The 9090 is the result of Richard Sapper's first collaboration with Alessi. Its shape tells of a designer who was interested in tackling concrete problems and imagining something that did not exist before: a coffee maker that can solve the ambiguous inconvenience of the screw lock, which remains stable thanks to the enlarged base and with a steel handle that will never burn. A complex and fascinating object, "a little steam engine", in Sapper's words, which Alessi produces through more than 120 steps in the workshop.
Richard Sapper
Born in Munich in 1932, he moved to Milan in the 1950s, where he worked with Gio Ponti. He then entered into a happy professional partnership with Marco Zanuso, which lasted until 1975. He taught at renowned Italian and foreign universities. He was honoured eleven times with the Compasso d'Oro and also received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. His style combines technical innovation, essential forms and attention to detail. His projects are exhibited in the most important international museums. The objects produced for Alessi include the 9090 espresso machine, which was awarded the company's first Compasso d'Oro, and the melodic whistling kettle 9091. He passed away in 2015.
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