Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin in Perrier-Jouët's Ambonnay vineyard with their biodiversity project.
Photo: Courtesy of Perrier-Jouët
Creative Mind: Formafantasma
Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin—the formative duo who founded the studio—intend for their designs to have a positive impact on the world
For Formafantasma, design has the power to change the world. “We see design as a way of challenging clichés or preconceived ideas and contributing to the shaping of a world toward something we consider better,” says Andrea Trimarchi, cofounder alongside Simone Farresin of studio Formafantasma, based in Milan and Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Regularly tapped for collaborations with brands, including Fendi, Max Mara, Hermès, and Bulgari, as well as serving as the creative directors of Rubelli, “believes design can have a positive impact on society, culture, and ecology, by revisiting, reconceiving, rethinking, and ultimately redesigning existing systems.” For a recent project with storied champagne house Perrier-Jouët, for example, the pair developed an architectural intervention in the maison’s vineyards to support biodiversity and regenerative viticulture. “Our intention with a project like this is not to design something merely beautiful but to create something meaningful and long-lasting,” says Farresin.
Other impactful projects of note include “Oltre Terre,” a 2023 exhibition at Oslo’s National Museum of Norway about the history and future of wool production or “Cambio,” a 2020 project for the Serpentine Galleries in London that investigated the governance of the timber industry. “Design is not only about the product but also how things are produced, how you construct materials, and the ideologies you put forward.”
A detail from FormaFantasma's collection for Rubelli. Photo: Courtesy of Rubelli
A detail from FormaFantasma's collection for Rubelli. Photo: Courtesy of Rubelli.
Favorite part of the creative process: “The conception; the beginning. It’s really exciting when the idea first comes together. There are also interesting moments during the execution because an idea only becomes focused and real when you start. There are amazing surprises along the way that make it much better. The last part we love is when the work is completed because everything ties together, and we have the chance to see it in full force.”
Up next: An immersive club experience at the Flos lighting showroom during Salone del Mobile. The pair will also debut a new iteration of the annual Prada Frames symposium they curate, a project with Cassina celebrating 60 years, and a slew of exhibitions, including “Oltre Terra,” which explores the production of wool, at the Stedelijk Museum through July 13; and one at the Carlo Scarpa–designed Olivetti store in Venice during the Biennale Architettura.
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2025 Spring Issue under the headline “Creative Minds.” Subscribe to the magazine.
In 2020 Formafantasma and Artek started a collaboration drawn together by a strong mutual interest in the relation between the forest and its exploitation for wood products. Here, a video still from a video essay. Photo: Courtesy of Formafantasma
SuperWire by Formafantasma x Flos. Photo: Robert Rieger
SuperWire by Formafantasma x Flos. Photo: Robert Rieger
"Cohabitare," an architectural installation by Formafantasma for Perrier Jouët. Photo: COURTESY OF MAISON PERRIER-JOUËT
Cover: Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin in Perrier-Jouët's Ambonnay vineyard with their biodiversity project.
Photo: Courtesy of Perrier-Jouët
