Bruno Gatta was the founder of Stilnovo, established in 1946 in Lainate, near Milan. Stilnovo became a significant part of the first wave of post-World War II Italian design companies, specialising in the production of innovative, functional lighting. During its most productive years, from the 1950's to the late 80's, Stilnovo collaborated with many of Italy’s leading designers, including Danilo and Corrado Aroldi, Gaetano Sciolari, Alberto Fraser, Joe Colombo and Ettore Sottsass.