Franco Albini was born in October 1905 in Robbiate, Italy. Albini became an architect and designer after studying at the world-famous, Politecnico in Milan. He acquired his degree in architecture at the University in 1929 and went on to work as an apprentice for Gio Ponti in the 1930s. He went on to receive several awards for his designs, including three Compasso d’Oro Awards which are the most precious design prize in Italy.
One of Albini's greatest achievements was designing the Margherita and Gala chairs which were solely made of woven canes in the 1950s. Albini had designed everything from small home furniture to large subway stations.