be essential, perfectly integrated with our physical showrooms. Our vision combines solid roots, global perspective and digital tools as a universal language, creating an increasingly harmonious integration between the digital world and physical reality.
If you had to encapsulate BertO’s future vision in three words, which ones would you choose?
Authenticity Innovation Listening
Looking at your catalogue, which are the most representative products of BertO and why do those best convey your identity?
The products that best describe BertO’s identity are those that arise from the encounter between aesthetic research, comfort and the ability to customize: we are talking about modular sofas like David and Iggy, beds like East Side, and accessories like the Jim desk. They are projects that clearly express our vision of design: refined shapes, natural materials, artisan techniques combined with advanced technologies. Each piece is designed to enter people’s lives and transform it.
What is BertO’s most iconic product? Tell us his story.
The most iconic product is undoubtedly the DivanoxManagua : it was in fact created with the participation of students, friends, customers and master craftsmen – during 6 work sessions open to all, from January to April 2013 to raise funds and finance the School for Carpenters inside the Mercado Mayoreo of Managua, with Terre des Hommes Italia.
The capitonné, a symbol of elegance and artisanal complexity, has become the terrain on which to experiment with new forms of collaboration and social innovation. The hands of our master upholsterers dialogued with those of the young people and participants, transforming a traditional object into a contemporary symbol of community and openness. We understood that it would become a symbolic piece of the brand when, beyond its formal beauty, it began to tell a story made up of people, values ??and the future.
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