Change is >Renato Montagner

biography
Change is
>Renato Montagner
Dal 2004, Renato diventa direttore creativo di
Dainese, l’azienda leader per l’abbigliamento
sicurezza-performance del mondo moto.
Grazie al suo studio dei materiali e ad
un’accurata osservazione, Renato è stato
capace di estendere il concetto di protezione
appreso dagli sport dinamici a quello degli
sport estremi, presi, nel senso di affrontati,
come missioni spaziali.
Dal 2009, come direttore creativo di Pirelli,
lavora ad un range di prodotti vastissimi,
passando dalla progettazione di scarpe,
attraverso il design di orologi, per finire con
gli spazi Retail. La vastità di prodotti messi a
punto da Renato Montagner e il suo team, sono
disponibili presso il nuovo Flagship Store Pirelli
– progettato anch’esso da Changedesign aperto a San Babila nel settembre del 2011.
Attraverso la sua ricca carriera, Renato
Montagner ha avuto, tra le altre, l’opportunità
di lavorare a stretto contatto con il mondo
dell’arte. Grazie infatti alla collaborazione
che l’ha visto progettare alcuni spazi retail
per 55DSL, viene a conoscere alcuni tra i
più rinomati e conosciuti street artists a livello
internazionale, che collaboreranno poi
con Changedesign per svariati progetti.
La sua passione per l’innovazione, unita ad una
vasta esperienza in campi diversissimi, gli
hanno permesso di viaggiare moltissimo,
dal Giappone all’Australia, dagli U.S. a tutta
l’Europa. Nel campo della moda, Montagner
ha poi lavorato per Valextra, per cui, grazie ad
un co-branding, ha messo a punto una valigia
limited-edition, mixando materiali ed elementi
innovativi. Non solo Valextra ma anche
Alcantara, passando per VirusPLus, marchio
di abbigliamento urbano + design dedicato
al pubblico maschile, creato dallo stesso
Montagner. Nel design invece, si ricordano
le collaborazioni, tra gli altri, con Foscarini,
Issey Miyake e Ferrari, progetti in cui ricerca
e applicazioni di materiali innovativi hanno
svolto la parte principale. In ambito retail,
invece, Montagner è direttore creativo di
Italia Independent (brand di Lapo Elkann),
mentre dallo scorso anno segue gli stores
Womo, ultima nata in casa Percassi,
dedicata alla cura del corpo per l’uomo.
Renato Montagner’s creative path is made
of unusual routes, different places and many
milestones. It all began in Venice, where
Renato graduates as an Architect having
mastered all the principles of Art History. He
then decides to try another Venice.
This time it’s Venice, California where he
begins to use new materials such as carbon
and kevlar during his collaboration with an
architecture studio designing and making
plastic models. During his time in Los Angeles,
he is introduced to the world of surfing. He
uses the various technical materials found in
items used in this unique sport. From mosaics
to Venetian bas-reliefs, to neoprene and clark
foam found on the traditional surfboards.
He returns to Italy in 2002 and creates
Changedesign, a multi faceted studio with
offices in Venice and Milan. At ChangeDesign,
he recruits a group of young, fresh designers
from all parts of the world to work on interior
design, furniture design, trade and retail
design as well as graphic and fashion design.
Some of the many successful projects
ChangeDesign has worked on, include a
customized Fiat Panda, the Cassina catalog,
Fabbian lamps, Segis Group chairs and
backpacks for Invicta.
Alongside his work at Changedesign, Renato
is the dean of the Master of Design program at
the Domus Academy in Milan. His work there
has allowed him to train and groom young
new talents and work as a project leader with
world known brands such as Louis Vuitton,
Mitsubishi and Nokia.
Since 2004 Renato has been the Creative
Director at Dainese, the world leading
company for motorcycle safety gear. Through
his study of materials and human observation,
Renato has been able to extend the concept
of protection taken from dynamic sports,
extreme sports into space missions. In the
past year, Dainese has collaborated with
Yojhi Yamamoto, The Turin Olympic Games,
NASA and MIT (Massachussets Instiute of
Technology). All these experiences lead him to
the Politecnico de Milano, where he currently
teaches Fashion Design.
In 2006 he attends the 6th Volvo Sports
Design Forum in Munich with Robbie
Nash, Steve Wozniac and Jack Bruton
and wins the “Volvo Sports Design Award”
for safety with an innovative safety jacket
“Dainese Core Jacket Out”.
From 2009 until 2012, as Pirelli’s Creative
Director he works on a spectrum of items that
ranges from shoes to watches. All these items
will are available from September 2011 at the
brand new 1200 square meter Pirelli store
in Piazza San Babila in Milan, designed by
Changedesign too. Throughout his fulfilling
career, Renato Montagner has also had the
opportunity to work with the art world.
His collaboration as an architect in retail
spaces with 55DSL, allowed him to work
with some of the top street artists around the
world. His passion for innovation, his vast
experience in different fields has given him
the chance to travel all over the world, from
Japan to Australia and all over Europe. In the
field of fashion, he has worked with Valextra,
where he designed a co-branded limited
edition suitcase, mixing innovative materials
and elements. After Valextra, Mr. Montagner
has worked for Alcantara, mixing up elements
from the fashion world with the performance
of the sport apparel. Noteworthy the creation
of the VIRUSPlus brand, fashion and design
project created by Montagner dedicated to
the urban contemporary men.
Many others are the collaborations for wellknown brands like, i.e. Issey Miyake, Foscarini
and Ferrari. In the retail field, he has been
following the stores creative direction for Italia
Independent (project by Lapo Elkann) and
from the past year, also for the brand new
WOMO, which deals with men’s body care.
Craftsmanship and contaminated ‘Made in
Italy’, sport and fashion, teaching, researching
and pop taste are some of the words best
used to describe Renato Montagner’s unique
creative process in both design and
architecture.
-Avietta Valextra
^
Parallelamente al lavoro in Changedesign,
Renato presiede il Master in Design presso
la Domus Academy di Milano. Il suo operare
alla Domus gli ha permesso non solo di
allenare e crescere nuovi talenti del design,
ma di lavorare come project leader per brand
internazionali quali Louis Vuitton, Mitsubishi e
Nokia.
Nel 2006 partecipa al 6° Volvo Sports Design
Forum a Monaco, al fianco di Robbie Nash,
Steve Wozniac e Jack Bruton, vincendo il
rinomato “Volvo Sports Design Award”,
celebre riconoscimento per la sicurezza,
che gli viene conferito grazie all’innovativa
giacca performante, ovvero la ‘Dainese
Core Jacket Out’.
^
Il percorso di Renato Montagner è formato di
strade inusuali, luoghi disparati e pietre miliari.
Tutto iniziò a Venezia, dove Renato si laurea in
Architettura, acquisendo tutte le conoscenze
e i principi della Storia dell’Arte e delle sue
applicazioni. Presto decide di provare un’altra
Venezia, ovvero la Venezia californiana. Qui,
durante una collaborazione con uno studio di
architettura, inizia a lavorare allo sviluppo di
modelli plastici, che gli permettono di usare e
conoscere nuovi materiali quali il carbonio e il
kevlar. Durante la permanenza a Los Angeles,
inizia ad appassionarsi al mondo del windsurf,
per quindi lavorarci, utilizzando i vari materiali
tecnici impiegati in questi sport unici. Dai
mosaici e ai basso-rilievi veneziani quindi,
al neoprene e al clark foam delle tradizionali
tavole da surf.
Rientrato in Italia nel 2002, Renato fonda
Changedesign, uno studio multidisciplinare
operante a Venezia e Milano. Per
Changedesign, Renato seleziona un gruppo
di giovani designers provenienti da tutte le
parti del mondo accumunati una visione
comune: Changeisgood. Le principali attività
dello studio sono progetti di: interior, product,
fashion e graphic design. Tra i progetti iniziali
di maggior successo, ricordiamo Fiat Panda
‘Thank’ (in collaborazione con Dainese),
cataloghi per Cassina, lampade per Fabbian,
sedie per il gruppo Segis, zaini per Invicta.
-Dainese and Renato
Montagner winning the
Volvo Design Award
biography
Change is
>creative studio
Palladio,” he says, “so i moved to San Francisco.” there he fell in
with the surfing and skateboarding crowd and also became aware of
a wave of emerging architects. “eric owen moss and Frank gehry—
that movement of american architecture that was so new and different from european culture,” he says. “they used different materials—not bricks, which is what i had studied.” inspired, he returned
to italy’s veneto region, home base to many sports-equipment manufacturers, and began working in the athletic industry. the use of
innovative materials became his focus. as he puts it, “materials are
at the root of a good project.”
When montagner founded changedesign in 2000, “it was really
about industrial and performance design,” he says. “it was about
carbon fiber, new technologies, and new techniques for bonding and
stitching fabrics.” today, changedesign is best known for products
like helmets, back protectors, and motorcycle jackets for dainese, as
well as underwear packaging for Fila and product displays for Pirelli
and the bicycle-components company campagnolo.
Changedesign è uno studio multidisciplinare multiculturale composto da un gruppo di designer
internazionali che lavora nell’industrial, nell’interior e nel fashion design con una visione comune:
changeisgood. Fondato e diretto da Renato Montagner, è attivo in molteplici campi di azione.
Cambiare le regole e incrociare esperienze di design provenienti da campi differenti, permette
a Changedesign di esplorare diversi scenari, creando un nuovo mercato per prodotti innovativi.
Questo approccio è stato condiviso con clienti quali: Dainese, Ferrari, Italia Independent,
Foscarini, Valextra, Issey Miyake, 55DSL, e molti altri.
www.changed.it
Changedesign is a multidisciplinary design studio composed of various designers working
on industrial, interior and fashion design with a common vision: changeisgood. Founded and
run by Renato Montagner, ChangeD. deals with many creative sectors. Changing the rules
and mixing design experiences from different fields, enables Changedesign to explore new
scenarios, creating a new market with innovative products. This approach has been shared
with numerous clients, such as: Dainese, Ferrari, Italia Independent, Foscarini, Valextra,
Issey Miyake, 55DSL and many others.
www.changed.it
the firm also designs furniture and lighting. “Planet is the first
complete and mature object that represents a heritage of sports and
performance but, in the end, stands on its own,” says montagner.
“it’s the first project of changedesign that melds everything together.”
it didn’t hurt that the lamp also received an indirect assist from
NaSa and mit. looking for manufacturing help to develop a new
breed of spacesuits that offer a closer-fitting form, almost like a second skin, the institutions turned to dainese, where montagner is
creative director. “We have the skills to design something that combines textiles, plastic, and metal,” he says. “We started to experiment
with putting different layers together and creating a kind of skeleton
using fabric, stitching, and different bonding techniques.”
montagner believed that the idea of a structural skin could also
be used to create a different kind of light fixture. turning to
alessandro vecchiato and carlo urbinati, the cofounders of
Foscarini, he presented his proposal. the pair hopped onboard. Says
vecchiato: “changedesign differs from other designers we work with,
biography
Change is
>Renato Montagner
Personal detail
name
surname
languages
birthday
Renato
Montagner
Italian (native)/ Franch/ English
31th October 1963
nationality
status
email
website
Italian
Single
[email protected]
www.changed.it
Education
1988
Graduation at IUAV, Istituto Universitario di Architettura, Venice
Work history
2014—Present
Creative Director for EXR
2014—Present
Retail Creative Director for Vionnet
2014—Present
Design Consultant for MUMM
2013—Present
BUGATTI Retail Design consultant
2012—Present
WOMO & BULLFROG Retail Creative Director
2012—2013
Design Consultant for Alcantara
2012—2014
Design Consultant for Schuberth
2012—2013
Creative Director for NO KA ‘OI
2011—Present
Design Consultant for Glip
2011
Collaboration with Ilti Luce
2011
Collaboration with Foscarini
2011
Collaboration with Ferrari
2010—2012
Creative Director for Campagnolo Sportswear
2010—2011
Design Consultant for Issey Miyake
From 2010
Founder of VirusPlus
2009—2010
Design Consultant for Fila Underwear
2009—2012
Creative Director Pirelli PZero
2008
Collaboration with Invicta
2007—Present
Retail Creative director of Italia Independent
2007—2009
Art Director Italia Independent
2005—2011
Art Director Dainese
2004—Present
Founder of Raptus Entertainement
2003—2012
Design Consultant for Valextra
From 2002
Founder of Changedesign
1995—2011
Designer of Dainese No Impact multisport collection
1999—2002
Collaboration with Fabbian Illuminazione: product design and trade retail design
1998—1999
Retail design for TIM (Italian mobile communication provider) with Marc Sadler
1997—1999
Co-founder with Marc Sadler of Venice Bleach: graphic and retail design agency
1997—1999
Freelance designer for Nordica: ski gloves and accessories collection
1995—1998
Working at Novus design with Marc Sadler on project for Nike, Salomon, Aprilia, Albatros, Cassina, Faram, Foscarini, Moulinex, Tecno
1994—1995
Stage at Solomon Architects San Francisco /Los Angels
Teaching
2012 —Present
Naba, Milan: Business Design
2011—2012
IUAV, Venice: Fashion design Professor
2004—Present
Domus academy, Milan: Project Leader for Master Design Courses
2003—Present
Politecnico, Milan: Fashion Design & Design Professor/ Politecnico di Milano: Professor@Design for fashion II year course
2010—Present
Several Partecipations@ Panels Discussion
biography
Change is
>Renato Montagner
Recognitions
2013
Books, Pubblications
Adi design codex ‘06/08, featured product ‘Air Helmet, Dainese’ - ed. Compositori
2011
Maria Luisa Frisa, ‘Una nuova moda italiana’ ed. Marsilio
2004
Virginio Briatore, ‘Il design salva la vita’, ed. Abitare
2015 (March)
Harper’s Bazaar, Korea
2015 (March)
Leon, Korea
2013 (February)
Abitare, ‘Una questione di contaminazione’
2012 (February)
Case da Abitare, ‘L’Alchimista’
2012 (June)
Axis Magazine, ‘Renato Montagner and Extreme Sports’
2012 (June)
Rolling Stones, ‘Sull’arte di arrangiarsi’
2011 (December)
Surface Magazine, ‘Planet Captains’
2011 (April)
http://www.domusweb.it/it/video/2011/04/15/changedesign--foscarini.html
2010 (September)
Leon, ‘New Italia!’
2004
Motociclismo, Interview
2003
Domus, Featured product
2002
Interni Magazine, interwiew
2002
Wallpaper, featured product
Exhibitions
2012
Venice: ‘Aveamen - Design per lo spirito’; collective exibition of an original artwork (rosary)
2009—2010
Red Dot Design Museum, Essen and Singapore: V20 Collection (RaptusLab textile vases)
2004
Fuoribiennale Venice: Exbition of design collection during Biennale Arte Venezia
2003
National Gallery Prague, Reflections: Exbition and conference about light design
Awards
2010—2012
Premio Fabbricatore di Idee (www.festivaldellecittaimpresa.it)
2009
Red Dot Design Award: V2O vases
2006
Volvo Sports Design Award, Core Jacket Out
2005
Euro Bike prize IF, Raptor Downhill bike helmet
2003
National Gallery Prague, Reflections Prize Boemia Glass Design