The VITRA story began in 1953 when Willi Fehlbaum, the founder of Vitra, discovered chairs designed by Charles and Ray Eames on a trip to the USA and decided to become a furniture manufacturer. He met the designer couple in person a short time later and developed a lasting friendship that has shaped our company ever since. Over the past decades, VITRA has worked closely with some of the world’s most important designers and their descendants. These collaborations have led to the production of many classics: furnishings from another era that remain as timely and vital as ever and continue to move and inspire us. As a furniture manufacturer, VITRA maintains a close relationship with their designers – whom they refer to as authors – and the result of these collaborations is always an original. In collaboration with us, our designers dedicate their time, expertise and craftsmanship to the development and launch of new products.