Vitra was established by Willi and Erika Fehlbaum in Switzerland in 1950. The couple initially ran a shop-fitting business before deciding to venture into the furniture market. Early on, the couple obtained the manufacturing license for furniture designed by US design duo Charles and Ray Eames, and managed to become the only authorized manufacturers of Eames furniture in Europe.

This would be decisive for the establishment of Vitra, and their cross-border creativity laid the foundations for the modernist playfulness that would become the brand’s hallmark.

Legendary design with a focus on sustainability

During the 1960s, curiosity about Vitra spread throughout Europe. The range of collaborations included prominent designers such as the US industrial designer George Nelson and the Dane Verner Panton, who designed the legendary Panton Chair in 1967. The high-gloss plastic chair became a sensation and received several awards. One of the earliest examples can be found today at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Curiosity about Vitra spread throughout Europe in the early 1960s. The succession of partnerships included prominent designers such as US industrial designer George Nelson, and the Dane Verner Panton, who designed the legendary Panton Chair in 1967. The high-gloss plastic chair was a sensation and received several awards. One of the earliest examples can be found today at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In addition to furniture production, Vitra was also famous for its campus in Weil am Rhein. A unique center of design and architecture just outside Basel, it includes a collection of buildings by well-known architects such as Nicholas Grimshaw, Frank O. Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Tadao Ando, Álvaro Siza, Herzog & de Meuron and SANAA. You’ll also find world-class interior design inspiration at the Vitra Design Museum, considered one of the world’s leading design museums. After ten years, Vitra is still family-run and believes strongly in good design with simplicity as its starting point.