Enrico Fratesi studied architecture at the Universita di Architettura di Ferrara in Italy, and at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, before turning to interior architecture and furniture design at the Architect School of Århus and Arkitema Århus in Denmark. While studying in Ferrara, Fratesi met Danish designer Stine Gam, with whom he founded the design studio GamFratesi in Denmark 2006.
Their first joint exhibition was at the young designers Greenhouse during Stockholm Furniture Fair in 2007, where they were spotted by Swedese, and the following year the armchair Cartoon was put into production. Cartoon was made of a straight wooden construction with a wide back rest. Cartoon is a part of the collection at the Museum for Furniture Studies in Stockholm.
In 2011 and 2012 GamFratesi was a part of the exhibition Mindcraft, organized by the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces where they met producer Gubi, who came to produce their Beetle chair. They also received a three-year working grant from the Danish Arts Foundation in 2011, and in 2014 GamFratesi were the Guest of Honor at the Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair.
The studio GamFratesi has worked with international brands such as Poltrona Frau, Porro, De Padova, Louis Poulsen, Gebruder Thonet Vienna and Cappellini. GamFratesi also works as exhibitions designers and interior architects with clients such as Hermés and Kvadrat as well as several restaurants and public spaces.
Since 2009 GamFratesi has received several prestigious awards such as the Walk the Plank Award (2009), Selection Compasso D’Oro for the ADI Chariot Trolley (2013), the Finn Juhl prize (2015) and the Bruno Mathson Award (2018).
