Achille Castiglioni was born in Milan in 1918. He graduated from Politecnico di Milano University with a degree in architecture in the late 1930s and shortly after, set up a design office with his brothers Livio (1911-1979) and Pier Giacomo (1913-1968) in Milan, where he dedicated himself to experimenting with industrial products. The designer, along with his brothers, went on to become one of the most renowned industrial designers in post-war Italy. He was one of the founding members of Association for Industrial Design (Associazione per il Disegno Industriale, ADI), established in 1956. 

His works are included in permanent collections in museums all around the world, including 14 pieces at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. 

The designer has won nine "Compasso d′Oro" awards, including a special mention as an individual dedicated to industrial design who by means of his incomparable experience, "elevated industrial design to the highest levels of culture", in 1989. 

In his lifetime, he designed and collaborated on close to 150 objects, many of which are still in production today.