Unlike many scions of family businesses, Caterina Moroso did not join the Italian furniture company immediately after graduating from university. Instead, she spent 10 years learning the ropes of the commercial world from other companies, including Ray-Ban, where she worked in the Milan office of the eyewear brand.
“We were all encouraged — not forced — to seek other opportunities outside the industry, outside the Moroso brand and then bring something back,” shared Caterina, who, from last year, officially joined the Moroso fold as the brand’s Asia Pacific Regional Manager. She belongs to the third generation of the company, which was founded by Agostino and Diana Moroso in 1952.
In the 1980s, the second-generation children — Roberto (Caterina’s father) and Patrizia Moroso took the company to greater heights by partnering with well-known and emerging architects and designers to create innovative and daring designs. Patrizia’s role in this was particularly important, as she had the creative eye for selecting collaborators like Ron Arad, Patricia Urquiola, and Toshiyuki Kita.
THE MOROSO APARTMENT CREATES AN ELEGANT AND WELCOMING HOME FOR THE BRAND AT XTRA
Caterina and Roberto were in Singapore in September for the launch of a new showroom display at XTRA. The furniture retailer that carries Moroso here had engaged design firm MassoneOng, which was founded by Italian-Singaproean duo Elisa Massone and Vanessa Ong, to create an elegant, welcoming ‘home for the brand’.
Naturally, Caterina’s own home was a ‘Moroso home’. “Growing up, every room in our home had a distinct character showcasing Moroso’s versatility. The playroom, full of energy, featured the playful Los Muebles Amorosos collection by Javier Mariscal. The living room housed the America sofa — indestructible and comfortable, and that survived countless childhood moments, proving the enduring quality of our craftsmanship,” she muses.
Caterina’s siblings and cousins — a total of six, with four who have officially joined — are slowly taking over running the company after external experience. “Luckily, each person has different characteristics and developed distinct interests,” she comments. But all of them have contributed to the company since young. This year in April, Caterina was amused that people were complimenting her on participating on her ‘first’ Salone del Mobile, although it is actually her 15th year being involved.
THE MOROSO APARTMENT WAS TRANSLATED INTO A COMPLETE LIFESTYLE SETTING BY DESIGN FIRM MASSONEONG
“All of the Moroso third-generation members have grown up taking holidays from school, from university, and from our jobs to work [during the Salone]. It was 12, 13 hours each day of presenting products. Although I was only 20 years old, I knew about products launched 10 years ago when people asked me about them because I had been present then even though I wasn’t [officially] in the business,” reveals Caterina.
Also, every summer, the Moroso family would head to dealer’s meetings in Asia and this aligned with family trips where she remembers helping with everything during these meetings, such as working with the press or helping to host big events. Her current role is ideal, as Caterina has spent time overseas understanding foreign markets. “I think the most important thing was that I didn’t want a role to be created just for me; I wanted to be needed and come back with the skills to help with the family business,” she comments.
She had studied in Guangzhou and lived in Singapore for a while, working for Moroso from here. “It’s the most challenging thing to work thousands of miles from the business so I can learn and bring back information to make the business even stronger,” Caterina says. On differences she has noted in the APAC market versus the European consumers, Caterina mentions there are many. “Even the choice of finishes by consumers in different countries is very different. What I realised is when the trends start, they hit this part of the world first even though the pieces were launched in Europe first as the younger population [in places like Korea, China, and Singapore] love and embrace change.”
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GET LUCKY CHAIR BY MOROSO, DESIGNED BY PATRICIA URQIOLA
She gives the example of the Me-Time sofa, designed by Garcia Cumini that was launched this year. “It has been incredibly successful in APAC, particularly in China, because there is a new generation coming up that [leans toward] a soft sofa that embodies you; that is informal and doesn’t require you to ‘sit properly’.
At this point of the interview, I turn to Roberto and ask how he feels about his daughter as an official employee. He laughs and answers
that she is doing a good job. Ever humble, Caterina adds, “I corrected him and said it’s too soon to tell.” For now, she is continuing the tradition her father has practiced in the past decades, walking the production floor daily and even trying to make her own prototype to learn about each step of creating a high-quality design.
“That’s what my father taught me, because every day — and my grandfather also does the same thing — he walks from the office upstairs to logistics and then the entire production floor, saying hi to everyone and seeing what everyone is doing,” she remarks. “You have to be close to them then you are able to then come toplaces like Singapore to tell people about the designs."
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