Collection: Willie Landels

Born in Venice in 1928, Willie Landels grew up by the Comer Sea, which wasn’t easy as the son of a Scottish and an Italian due to political tensions. But even then, he developed his interest in arts and architecture. Consequently, he tried to study at the Milan Arts College after the war but quit shortly after to start a practical apprenticeship at the Milan Scala to become a stage painter. After another arts apprenticeship, Landels went to London, where he joined the JW Thompson advertising agency without prior knowledge of the advertising field and worked there for 15 successful years. He became the editor of Queen magazine in 1970. Besides his successful career in advertising and media, Landels became popular for designing plastic furniture in the 1960s. The most famous piece from that time is the sofa “Throw Away” from 1965, which he designed for Zanotta, the Italian manufacturer that still produces it.