History - Abet Laminati

Our History

Abet Laminati is a world leader in the production of decorative laminates, with a global network in more than 90 countries around the world.

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Founded in Bra at the end of the 1950s, Abet Laminati has always been an ambassador of ‘Made in Italy’ design.

The company has favoured synergetic partnerships with leading international designers, creating materials capable of interpreting the evolutions and revolutions that have marked contemporary style and its continuous cultural influences.

Starting from the support to the birth of Alchimia in the late Seventies, giving rise to the long collaboration with Alessandro Mendini, to the role in the Memphis Group in the early Eighties, with the interpretation of coloured laminates by Ettore Sottsass, Abet Laminati has written the history of what Gio Ponti defined as “an extraordinary material for architecture developed by man”.

Abet Laminati’s history has seen the journey where laminate has gradually acquired the identity of being a true creative raw material for distinctive projects.

The company promotes projects of free creative exploration on surfaces, inspired by the desire to regard each material beyond its look and thinking of it in a different context, giving it a new and disruptive dignity. 

Timeline

1946

A.B.E.T. Anonima Braidese Estratti Tannici was founded on September 13 as a producer of some of the best tannins extracted from chestnut tree wood.

1957

The final conversion to ABET occurs on the strength of new products made of synthetic resin. The company starts producing high-pressure decorative laminates.

1964

The PRINT trademark, Product Railite International, is launched on the market. It becomes a symbol of the excellent quality of Abet laminates.

1966

The revolutionary SEI finish and Stratificato, the first self-supporting laminate, come into being.

1967

The silk-screen printing laboratory is inaugurated and the first customised laminates are produced.

1968

Mario Bellini, Enzo Mari and Joe Colombo start producing pieces of furniture for La Rinascente. The famous record player shelf by Joe Colombo starts to take shape.

1972

The MoMA of New York organizes an exhibition on Italian design “Italy: the new domestic landscape”, Abet Laminati is the first company to join the initiative.

1977

In collaboration with Andrea Branzi and Clino Trini Castelli, Abet Laminati fosters “Colordinamo ‘77”, a research centre dedicated to the expressive potential of colours.

1978

Abet Laminati nurtures the birth of Alchimia, the avant-garde movement that will conceive Memphis.

1979

Great success for the Serie Misura, pieces of furniture realised with a special geometric silk-screen printing.

1981

Abet Laminati fosters the Memphis group of Ettore Sottsass. The new applications mark the history of contemporary design.

1984

The collections Decori Minimi, supervised by Paola Navone, Walkprint and Straticolor come to life.

1987

Abet Laminati is awarded its first Compasso d’Oro ADI for Diafos, to which the travelling exhibition “Material Lights” coordinated by Ettore Sottsass is dedicated.

1990

Abet Laminati is awarded the European Design Award and presents the Colori Uniti series, selected by Ettore Sottsass.

1992

Abet Laminati is present at the Louvre with “Technique Discrete” organized by Achille Castiglioni and Michele De Lucchi and in Turin with “Swatch Emotion” curated by Alessandro Mendini.

1993

The production plants for the new Tefor® product are enlarged. Alessandro Mendini chooses MEG to characterize the Groningen Museum in the Nederland’s.

1996

The Bra factory is the first company able to produce laminates incorporating digital printing.

2000

Ettore Sottsass coordinates the travelling exhibition “Monitor Laminates” dedicated to digital print laminate and curated by De Rosso.

2001

Abet Laminati is awarded the Compasso d’Oro ADI as a Lifetime Achievement Award. The collection Colours and Textures curated by Paola Navone is created.

2003

In collaboration with Paola Navone and De Rosso, Abet Laminati organizes “DigitalPrint. A new generation of surfaces”: 21 young designers at the Triennale di Milano.

2004

Abet Laminati customizes the Centro Natatorio of Trieste with MEG in digital printing and the Proust pattern by Alessandro Mendini.

2005

The 40 years of collaboration with Ettore Sottsass are celebrated at the Triennale di Milano with a specialized exhibition.

2007

Abet Laminati celebrates 50 years of activity.

2008

Abet Laminati, in collaboration with De Rosso, presents “Kasa Digitalia” by Karim Rashid at the Triennale di Milano and “Next Floor” by Diego Grandi at Abitare il Tempo in Verona.

2009

The Mendini Atelier designs the new Korean building for the Triennale choosing MEG with digital printing.

2010

Abet’s laminate is Ugo Nespolo’s choice for the complex Città Ospedaliera di Avellino and Fabio Novembre’s for Shangai Expo. Konstantin Grcic creates the Crystaline collection.

2011

Abet Laminati stands among the leading companies of the fourth edition of the Triennale Design Museum in parallel with the exhibition “Le fabbriche dei sogni”.

2012

Abet Laminati presents Parade Collection by Giulio Iacchetti at the Triennale di Milano and Marcello Morandini’s sculptures at ArtVerona.

2013

The new Abet Laminati Museum located at its historical premises in Bra opens.

2016

The Teatro dell’Arte in Triennale di Milano hosts the “Dinner on Stage”: food is served directly on tables made especially for that evening with tops in Polaris.

2017

“An Imaginary City” at the Triennale di Milano: Paola Navone shows Abet Laminati’s 60 years. Alessandro Mendini designs the Albero Stilematico with MEG for MUDEC in Milan and currently exhibited in Bra headquarters.

2018

The exhibition “Atelier Mendini. Le Architetture” hosted at the Triennale di Milano is a homage to the Mendini brothers, with whom Abet Laminati has enjoyed a working relation for almost 50 years now.

2019

Abet Laminati attends the Salone del Mobile di Milano for the first time.

2020

Diafos, the first translucent laminate is re-proposed in a contemporary key by the design curators Iacchetti and Ragni.

2021

The new ADI Museum in Milan celebrates 40 years of Memphis with SuperSuperfici!, a project and exhibition curated by Giulio Iacchetti and Matteo Ragni in which 8 young designers interpreted laminate by designing 8 objects.

2022

Abet Laminati launches the colourful and vibrant Whimsy collection designed by stylist and designer Arthur Arbesser at Triennale Milano.

During Design Week, Abet Group concluded the acquisition of the company Fiberesin Inc, American leader in the development, production and sales of HPL ventilated facades.

AlphaAbet

Abet Laminati listens, responds and anticipates the many demands of a constantly growing market with a wide range of collections that combine structure and appearance, innovative technology and aesthetic research.

Sustainability

Abet Laminati has always been concerned about operating in full respect of the environmental. Even today, Abet Laminati continues to invest in a CSR policy oriented towards reducing environmental impact along the entire product life cycle.