A new era for an iconic brand

BLUE FLUO ISSUE • n°38 • 2024

[ CREATIVE MINDS: THE ITALIAN SEA GROUP ]

A NEW ERA FOR AN ICONIC BRAND

by Samuela Urbini

The yachts of the Genesis fleet are the first models constructed by Perini Navi under the aegis of The Italian Sea Group, which acquired the brand in March 2023. A new direction that retains some iconic elements of the past, reinterpreting them with modern shapes and materials

This image, the extraordinary elegance of the 56-metre ketch by Perini Navi, the brand’s most iconic sail yacht, revisited in the Genesis fleet in collaboration with the British studio Malcolm McKeon Yacht Design. Orientated towards performance, it will have a new sail plan with carbon fibre masts

Talking about large sail yachts takes us into an elite world of sea-loving owners, a select group of wealthy individuals who have more time to devote to the purchasing process than owners of motor yachts and who prioritise elegance and tradition. It’s a world in itself, one that The Italian Sea Group entered with its acquisition of the Perini Navi brand in 2023. The group had already displayed all the mastery we are accustomed to with its motoryacht models through the marvels created by the other brands under its umbrella, Admiral, Tecnomar and Picchiotti, where Made in Italy values always take first place. An illustrious name in Italian yacht building, for over 30 years Perini Navi has been world leader in the construction of large sail yachts and has built over 60% of sail yachts over 40 metres in length sailing the world’s seas. The new Genesis fleet currently in the design stage - presented in 2023 it comprises three models of 48, 56 and 77 metres in length and, as the name implies, is intended to mark a rebirth. However, this new

direction does not involve a break with the past, but will enhance the brand’s already stellar reputation. The design was handled by the Centro Stile TISG, directed by Mattia Piro and art director Gian Marco Campanino: “The Genesis fleet isn’t a simple restyling, it’s something more organic, we’ve retained the most important elements of the Perini brand, we’ve just redesigned them in a more modern way. We have, for example, extended the glass surfaces as much as possible to provide more natural light in the interiors, and kept the side epaulettes, although we’ve updated their design. We’ve made great use of wood and glass, a contrast between past and future. In the Genesis yachts I can see the old in the new, but also the old made new”. The project is made possible by the wide-ranging professional backgrounds of the twenty or so individuals who form part of the Italian Sea Group’s style centre, nautical designers and architects who enjoy the great benefit of being able to confirm the validity and practicality of the ideas they develop in the design stage simply by

some

interiors are designed as an organic whole with the exterior lines. Great attention has been paid to the design of the stairs, like those around the mast on the 56-metre model (opposite, above). Extended glass surfaces provide more natural light in the interiors

To side, Mattia Piro (left) director of the Centro Stile TISG and art director Gian Marco Campanino. These pages,

renderings of the interior of the 56-metre ketch. The

Above, a detail of the Genesis 56 metre where every detail has been given an aesthetic treatment. Page to side, the sunpad area of the Genesis 77-metre, which will be equipped with the Falcon Rig, an ingenious rotating mast system with square sails and no rigging, first featured on the famous Maltese Falcon. Bottom, the race version of the Genesis 48 metre with no flybridge boasts more sporty performance

stepping on board the yacht in question. Campanino has included an intriguing design feature on all the new sail yachts – all the stairway handrails are in blue leather. “I’d like this to become a stylistic cue on all Perini yachts, not for aesthetic reasons but to advertise their status as Perini designs”. The architect handled the interiors himself, but they can all be personalised by the owner. “They will be very luxurious, a luxury created by shapes rather than materials. To me, especially on a sail yacht, the luxury also lies in the care taken with the design of the walls, ceilings, floors. It’s very hard to achieve. The floors are all smoothly integrated into the walls, there are no corners – the idea is to create an embracing shell where everything is rounded. Everything can be clad in prestigious or sporty materials, depending on the owner’s personal choices”. The interiors are designed organically with the exterior lines. Great attention has been paid to the design of the stairs, like those around the mast on the 56-metre model, or on the Genesis 77, which is equipped with a Falcon Rig with rotating masts, square sails and no shrouds, the first platform to boast a spa-beach club with drop-down terraces linked to the aft swim platform.