100 years of Achille Castiglioni_Sleek spoon

When the marketing agency Walter Thompson asked the Castiglioni brothers to design a spoon as a promotional item for a certain type of mayonnaise, whose mark would then be imprinted on the handle, Achille and Piergiacomo thought first of all to make a useful object! “We could have made the handle in the form of a little woman or a cat: the client would have worked very well” But in the philosophy of Castiglioni characterizing an object is at the basis of experimentation and design.

Let’s analyze the question:
Too often it happens (but at this point it happened!) Not to be able to clean the jar, not to finish it to the end and then not be able to free from the residues of any cream, whether it is fruit, hazelnuts or any right companion on a slice of bread! That last remnant, down in the bottom of the jar, is like a missed moment of happiness!
Try! no phalanx, not even that of a giant, manages to get to the bottom of the pack, the fingers remain suspended a step away from the objective, thwarting that enterprise so satisfying the “brushing” on the bottom of the container!

And here comes the creative genius of Castiglioni who, having fun, solves the problems!

Reflecting on the practical needs of everyday life, here is the solution: Sleek! From the onomatopoeic sound, it has a shape that follows exactly the internal profile of the can, one side of the spoon is rounded and another side is flat so as to adhere perfectly to the neck and the bottom of the container; also the handle is flat and a raised bezel gives the thumb a support to make the grip firm! It is about 20 cm long and is made from the plaster shape of a standard jar. The material used for this anomalous spoon is the polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), a sturdy, flexible and hygienic plastic that allows maximum movement inside the jar. It has an attractive shape and a pleasant transparency.

Like all Castiglioni products, it is a project that is in step with the times, attentive to form and above all to use by the end user. It contributes to live better by making users happy, without forgetting that “objects serve to keep company”!
The use of plastic and bright colors, then, contribute to make Sleek an object as well as fun, in perfect harmony with the neo-modern ideals and highlighting a sensitivity towards Pop Art.

It’s a simple design and at the same time intelligent, extremely current also for its vocation to saving, given the ability of Sleek to limit any kind of waste!
Born from a need, it is resolved as a game and gives life to a playful object to brighten up our homes but above all our dispensations!

We love it so much that you have chosen it as a Christmas gift for you!
Since 1996 it is the Alessi that, raising Sleek, produces this spoon in semitransparent thermoplastic resin in different colors except in the red version which is instead a special production that can only be found at the Fondazione Achille Castiglioni , in Piazza Castello 27 or on their online shop.
Let’s contribute with an object to keep the Foundation alive!