Vittorio Pappalardo is the owner of “Vittorio Pappalardo VIP”, a company born in 1977 from his intuition. In 2013 he obtained the title of “Master Craftsman”. This is a recognition given by the Provincial Handicraft Commission of the Campania Region which rewards not only craftsmanship, but also innovation, the ability to create original products, tradition and respect for ethics in one’s business activity. The flagship of the company is its production made up of specialized craftsmen who have dexterity, ingenuity, creativity and innovation in the processing phases of the various products, periodically following refresher courses. «I was born in the heart of Naples, in Corso Umberto; I am the son of art as my parents were owners of a historic company in the office supplies sector. I studied at the Swiss school in Piazza Amedeo like my five older brothers and I practiced judo at the Associazione Polisportiva Partenope, at the Bronze Horses. When my father died prematurely, I went down to the company in Piazza della Borsa to work with my mother who needed help. It was a difficult and painful but necessary decision, and consequently I abandoned my studies. I started a hard apprenticeship but I liked the job. I aimed high and wanted to become an entrepreneur. For this reason I went to study in Milan, at Studio Galgano, where the complicated “profession” of company manager was taught. I had an exceptional trainer, professor Franco D’Egidio, who told me that I had an innate predisposition for the prompt acquisition of theoretical teachings and a marked aptitude for work organization».
How did he put these skills to good use?
«When I finally returned to Naples, I joined the collaboration in the family business with an office furniture representation activity followed, shortly after, by a wholesaler activity. I rented a room next to my mother’s warehouse, in via Sedile di Porto, and opened my office. I also took another adjoining room and set up a showroom. I visited customers in their offices doing catalog sales but many also came to me to see and “try” some products. With each of them I established a relationship not only of cordiality, as befits a salesman, but also of empathy, discovering that everyone had different needs and tastes. This intuition made me understand that office chairs, in particular, were not all alike and in the classic black colour, but that each customer “thought” them in his mind suitable to satisfy his aesthetic taste and his concept of comfort. I couldn’t satisfy them with mass-produced products and, therefore, I abandoned representation and wholesale, and launched myself into the “commercial production”».
What does it mean?
“I bought the pieces separately and then assembled them. I equipped a workshop and hired specialized collaborators. I officially became a craftsman specialized in office armchairs».
How did the transition from assembly to production take place?
«From an idea of mine that has been defined as brilliant. Normally when an armchair breaks down, it is replaced. I invented maintenance and it was the turning point. I started with the Banca di Roma and shortly thereafter, thanks to the diffusion of the idea through advertising in newspapers, on social networks and above all by word of mouth, the number of credit institutions increased and I acquired companies nationwide as clients. For all, Autostrade per l’Italia. I began to produce armchairs and task chairs with my VIP brand by applying the client’s logo».
Its armchairs and task chairs are customized. In what sense?
«The armchair is made up of a mechanical part and an upholstered and padded part. The first must be calibrated on the tonnage of the person for which we take into account his weight and his height. We also keep in mind the type of work that the user carries out. It is not uncommon for there to be no proportion between weight and height with the resulting consequences on the comfort of the armchair itself. Very important, then, is the mechanism of vertical adjustment and of the footrest, especially for stools, which are often used by shift workers. We have a patent that makes it very fast. The second is in relation to the client’s aesthetic taste and the environment in which the armchair is to be inserted».
But the personalization is not limited to this. Tell us.
«The “tailoring” with which we make the armchairs also arose from the need to successfully fight the competition from Asian manufacturers who, with globalization, have begun to invade Western markets. I thought that for some particular clients it was necessary to make a further leap in quality that also took into account their personality. In other words, I wanted to create an elite, unique and unrepeatable product. I jumped at the opportunity of Emma Marcegaglia’s election as president of Confindustria on 13 March 2008. She was the first woman to hold this position and she too was the youngest person. She always wore black and white and I co-branded: VIP and Emilio Schuberth, the divas’ tailor. I made a black and white “optical art” work with geometric designs for the vertical parts, 60s/70s style; for the seat and the armrests, subject to greater wear, I used a more resistant fabric, that for furnishings, and I embellished the armrests by setting Swarovski crystals. The delivery was made with a very suggestive ceremony at the Pozzuoli Air Force Academy».
“Alea iacta est-The die is cast”, the Latins would have said. After a short time you created another masterpiece for Giancarlo Elia Valori.
«I built it when the internationally renowned economist, who was also president of Sme (Iri Group), of Autostrade per l’Italia, received the Mediterranean Journalism Award. I invented a cover with the fabric from Maurizio Marinella’s ties. I used three cloths from him and we delivered the armchair in a ceremony held in Capri. On that occasion we had a remarkable sounding board».
Perhaps the most original is the one he made for Pope Francis.
«On 21 March 2020, the Holy Father had a visit to Naples on his agenda. For that occasion, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe wanted to give him a special gift, taking a cue from the fact that the Pope had declared in an interview with a foreign broadcaster that his great penance consisted of travel which forced him to stay for a long time in feet. He summoned me to the Curia and told me to make an armchair. “As?” I asked him and he replied “Pappalardo do you”. I had my daughter Vittoria accompany me who had begun to go down to the company because she wanted to learn the trade. She said: “Dad, for the chair of President Giorgio Napolitano you didn’t sleep all night; for this one you will stay awake for a whole week!”. I actually felt the weight of the enormous responsibility that had made the Metropolitan Archbishop of Naples fall on my head but I did not lose heart».
How did you imagine it?
«Pope Francis is a simple man and for the covering I decided to use raw hemp, the fabric used in ancient times for the monks’ habit. On the back I embroidered the papal coat of arms with the crossed keys of St. Peter and the motto “Miserando atque eligendo” and, on the back, the name “Francesco”. I then turned to Sara Lubrano, a Neapolitan jewelery designer, for the creation of an 8-centimeter crucifix worked with the ancient technique of lost wax casting in a bronze and brass alloy. Sara, she explained to me, opted for a classic shape and a softly spatulated finish, not precious in materials but finely worked. I had a podium built on which to rest the armchair and on the Friday before the visit of the Holy Father we took it to the Curia. Fortunately, I took some photographs because Pope Francis the next day, taking leave of the cardinal, had it loaded onto the pope mobile and transported to Rome. No strangers attended the delivery and if I hadn’t taken those photos of the armchair I would have no memory».
Can you remind us of the name of any other character for whom you have created a “VIP” armchair?
«The president emeritus of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano, the archbishop Crescenzio Sepe; the prefect Alessandro Pansa, head of the police; Augusto Minzolini, director of Tg1 at the time, Gennaro Sangiuliano, now Minister of Culture; the directors of the “Messaggero”, Virman Cusenza; of “Panorama”, Giorgio Mulè; of “Money”, Alfonso Ruffo; of “Time”, Roberto Arditti; the prefect Pantalone».
She said her daughter Vittoria collaborates in the company with her. Does it represent continuity?
«She is an only child and her choice naturally fills me with joy and pride because if she had decided to do something else I would have had to sell the company. She has two degrees. The first, in Interior Designer, you achieved at the “Luigi Vanvitelli”; the second is a master’s degree in Business Communication and she obtained it from the “Suor Orsola Benincasa”. Already as a university student she had begun to accompany me when I visited clients. She has a talent for public relations and marketing. I am also introducing her into processes of production and is very interested in the fabrics on which he carries out continuous research».
What is the secret of its success?
«I am certainly a creative with a strong predisposition for work planning. I love to think of the armchair through the eyes of the customer because “a good product gratifies those who produce it, those who buy it and those who use it”. To manage an artisan business you need to study otherwise, without culture, you are not an entrepreneur but artisans with a VAT number. The armchair is made up of many additional services and therefore it is essential to give a perception of specific competence».
