The Blue Design Awards, held during the Blue Design Summit in La Spezia, Italy, have quickly become a critical benchmark for the yachting industry. Positioned right in the heart of the “Miglio Blu” (Blue Mile) shipyard district, these awards don’t just judge sheer opulence; they focus on how cutting-edge naval architecture, smart functionality, and aesthetic heritage adapt to a changing marine environment.
For the Ferretti Group, the latest honors handed down to its powerhouse brands, Ferretti Yachts and Riva, are more than just trophies for the display case. They serve as a validation of two very distinct, highly calculated brand trajectories.
Here is a breakdown of what these wins mean and how they reflect where Ferretti and Riva stand today.
Riva: The Myth Transformed into Mega-Yachts
For decades, Riva was defined by the mahogany romance of the Dolcevita era—the iconic Aquarama flying across Lake Iseo. However, a brand cannot survive on nostalgia alone. In recent years, Riva has undergone a massive, aggressive push into the superyacht category, scaling its signature classic elegance into gargantuan fiberglass and steel platforms.
The Award: Excellence in Large-Scale Integration
The accolades pointing toward Riva’s larger fleet—exemplified by the triumphs of the Riva 112’ Dolcevita Super and the Riva 82’ Diva across major design circuits—highlight a mastery of space optimization and exterior purity.
How it Relates to the Brand Now
- The “Officina Italiana” DNA: Penned by Mauro Micheli and Sergio Beretta of Officina Italiana Design, the challenge for modern Riva is making a 100-foot-plus superyacht feel as sleek and unburdened as an open runabout. The awards recognize that they are pulling this off.
- Grounded Luxury Over Glitz: Riva’s current design philosophy avoids flashy, predictable gimmickry. Instead, it focuses on architectural layout—like the 82’ Diva’s drop-down gunwales that create massive lateral terraces (a literal extension of the beach club concept) and split-level salons.
- The High-Profile Co-Sign: This isn’t just an industry insider play. The real-world validation of this direction is clear, with elite figures like F1 driver Charles Leclerc recently taking delivery of his own custom Riva 102’ Corsaro Super from the La Spezia yard. Riva is successfully proving that high-performance engineering and absolute aesthetic restraint can scale up seamlessly.
Ferretti Yachts: The Evolution of High-Volume Living
If Riva is the glamorous emotional heart of the group, Ferretti Yachts is the engineering backbone focused on the art of cruising. The brand has been quietly shifting away from traditional, rigid flybridge layouts toward highly versatile, “substance-first” naval architecture.
The Award: Innovation in Series Production and Space Concept
Ferretti’s recognition—bolstered by major wins for models like the Ferretti Yachts 800—centers on reinventing how owners actually use a boat day-to-day. The focus here is on maximizing volume without creating a top-heavy, clunky profile.
How it Relates to the Brand Now
- The New Era of Leadership: With the Ferretti Group recently appointing Stassi Anastassov as Chief Executive Officer in May 2026, the brand is doubling down on operational precision and global market alignment. The awards prove that the product line is already in prime position for this next chapter.
- Functional Architecture: Ferretti’s modern identity is built on structural honesty. Instead of over-designing the interiors with delicate, impractical luxury materials, they are winning praise for “circulatory flow” such as floating ceilings, acoustic isolation for on-board offices, and smart layouts that allow guests and crew to move independently without bottlenecks.
- The Broad-Market Benchmark: While sister brands like Wally push the absolute bleeding edge of carbon-fiber performance, Ferretti Yachts applies those lessons to premium, high-volume production. They are setting the standard for what a modern, owner-operated or lightly crewed flybridge yacht should be: highly reliable, structurally uncompromised, and built for real time at sea.
The Big Picture: Ferretti Group’s Portfolio Strategy
What the Blue Design Awards ultimately showcase is the flawless execution of a multi-brand portfolio strategy.
| Brand | Core Philosophy | Award-Winning Focus | Target Execution |
| Riva | Heritage, pure aesthetics, scaled glamour | Exterior purity, terrace integration, mega-yacht scaling | High-end lifestyle, bespoke custom feel |
| Ferretti Yachts | Substance, spatial geometry, cruising comfort | Internal volume, layout functionality, series innovation | Premium long-range usability, smart engineering |
By sweeping design honors across both the pure emotional luxury segment (Riva) and the smart, high-volume cruiser segment (Ferretti), the Group proves it isn’t overlapping its brands. Instead, they are flanking the market ensuring that whether an owner wants raw, cinematic Italian style or deeply calculated maritime architecture, the answer remains under the Ferretti Group umbrella.
