Gandia Blasco S.A. was founded in 1941 in the Valencian town of Onteniente by Jose Gandía Blasco, who began producing blankets. In the 1980s, the founder's son, José Gandía-Blasco Canales, turned this initial activity around and introduced the culture of design as a value of the company in all its traits. In 1989, it launched its first collection of rugs, designed by Sandra Figuerola and Marisa Gallén, which would be joined a year later by the first collection of Hand-tufted rugs, made of 100% wool and hand-woven in India. In 1996, it presented its first outdoor furniture collection: "Gandiablasco Outdoor.”
The firm enters the 21st century with the incorporation of a new generation to the family business, and the creation in 2000 of the first images of the "GANDIABLASCO" lifestyle, a milestone that would be followed by the launch of "Espacios Exteriores,” (outdoor spaces) designed by José A. Gandía-Blasco Canales. In 2004, it introduced its first carpet collection with Patricia Urquiola, and in 2005 it landed in Manhattan with the birth of GANDIABLASCO USA. In those years, the company became Gandia Blasco Group, from which the carpet brand GAN emerged in 2008 and the DIABLA brand in 2018. Today, Gandía Blasco Group is a leader in outdoor furniture and carpets, and its designs are present in more than 75 countries.
The Value of the Mediterranean Lifestyle
The values transmitted by the Gandía Blasco group essentially reflect the personality of José A. Gandía-Blasco Canales, a lover of the Mediterranean lifestyle, closely linked to the enjoyment of daylight hours in contact with nature and a spirit open to the outdoors. "We are Mediterranean natives, this authenticity has always been our source of inspiration, a lifestyle related to the sobriety and purity of Mediterranean local architecture. That sobriety, which for us is synonymous with elegance, is part of our DNA, and we try to make it part of our designs."
Three Brands and the Same Recognizable Identity Through Design
The Gandía Blasco group is made up of theGANDIABLASCO, GAN and DIABLA brands, which reflect the diversification and evolution of the company over the years, and which have built a solid and recognizable identity through design.
It has its own team of designers led by José A. Gandía-Blasco Canales, president and creative director of the group and author of many of its most iconic collections, Alejandra Gandía-Blasco, deputy creative director and communication director of the firm and creative director of DIABLA, and Mapi Millet, creative director of GAN. Each of the group's brands has its own personality defined by the creative direction, which acts as a cohesive element: "Our designs must be related to the essence of each brand, it must respond to commercial or positioning needs in terms of design. For us, the social issues of our environment are important and inspiring, in one way or another we are interested in sustainability and local production." This in-house team is joined by an exclusive cast of designers from around the world who enrich the universe of these three brands.
GANDIABLASCO specializes in outdoor furniture and spaces. Its designs are characterized by sobriety and the use of fine materials and its own construction systems with machined aluminum frames. In addition to José Gandía-Blasco, internationally renowned architects and designers such as Luca Nichetto, Neri&Hu, Nendo, Søren Rose, Mario Ruiz, Francesco Meda & David Quincoces, Mayice and Kensaku Oshiro, among others, are collaborating in these projects. The brand is internationally recognized for the quality of its furniture and the creation of contemporary environments that reflect its passion for outdoor living.
GAN publishes handmade carpets, spaces and decorative accessories, creations with well-known designers such as Patricia Urquiola, Sebastian Herkner, Raw-Edges, Inma Bermudez, Charlotte Lancelot or Neri&Hu participate. The brand is widely recognized for its innovative and contemporary approach to craftsmanship and is actively involved in social responsibility projects in India through the GAN Women's Unit initiative, which emerged in 2010 from a commitment to the independence and empowerment of women who are part of the brand's community of craftswomen. In the manufacture of its products, it pursues sustainability in all processes, giving priority to local products, avoiding chemical dyes and harmful detergents and, above all, using natural materials such as wool, cotton, linen and jute, or 100% recycled materials such as PET.
For its part, DIABLA is the group's most casual brand, created for the new generations. It was inspired by the proposals received from new designers and international students, and from the workshops it develops with different universities. It specializes in the design of light, accessible and casual style furniture, accessories and outdoor complements.
The group's designs have received numerous international awards at the "European Managament Awards," "Archiproducts Design Awards," "BOY Awards," "Red Dot Design Awards," "Elle Deco International Design Awards," "Wallpaper* Design Awards," "Best of Year in Interior Design" or "NYCxDESIGN Awards." In addition, many of its pieces have been part of exhibitions in museums and public and private cultural organizations such as the Moma or the Mad Museum in New York, Guggenheim and the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, among others.
Best Sellers and Latest Collections
Among GANDIABLASCO's most recognized products are the first outdoor furniture collections designed for the Na Xemena house in Ibiza, owned by José A. Gandía-Blasco Canales: Na Xemena, Daybed and Chill. "These designs, together with the visual imagery that represented them in their day, transcended the products to talk, more than about furniture, about the 'GANDIABLASCO' lifestyle." More recent and by the same designer is the DNA outdoor furniture collection, inspired by the traditional Mallorcan shutters of Mediterranean architecture. Another of its best sellers is the Flat collection of outdoor furniture, created by Mario Ruiz.
In 2021, the brand's lifestyle has been reinterpreted by Luca Nichetto, Søren Rose, Mayice and Made Studio, who propose collections such as Onde, Capa or Buit, with a refined and architectural character, able to meet the needs of the most demanding contract spaces and residential projects. GANDIABLASCO also presented a new collection of Lattices and new creations by MUT Design, Democràcia Estudio, Alejandra Gandía-Blasco and Made Studio.
Internationalization
Today, 80% of Gandía Blasco Group's turnover comes from exports and, specifically, 70% of sales correspond to the GANDIABLASCO brand. Its main markets include Italy, Germany, UAE, France and the USA.
The group has six showrooms around the world: New York, Porto, Lisbon, Barcelona, Madrid (recently inaugurated and destined to become the company's main flagship store in Europe) and the emblematic headquarters in Onteniente (La Casa Gandía Blasco). They also plan to open a new office in Bangkok in the near future. Inaddition, the group has two showrooms with its North American partner in Los Angeles and Miami.
Its product collections can be found in emblematic locations such as the W Barcelona, Marina Bay hotels in Singapore or Boutique Roommate Giulia in Milan, and Haneda Airport in Tokyo, and in spaces of well-known international brands such as Dom Pérignon, Mercedes Benz, WeWork, Seat Geek, Hyundai Capital, Linkedin Dublin or Pinterest. Its latest projects include the Facebook headquarters in London, the Five Palm Jumeraih hotel in Dubai and the rooftop of the 31-story apartment building LH The Bangkok Thonglor.
