Delta and Alessi collaboration levels up in-flight design

Delta Air Lines has partnered with Italian design company Alessi to curate a dainty new line of in-flight serveware for its premium cabins, set to roll out April 1, that recalls the glamour of early air travel.

Comprising 86 elegant, one-of-a-kind pieces, the Alessi for Delta Collection includes products designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Patricia Urquiola, Campana Brothers, Stefano Giovannoni, Miriam Mirri, and Kristiina Lassus, all of which have been adapted and scaled-down for in-flight use.

Spanish designer and architect Patricia Urquiola, for instance, reinterpreted her Orloff bowl, an object produced from a single, round sheet of metal without welding, creating multifaceted plates, bowls, and other vessels for Delta that maintain the original design’s unique motif.

“I am very attracted to surfaces and their interaction with reflected and diffused light,” she said in a press statement. “This collection’s characteristic facets, along with its silver finish, play with light in a way that results in reflections and chiaroscuro effects that are both elegant and amusing.”

Stefano Giovannoni’s sleek Mami cutlery set was made smaller and lighter, fit for flight, while a playful napkin ring featuring a cut-out doll icon was resurrected from a 1988 project.

Other pieces include Miriam Mirri’s sweet, heart-shaped teaspoon, the Campanas’ aluminum water and wine caddy, Bouroullecs’ reimagined Ovale glassware and ceramic dinnerware sets, and a version of Kristiina Lassus’s coffee service items. A set of celadon dinnerware will be available on Asian flights.

The partnership, which began in 2015, is part of Delta’s comprehensive, multi-billion dollar investment in the customer experience. Although these products are exclusive to the in-flight experience, the original versions may be purchased through Alessi.