Driade sees itself as an aesthetic laboratory that explores every conceivable aspect of living. The result is many different "stories" that evolve around a stable core – and a history closely intertwined with that of Italian design and its protagonists.
The Italian furniture company was founded in Piacenza in Italy in 1968 by three people: Enrico Astori as Driade's director, his wife Adelaide Acerbi as the creator of the company's image and communication design, and Enrico's sister Antonia Astori as architect and product designer.
In its very first year, Driade achieved considerable success with the furniture system of the same name by Antonia Astori. Further designs followed, such as the Melaina armchair by Rodolfo Bonetto (1970), the Oikos system by Antonia Astori (1972) and the delicate Delfina chair by Enzo Mari (1974).
In the 1980s, Driade presented the Driade Aleph collection, now legendary in design history, whose designs were inspired by the Italian furniture design group Memphis. Probably the best-known piece in the Aleph series is Philippe Starck's three-legged Costes café chair, which today enjoys a certain cult status. Other internationally known designers such as Ron Arad, Matthew Hilton and Mario Bellini continued the successful series with their designs.
Another Driade collection is the Driade Chef kitchen system, which Antonia Astori has repeatedly updated and developed since 1978.
The Driade Store label has existed since the mid-1990s and is aimed at a younger, price-conscious audience. The Driade Store line is defined by practical, well-designed products, often made of plastic, whose innovation frequently lies in the details. Famous designs such as Philippe Starck's Lord Yo chair and Tokujin Yoshioka's Tokyo Pop collection are the flagships of this young series. Other top international designers such as Konstantin Grcic, Marco Zanuso, Sebastian Bergne, Ross Lovegrove and Jorge Pensi also shape the Driade Store range.
