The Kleis brand name came into being in 1991, stemming from the experience and technology acquired in the RDS company’s research and development centre. RDS was originally established in 1945, specialising in the production of handles and home-furnishings in general. In a pure Bauhaus spirit, Kleis’s objective is that of challenging established designers to work on such apparently banal objects/functions as handles. Enrico Baleri and Claudio Caramel are the coordinators of the project, while Philippe Starck, Hannes Wettstein, Flavio Albanese and Riccardo Dalisi are responsible for the first designs characterised by technological innovation and the use of new or rediscovered materials such as polycarbonate or glass, stainless steel and polyurethane resins. The continuity of the brand is confirmed by the appointment of Enrico Baleri/eb&c as art director. The focus of the Kleis project is design: research interpreted through diverse idioms and enriching the symbolic role of the object, proposing the handle as a non-invasive envoy of avant-garde design.
