Sacco was introduced in 1968 by three Italian designers: , , and . Post-war technology enabled increased production by introducing new materials, such as polystyrene. The idea of mass-produced goods at affordable prices appealed to consumers. This, in turn, created the need for a revolution in the creative and
manufacturing processes. The architect, Cesare Paolini, was born in
Genoa and graduated from the
Polytechnic University of Turin. Franco Teodoro and Piero Gatti, the designers, studied at the
Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale per le Arti Grafiche e Fotografiche in Turin. They established their architecture firm in
Turin in 1965. Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini, and Franco Teodoro, inspired by their designer predecessors, developed Sacco, the "shapeless chair" in 1968. Although it was not the first amorphous chair design in
Italian history, Sacco was the first successful product created in partnership with
Zanotta. The product's predecessor had a significant design flaw. It was unable to sustain its form and never reached production. Sacco addressed that flaw with the use of leather for the exterior and carefully placed stitching. The use of leather was not coincidental, as it was a product of national pride in Italy at the time. The target user for the chair was the hippie community, whose nonconformist values aligned with the chair's unconventional design. Sacco is part of the permanent collections of some of the most important museums of contemporary art worldwide, such as the
Museum of Modern Art in
New York City, the
Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the
Victoria and Albert Museum in
London. Sacco was part of the 1972 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in
New York,
Italy: The New Domestic LandscapeAchievements and Problems of Italian Design. In 2025, the Sacco was included in
Pirouette: Turning Points in Design, an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art featuring "widely recognized design icons [...] highlighting pivotal moments in design history." == Awards ==