Giorgio Cassetta has become an international multi-award-winning brand. Since founding Giorgio Cassetta Design in Rome in 2015, the Italian designer has built a reputation for elegant lines and a deep understanding of engineering. The Cassetta name is already on superyachts built in shipyards from Italy to Taiwan, but as a new decade begins, the studio is entering what the founder calls “Phase Two”.
“Our studio has grown in a way that I couldn’t imagine in my wildest dreams,” Cassetta says. With numerous projects on the water and more underway – so many, he jokes, that he is losing track – his design studio, now 16 associates strong, can truly soar.
Early in his career, Cassetta chose to specialise in the yachting sector, and the studio now handles every aspect of yacht design. “I had this vision that a design studio should not be just the expression of a god-like person but rather one where all bring their experience and expertise to a common pool of know-how and contribute to the creative process,” he explains.
This solid footing also gives him the freedom to choose. “We are in control of our projects,” he says. “I don’t mean we force our design onto our clients, but we absorb the information they give us and lead the way to allow the projects to become what they need to be. People trust us.”
Cassetta notes that the studio’s extensive design experience allows it to approach each project with a unique perspective, ensuring high-quality work. “Our clients are starting to recognise the extra value we offer. We’re not just stylists or modellers - we are product developers through and through.”
Three new distinctive design projects
New doors have opened, and Cassetta is especially proud to unveil three projects - two of which are for new clients - at the 2024 Cannes Yachting Festival and Monaco Yacht Show.
One of these projects is a collaboration with Italian shipyard Advanced Yachts on a 22-metre high-speed cruising catamaran that features an innovative, functional design that redefines the look of a multihull. While most of the studio’s employees come from a sailing background, its portfolio primarily focuses on motor yachts, reflecting market demand. “It’s a privilege,” he says. “These kinds of projects do not happen every day.”
The second unveiling is a collaboration with Cantiere delle Marche for the Italian shipyard’s new RAW (Recreational All-weather Watercraft) range. The partnership began with a single 30-metre project and has since expanded into the development of an entire line. The new model is designed to accommodate all essential toys, including a five-metre tender, and will feature a drone landing deck. “It’s a cool design overall,” Cassetta remarks. The studio is also designing four interiors and an exterior layout for the shipyard.
The third and largest partnership is what Cassetta describes as an “incredible project” with Benetti. Cassetta has worked with the prolific yacht builder for years, both on its classic lines and custom projects, but he describes this new project as something “revolutionary”. “I think we did something that is truly a game changer,” he says.
This is evident in the yacht's lofted spaces and floor-to-ceiling windows running the length of the vessel, flooding the interiors with natural light and connecting the indoor and outdoor spaces. The design eliminates traditional interior corridors, enabling a continuous flow from bow to stern. The flexible, open-plan layout prioritises the owner’s experience.
Cassetta notes that while the yacht retains classic Benetti proportions, it introduces several creative features that are “frankly unseen” elsewhere. One highlight is the cabana club - an elevated beach club atop the beach platform, offering a unique outdoor living space. Interior innovations include nearly four-metre lofted ceilings in the main saloon and three-metre ceilings in the master cabin.
“All three of [the projects] are keeping me very excited,” Cassetta says, with the studio handling both the interior and exterior work for a growing number of shipyards and owners. “I feel that my team right now is enabling me to have the best years in my career, which is the highest reward a designer can ever hope for,” he says.
Passion, hard work, Italian sensibility and a laidback attitude have put Giorgio Cassetta Design on a path of international growth, and there is no looking back.
To find out more information about Cassetta Yacht Designers, meet the team at the Monaco Yacht Show or contact them today.
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