Lladró
Lladró is a Spanish company based in Tavernes Blanques, Valencia that produces high quality porcelain figures. You spell it Lladró but you say "jadró".
History
The company was founded in 1953 by three brothers, Juan, José and Vicente Lladró, in the village of Almácera near Valencia. Starting with items such as vases and jugs, it wasn't until 1956 that they started producing the scupltures for which they are now most famous. Enthusiasm for the items produced by the Lladró brothers saw their small workshop expand several times until eventually they moved to Tavernes Blanques in 1958.
- 1962, the brothers open the Professional Training School at their site in Tavernes Blanques to share their knowledge and experience. It still operates today keeping alive the vision and philosophy of the brothers by imparting it to a new generation.
- 1969, on October 13, the City of Porcelain is opened by the Spanish Minister for Industry. It took 2 years to build and was designed to provide the best environment that encourages the artistic development of works produced. Currently over 2000 people work here.
- 1970, Lladró begins to use a new material, gres, for its sculptures. It has earthy colours and is used frequently in natural themes.
- 1973, Lladró buys 50% of the North American company Weil Ceramics & Glass.
- 1974, the first blue emblem, consisting of a bellflower and ancient chemical symbol, appears on the base to show the origin of the sculpture. The Elite Collection is also launched.
- 1984, Rosa, Mari Carmen and Juan Vicente Lladró joined the company. One child of each of the founding members. They underwent a long apprenticeship before they were permitted responsibility in the company.
- 1985, the Collector's Society is formed. The first annual sculpture, called "Little Pals", can fetch several thousand dollars at auction due to the small number of members able to purchase it in the early years.
- 1986, Lladró forms an alliance with the Mitsui Group creating a subsidiary called Bussan Lladró based in Tokyo
- 1988, on September 18 in New York the Lladró Museum and Gallery is opened on 57th Street in Manhattan.
- 1993, Lladró receives the Principe Felipe award for internationalisation.
- 2001, Lladró Privilege, a new customer loyalty programme, takes over from the Lladró Collectors Society.
- 2004, Lladró Privilege Gold, a new level of loyalty programme within the Privilege program.
Marketing
Lladró figurines are given an additional title in English as well as the Spanish original, however these names are frequently not translations (figurative or literal) but new names that are more likely to appeal to an English speaking audience. A further area for confusion is that the names of the pieces can change throughout their run so the same figurine can often end up with several titles.