Alcantara announces a new collaboration with Chris Lefteri, an internationally renowned materials expert, who is joining the company as Alcantara Design Ambassador and Advocate. This partnership reinforces Alcantara’s longstanding commitment to the field of design. The collaboration with Chris Lefteri is part of Alcantara’s broader Design Advocacy strategy, aimed at inspiring designers, expanding the brand’s presence in the creative world, and reaffirming Alcantara’s role as a material of excellence, capable of evoking emotions and enabling innovative design solutions. Lefteri’s contribution will focus on the importance of materials in the design process, encouraging experimentation and demonstrating how Alcantara can serve as a source of inspiration for unique multisensory experiences, where texture, touch, and emotion are central elements of the creative process.
Drawing on his expertise in CMF (Color, Material, Finish) and materials innovation, Lefteri will help the company strengthen its engagement with the international design community through thought-leadership initiatives, participating in discussions and panels focused on the ever-evolving role of materials in contemporary design. Chris Lefteri will be one of the speakers at the 2026 Car Design Award ceremony and will officially appear alongside Alcantara for the first time at the upcoming Milan Design Week 2026 during which the company will take part in various initiatives throughout the city. “Alcantara has always been at the crossroads of material innovation, creativity, and design culture,” said Chris Lefteri. “I am thrilled to collaborate with a company that understands the power of materials not only as functional elements, but as true drivers of emotion and design vision.”
Chris Lefteri is internationally recognized as one of the leading authorities in the field of materials and design. His eight books on materials and manufacturing processes, translated into six languages, have revolutionized the way designers around the world view and value materials. In 2006, he founded Chris Lefteri Design, a studio with a global reputation for bridging the gap between CMF (Color, Material, Finish), industrial design, and materials innovation. The studio collaborates with leading consumer brands and Fortune 100 materials companies, distinguishing itself through its unique ability to blend industrial design and brand strategy with deep expertise in materials.
