Alberto Mancini

Alberto Mancini

Alberto Mancini

Alberto Mancini

#humansofyachting

Alberto Mancini

For designer Alberto Mancini, the superyacht sector has proven not only to be the perfect foil for his childhood experiences but also the perfect arena to express his design and artistic flair.

By Julia Zaltzman | 29 September 2022

When I design a yacht, it’s not the Caribbean or the middle of the ocean that I picture, but how to make the most of life onboard. I dip into my childhood memories of cruising on our family boat. I grew up in Trieste, and every summer we undertook long navigations sailing the Mediterranean aboard our 15-metre ketch. In those days, a 15-metre was considered a pretty big boat, and we cruised beautiful bays on the French Riviera, sailed the waters of Italy, Greece and Turkey, including all the islands, and even attempted to cross the Red Sea. At the time, the threat of piracy was too much of a risk for us to take, so instead we explored the Adriatic, taking in the beautiful islands of Croatia.

I was captivated by the experience, but I never intended to design yachts. I had a pure passion for cars, and I was certain that automotive design was my destiny. But those years spent cruising with my father slowly filled me with a fascination for yachts. I saw many different types of boats in the marinas and ports that we visited, and always found fault with their design. Rather than playing outside, I would sit in our salon and resketch the exterior lines of boats in the harbour, much to my father’s amazement. It was just a natural expression that came from within my soul. 

I didn’t realise at the time how fortunate I was to get that life experience. I knew nothing about power boats, only what it felt like to spend long periods of time at sea. And that essence of ownership is still what helps me today as a young designer. I have my family to thank for my career and my Mediterranean style. If I’d spent my summers in the mountains, I doubt I’d be a yacht designer today.

Alberto Mancini
Alberto Mancini

Immediately after graduating from the I.E.D school of Transportation design in Turin, Italy, in 2000, I accepted a job offer from Mauro Micheli for Riva at Officina Italiana Design. I understood car design well enough, but it didn’t compare to the freedom of yacht design. To design a car is to design a vehicle. To design a yacht is to create something that can cruise around the world. I was only 22 when I began working for Mauro, but I instantly appreciated the knowledge and culture that defined the Riva brand. I learned a lot about design details and proportion.

The trend for more space, more comfort, no matter the compromise, is something we are witnessing across all design sectors today. Yacht interiors have increasingly high ceilings, but that results in disproportionately tall, top-heavy yachts. Likewise in automotive, I can’t believe that Ferrari and Aston Martin are now building SUVs. It’s the worst thing I’ve seen in my life, and I think Enzo Ferrari is probably crying in his grave because of it. It’s a design compromise too far.

I still believe the Rivas from 20 years ago are among their finest. I was still at Riva when I was headhunted by yacht owner Tom Perkins. I’d sent him my portfolio and he reached out saying he had a yacht project with Perini Navi and wanted an Italian designer who could liaise with the shipyard and bring some Italian flair to the yacht. That’s how I came to work on the iconic 88-metre Maltese Falcon under designer Ken Freivokh. I was involved in the development of the masts and the navigation lights, and I designed the yacht’s Pascoe tenders. The whole experience was a real dream.

Alberto Mancini
Alberto Mancini

Since founding my studio in 2009, first based in Trieste and now in Monaco, my 76-metre concept Apache for Tankoa remains the largest project I’ve showcased to the media. But I believe my most striking yachts on water are the 54-metre Gran Sport for Mangusta, which has cruised all around the world, and the interior I designed for Baglietto’s Monokini in 2013. Monokini was my first attempt at interior design, and probably my purest to date. The client asked me to start with a blank sheet of paper and allowed me to just create. The brief was simple and resulted in a true representation of my interior style.

Currently I’m focusing on redesigning the full Azimut Yachts range. It’s a big responsibility that is absorbing a lot of my time, alongside carving out the future design DNA for Mangusta. I always prefer to have a few, solid clients that I can really focus on, like these two shipyards, rather than spreading myself across many clients, which I think runs the risk of sacrificing quality and detail. 

I’ve collaborated with many production shipyards to date, including Overmarine, Fairline Yachts, Magnum Marine, Otam and Revolver. It takes a lot of energy to design something that’s not just different – which is a prerequisite when working with competitor shipyards – but something entirely new. Azimut has high expectations, and they only accept a new project if it offers something unique.

Alberto Mancini

Dominator

Alberto Mancini

Dominator

Take for instance the Deck2Deck extendable cockpit on the new Azimut Grande 26-metre, and the infinity terrace walkaround on the 36-metre. These types of features require a lot of brainstorming. The Mangusta Oceano 44 just won a Best Interior Design award because of its sea terrace with glass balustrades that feels like a Manhattan loft. Ten years ago, that sort of feature would never have been accepted, but thanks to new rules, new materials and new technology, design has evolved.

Sustainability is at the fore, but I’m still convinced that if you want to be green, you need to buy a sailing yacht. When you switch off the engine and sail with the wind, only then can you say you’re 100 per cent green. I’m yet to design a sailing boat, but I think it would be exciting to create a mega sailing yacht.

Innovation is the key to any design, and I believe that’s why clients come to me. They’re looking for something different to the norm, and they love to see a designer sketch by hand. They go crazy when they see their vision come to life in front of their eyes, sketched on a restaurant napkin. Being able to draw has really helped my career. Clients recognise my design capability and being able to deliver immediate results is important to them. I would prefer to have more time, but everything is instant these days and the market moves quickly. That’s just part of the game, it’s part of the job.

The best part of being a yacht designer is receiving client requests that are the opposite of the previous client’s brief. It’s exciting because you never stop searching for something fresh. I like that challenge given by owners and I always strive to surprise and delight.

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