Iittala

Iittala is a Finnish company of Design specialized in arts of the table and the manufacture of objects out of glass.

The company is made up of various sub-brands like Arabia, Hackman, Iittala, BodaNova, Höganäs Keramik, Rörstrand and Hoyang-Polaris.

Since its creation, Iittala attaches a great importance to the design of its objects. The designers with which Iittala collaborated are numerous: Alvar Aalto, Aino Aalto, Konstantin Grcic, Alfredo Häberli, Harri Koskinen. The most known parts of Iittala are probably the Vase Savoy drawn by the architect Alvar Aalto, and the objects out of glass of Timo Sarpaneva.

History

In 1881, the factory of glass is founded in Iittala, small village with 130km in the north of Helsinki, by Swedish Petrus Magnus Abrahamsson. At that time, the labor is imported of Sweden because one does not find yet a glass-blowers in Finland.

In 1917, the company A. Ahlström, which has already the factory of glass of Karhula buys the factory of Iittala. It results the factory from it from Karhula-Iittalan glass which will exist until in the Années 1950.

At the beginning, the factory manufactures mainly pharmaceutical bottles, oil lamps, but already produced a certain quantity of crockery, primarily of glasses of table.

In the Years 1920 and 1930, the company develops, and turns to products more artistic, expérimentals, but such domestic. One of the first successes is the Vase Savoy conceived by the Architecte and Designer Alvar Aalto.

During the War of Winter and the War of Continuation, the production stops because of the defect of raw materials and labor. In 1946, the production starts again, and Iittala is a continuous success until the oil crisis of 1976. It is then necessary to reduce the infrastructure and manpower, until in the Années 1980. Moreover, Iittala must face a strong foreign competition.

In 1987, A. Ahlström sells the factory with the company Wärtsilä which holds the most important share of the factory Nuutajärvi with Urjala. The two factories amalgamate to become Iittala-Nuutjärvi. The latter is bought by Hackman in 1990, which repurchases at the same time other manufacturers of objects of table, Arabia and Rörstrand-Gustavsberg. In 2003, the company is re-elected in Iittala. In 2004, it is repurchased by ABN AMRO Capital and end 2006, it became a Public limit company.

The March 9th 2007, Iittala decides to enter to Helsinki Stock Exchange. The sale of action begins the March 12th but is cancelled the March 27th 2007.

In June 2007, Iittala is bought by Fiskars.

Chronology

  • 1726 Rörstrand is founded with Stockholm according to the wish of the king Frederic Ier of Sweden

  • 1790 German Johan Friedrich Hackman founds a commercial firm to Vyborg
  • 1793 the captain Jacob Wilhelm De Pont and Harald Furuhjelm founds the factory of Nuutajärvi
  • 1873 Rörstrand creates the Arabia factory with Helsinki
  • 1881 the factory of Iittala is created
  • 1909 Höganäs Keramik is founded
  • 1912 Høyang-Polaris is founded
  • 1971 BodaNova is founded
  • 1989 Hackaman buy the Norwegian factory Høyang-Polaris
  • 1990 Hackman buys Iittala-Nuutajärven, Arabia and Rörstrand-Gustavsberg, and becomes Hackman Tabletop
  • 1994 Hackman Housewares and Hackman Tabletop amalgamate, and become Hackman Designor
  • 2003 the company becomes Iittala OY ab
  • 2004 Iittala is repurchased by ABN AMRO Capital
  • 2006 Iittala becomes a Public limit company and is re-elected in Iittala Group
  • 2007 Fiskars buys Iittala Group

Designers

  • Aino Aalto

  • Antonio Citterio
  • Björn Dahlström
  • Kaj Franck
  • Konstantin Grcic
  • Alvar Aalto
  • Alfredo Häberli
  • Year Hakatie
  • Göran Hongell
  • Harri Koskinen
  • Stefan Lindfors
  • Kerttu Nurminen
  • Heikki Orvola
  • Laura Partanen
  • Arto Kankkunen
  • Arni Aromaa and Sauli Suomela (Pentagon Design)
  • Renzo Piano (Piano Design)
  • Timo Sarpaneva
  • Carina Seth-Andersson
  • Nanny Still
  • Oiva Toikka
  • Tapio Wirkkala
  • Eeva Sivula, Ilona Ilottu and $petri Salmela (Dog design)
  • Anna Danielsson
  • Giorgio Vigna
  • Klaus Haapaniemi
  • Mårten Claesson, Eero Koivisto and Ola Rune (Claesson Koivisto Rune)
  • Camilla Kropp
  • Aleksi Perälä

Others

The logo " i" of Iittala is the work of the designer Timo Sarpaneva.

Notes, sources and references

Random links:Family Macintosh Classic | Reciprocal | Exogeology | Lemma of Arden | Josef Wenzl | UKVM