Though craft is having a resurgence, there's no denying that these time-honoured artisan traditions are in decline – and with it, centuries of knowledge and skills. Fewer young people choose manual trades, leaving a generational skills gap. Many businesses can no longer afford the risk and Poltrona Frau, the Italian furniture maker, is working to safeguard these techniques for the future.
The company, based in Marche, one of Italy’s most fertile regions for ancient artisan traditions, has founded the Atelier dei Saperi, a training programme, developed in tandem with local institutions to teach the next cohort of artisans.
‘The decision to begin this project arose in 2022-2023 from two very specific needs,’ explains Nicola Coropulis, CEO of Poltrona Frau. ‘On the one hand, it has become increasingly difficult to find qualified resources in our area and, more broadly, throughout Italy. We also desired to directly train, through a structured path, the future master upholsterers of Poltrona Frau.’
Poltrona Frau's project is critical for a brand that has relied on high-quality leather craftsmanship since its inception. The name Atelier dei Saperi (or Atelier of Knowledge), explains Coropulis, captures the essence of the project's value in two key concepts: ability and knowledge.
Apprentices take a 500-hour course in leathercraft that combines theory, hands-on workshops and internships in the company's three business units. The students are under the supervision of master upholsterers and other company professionals.
‘The training course...focusses on the various phases that characterise our processes,’ explains Coropulis of the programme. 'Each student worked alongside a craftsman under the supervision of tutors - retired master craftsmen who explained the story of the products' evolution and their unique features and elements.’
Admission into the course is highly selective, in keeping with standards set by GOL, an employment programme administered by the Italian government. The inaugural course, which wrapped up in February, had eight students, five of whom took full-time jobs with the company.
‘The relationship between Poltrona Frau and its region is deep and enduring,' Coropulis says. 'The company represents an integral part of it, and is a pillar of the region's economic and social makeup.'
That fruits of that kind of partnership are already apparent: two of the former students are now working in the Atelier dei Saperi programme.
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