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A selection of famous students

Masayo Ave

Masayo Ave, architect and designer, who has now been settled in Milan for more than a decade, is a graduate of architecture from the engineering department of Hosei University in Tokyo. After working at I. Ebihara architect and associates, in 1990 she moved from Tokyo to Milan where she completed a master's degree in design at the Domus Academy. In 1992, she established her own design studio Ave design corporation based in Milan. In 2000, she established her own collection "Masayo Ave creation". Beside leading her collection, she collaborates as a researcher and product designer for various design companies such as Authentics, DuPont, Colombostile and in 2002 she is in charge to do design development of the furniture for school for the Italian new company Play+ cooperating with Reggio Children. In 2001, she lead the three-weeks design workshop at Ecole des Beaux-Arts in St.Etienne for the international design event Design Biennale 2002 and her original workshops are planning to be realized in the various countries in the coming years.

Nic Bewick and Torsten Fritze

Nic Bewick was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1957 he qualified as an architect and became a member of the RIBA after studying at Canterbury College of Art and working with Michael Hopkins Architects in London. He moved to Italy in 1984 to attend the Domus Academy under the guidance of Andrea Branzi and Mario Bellini. After receiving his Master degree he joined Michele De Lucchi and became a partner in Studio De Lucchi from 1988-98 from which was created Studio & Partners. Torsten Fritze was born 1959 in Hamburg, he obtained his Bachelors Degree in Industrial Design Engineering at Central St. Martins in London. In 1984 he attended the Domus Academy in Milan for a Master Degree, which was followed by a Degree in Marketing from the SDA Bocconi. In 1988 he moved to San Francisco to work as a senior Designer for frogdesign. In 1990 Philips Electronics recruited him as Design Manager for its Audio Products Group and later the Communication Products Division in Eindhoven. Michele De Lucchi invited him in 1993 to join the Studio De Lucchi, as responsible for the Olivetti Design Group, where in 1995 he became Partner. In 1998 Michele De Lucchi, Nicholas Bewick and Torsten Fritze founded Studio&Partners. Since 2001 Nic Bewick and Torsten Fritze are sole partners of Studio&Partners.

More info: http://www.studioandpartners.com.

Diego Dolcini

Diego Dolcini, after studying architecture in Milan and Arts in Bologna, in 1989 he received the Master in Fashion Design from Domus Academy. Dolcini has collected an astonishing series of collaborations that go from Gattinoni Couture to Bruno Magli, Emilio Pucci and Bulgari, till one of the most important recognitions: Design Director of men/women shoes for Gucci.
Worshipped by many protagonists of the Hollywood Star System, he is considered a professional in making women glamorous through his extremely seductive shoe models.

More info: http://www.diegodolcini.it

Jozeph Forakis

Jozeph Forakis was born in New York City. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Industrial Design from RISD and a Masters of Industrial Design degree from the Domus Academy. Recent activities include strategic design research, product design and development for Lg Electronics, Swatch, Magis, Foscarini and Nava Design and design research for PHILIPS. In parallel, he was Faculty Member and Program Manager with the Domus Academy Research Center in Milan, Italy, specializing in strategic design research, interaction design and the design and development of products with interactive digital technologies. This included collaboration on the award-winning program for Logitech and programs for Sharp, Samsung and Bticino. Till 2002 he was European Design Director for MOTOROLA (USA) mobile communications, where he was responsible for developing design language, strategy, new product designs and advanced concept programs. His work has been exhibited also in the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, the Tokyo Gas Showroom in Japan and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Yoshinori Katagami

General Manager of Toshiba Corporation Design Center, Master in Design 1984. “Sixteen years later I still cannot say that I’m putting into practice all I learned there, but whenever I encounter design problems, the Domus Academy approach, always seeking the true essence of an object remains with me, fresh as ever, to help me to find solutions.”

Cristophe Pillet

Born in 1959, he graduated from the Decorative Arts School in Nice in 1985, Master of Domus Academy, Milano, in 1986. He worked with Martine Bedin in Milano during two years (1986-1988). He cooperates with Philippe Starck, in Paris, from 1988 to 1993. Since May 1993, he carries on his free activity. His first furniture where produced by XO in 1991. Opened his own agency in 1993. Elected as « Créateur de l’année 1994 ». He steps in different worlds, like Furniture Design, Architecture, Interior Architecture, for Artelano, Cappellini, JC Decaux, Trussardi, Daum, Moët et Chandon, Lancôme, Ecart International, Shiseido, Bally, Moroso, l’Oréal, JC Jitrois, Whirlpool, Veuve Clicquot, Driade ...

More info: http://www.christophepillet.com

Marco Susani

Product and Interaction Designer, Marco Susani has been director for the Advanced Concepts Group of Motorola Design in Cambridge, USA from 2000 till 2005. Combining a humanistic vision of the future of communication with technology innovation, he developed strategies for the future of mobile wireless solutions. In the past he has been Director of Domus Academy Research Center, partner and head of product design at Sottsass Associati, and designer at Olivetti. He designed for companies like NTT Japan, Telecom Italia, Philips, Xerox, Logitech, Apple, Sharp, Seiko, Olivetti, Nissan, 3M, Mediaset, Bticino, Fontana Arte, Egizia. His projects have been exhibited at CeBit Hanover, Triennale di Milano, Memphis Gallery Milano, Centre Pompidou Paris, Axis Gallery Tokyo, Grand Palais Paris. In 1983-84 he attended tha Master in Design at Domus Academy.

More info: http://www.susani.com

Ines Valentinish

Ines Valentinish was born in 1972 in Graz, Austria. She gained her Masters in Fashion Design at Domus Academy in 1995. She designed a haute couture collection for the Première Vision Fair, and fabric collections for "Swiss Textil" and the German edition of "Vogue". She designed a collection for a collective show organised by Vogue, in which Vivienne Westwood was another participant. In '95 and '96 she presented two casual collections at the Salzburg Red Messe. She has collaborated free-lance for Levi's, Coin and Ratti. In 1999 she designed the FusCo collection for Antonio Fusco, and in the same year at Milano Collezioni, she had her first show of the Ines Valentinisch line. She is now a well-established name of the Fashion System.