Gufram & Paul Smith Psychedelic Cactus

Salone del Mobile 2016

Gufram, one of Italian design world’ s most irreverent brands, continues its fiftieth birthday celebrationsat the Salone Del Mobile in Milan, presenting Gufram & Paul Smith Psychedelic Cactus. A special limited edition of the iconic Gufram Cactus designed by Drocco and Mello in 1972, developed in collaboration with Paul Smith.

Available in a limited edition of just 169, the Gufram &Paul Smith Psychedelic Cactus combines Gufram’s irreverent coat hanger with the unmistakable colourful pattern of Paul Smith. The ironic totem, embodying the typical grit, determination, fantasy and humour of the ‘ 70s, becomes Psychedelic thanks to the blending of bright hues that characterise the use of colour by Paul Smith, one of Britain’ s foremost designers.

Paul explains: It’ s a joy to work with Gufram. One of my favourite exhibitions of all time was ‘Italy: The New Domestic Landscape’ in 1972 in New York’ s Museum of Modern Art. Included in the many wonderful things on display were products from Gufram. Since then my affection for the products has never waned over the years and so I was delighted to have been asked to collaborate on their famous cactus.

Gufram and Paul Smith are two dimensions descending from the 70s, said Charley Vezza, Global Creative Orchestrator at Gufram. If they had been geographically closer, they would have already met back then. The strength of this project lies in the fusion between two different worlds: Sir Paul Smith did not merely cover a cactus with colours, but he re-imagined and transformed it by drawing inspiration from the hallucinogenic vibes of that crazy time period. The outcome is psychedelic, a creativity peyote.