Francois Russo Biography

Francois Russo (born 1966) is the creative director and founder of Maison Takuya, a company which he founded in 2008, and which designs luxury leather goods. He was raised in Paris and currently (in 2013) lives in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Education and career

Francois Russo graduated from Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC Paris) in 1989 and began his career at Cartier, where he helped establish Cartier's Institut Suprieur de Marketing du Luxe (ISML). Russo then moved to the marketing division of L'Oral, and then to The French Mint where he was appointed International Director in 1991. In 1995, he joined Havas Advertising. In 2001 he founded an image agency where he engaged in art direction, professional photography and interior design.

In 1999, he became an advisor to the Swiss private bank Lombard Odier & Cie.

In 2003, Russo joined French designer Andre Putman, as co-chairman of her agency. Their first project together was the design of the first store for the perfume brand Guerlain (LVMH Group) on the Champs-Elyses in Paris. Other design projects included hotels (The Putman in Hong Kong, Spa of Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich), boutiques and corners (Helena Rubinstein worldwide and Anne Fontaine in Tokyo, Paris and New York), private residences, company headquarters (Novartis in Basel), furnishing (Cappellini, Poltrona Frau, Pleyel, Reflex, Emeco), one-off items and collections (Christofle, Mont-Blanc, Chivas, Louis Vuitton) and design consulting (Novartis Campus Basel, Chanel).

In 2005 Russo was engaged as a design consultant for Chanel. In 2007, he designed the commemorative Jacques Helleu Chair for the leading Italian furniture maker, Poltrona Frau.

, Russo continues to head the leather goods design company Maison Takuya.

Awards

Russo was awarded an honorary degree in 1999 by the Institut Suprieur du Marketing du Luxe.

Publications

• Stratgies de luxe (HEC Publishing).
• Andre Putman (Pyramid Publishing) co-author with former French Ministry of Culture Jack Lang.
• Foreword of Andre Putman by Stephane Gerschel (Assouline Publishing).