LEONARDO CANTON

In this interview, we delve into the world of LEONARDO CANTON, who share his inspirations and unique perspectives.

Leonardo Canton

1. Introduce Yourself to the Casawi Community: What drives you? What's your artistic vision, and what sets you apart from the crowd?

Hello everyone, and thank you for inviting me to the "Close Friends" format. Let me introduce myself: I am Leonardo Canton, a 23-year-old Italian designer. I recently graduated in Product Design from NABA in Milan, after having pursued an artistic path in high school. About a year ago, I started my career as a designer. To do so, I began with a principle that I consider not obvious, which is not to focus on creating my own product but on designing the packaging and boxes for other products. I started various collaborations with other designers, mainly in the fashion and jewelry sectors. Another key aspect at the beginning of my journey was to take full advantage of the family business by using the materials and machinery that were already available. What probably sets me apart the most is my unique use of corrugated cardboard as the main material for my creations. My main goal in designing my projects is to amaze, entertain, and use the best raw materials available on the market.

2. City Inspirations: How has your city influenced your artistic path? Share how its streets, culture, and energy have molded your work.

Being born in Italy is certainly a great advantage if you want to pursue a career as a designer. In this country, you can feel art everywhere—in the places but especially in the people. Where I was born, in the province of Padua near Venice, the world of craftsmanship is very vibrant, and there are many people and companies in the fashion and design sectors. Another thing that greatly influenced my artistic growth was the presence of two parents who were already working in some way in artistic fields: my father in upholstery, sofas, and armchairs, and my mother in the footwear industry, where she focused on researching innovative materials. This is why I grew up seeing and talking about art. From an early age, I spent my days drawing. I have a lovely anecdote about this: “When you were 3 years old, one day you were trying to draw but you were sick and feeling unwell. You looked at me and, crying, you said, ‘Mom, I can't draw, why not?’” This shows how important artistic expression is to me. Another passion that definitely fueled my creativity was Lego, which I have collected and still collect today, both for aesthetic reasons and for the construction process, which fascinates me greatly.

3. Creative Process: What fuels your creativity? Whether it's a ritual, a muse, or a moment of clarity, we're keen to learn.

The creative process I go through for each project can vary. Most of the time, it begins with a collaboration with another artist or designer who proposes a project they have been commissioned. It is then up to me to draw from the theme the best possible product. To do this, I initially draw freely by hand, using pencils and colors, everything that comes to mind, already thinking about the various materials and the effect they would create. Afterward, I search for various material samples like leather, ceramics, cardboard, and place them together to imagine the final effect. Finally, there is always a long phase of design and production of the object, where everything must be perfect to avoid waste. Many aesthetic decisions are then modified along the way, as if we were painting a picture. The work is not finished until it reaches the expected level. Most of my projects are developed during the night hours, when the mind is not distracted by anything and can focus solely on the work.

4. City Lifestyle and Art: How the places you lived influenced your career and work?

The place where you live is certainly a significant factor in your creative journey. In my case, it had a great influence, as at the age of 20, I moved 300 km away from home, to Milan, to study Product Design. In this city, I met fantastic people with whom I began to collaborate, such as Davide Di Lernia (shoe customizer) with whom I immediately collaborated on the creation of many display projects. That was the starting point that opened up a world I didn’t know, like that of custom projects.

5. Latest or Upcoming Projects: Give us a glimpse into your current endeavors and what lies ahead on your creative journey.

In recent months, I have been working on a project with a dear friend of mine, Alberto Zulian. It is a limited collection of layered corrugated cardboard accessories. The goal was to create complex shapes without using traditional production methods such as injection molding or 3D printing, and without using steel molds, plastics, or solvents. To do this, we started with market research on various accessories made from these materials, then created prototypes molded in micro rubber with an asymmetrical and functional design. For the design, we didn’t use any 3D modeling programs but a simple scanner with which we captured the shape of our accessories, then layered them. The production is divided into three phases:

Cutting the 0.4 mm cardboard with a blade plotter.
Gluing all the layers with white glue.
Painting with eco-mortar, water-based color, and water-based transparent finish.

In this way, we achieved the goal of making cardboard a fashionable and wearable material.

In the future, I would like to get as involved as possible in the world of custom 1-of-1 furniture. My next project will be a piece of furniture designed and created entirely by me.