Trained as an architect, Milan-born Vico Magistretti (1920-2006) received a degree from Milan Polytechnic in 1945, then studied with Ernesto Nathan Rogers at Champs Universitaire Halien in Lausanne Switzerland. Initially employed at the urban design studios of Alfred Roth, he moved next to his father's design office in Milan, then opened his own practice and quickly achieved a reputation as both product designer and architect.