Ralph Pucci International has acquired the Brooklyn-based lighting studio founded by renowned multidisciplinary designer David Weeks.

The deal is a noteworthy first for Ralph Pucci. Founded in the 1950s as a mannequin fabricator, the company has transformed over the past five decades into a destination for high-end furniture, lighting and art. Today, the second and third generations of the family-owned business—Ralph Pucci, and his children Michael Pucci and Nicole Pucci—lead the company, which represents leading contemporary designers in its New York flagship, which also houses its sculpture studio and factory, and its galleries in Los Angeles and Miami.

This acquisition is something of a homecoming for the lighting company. Weeks debuted his first collection with the gallery back in 2002, and showed his work there for more than a decade before opening his own storefront in 2013.

That shared history is what initially helped get the partnership off the ground. “We weren’t out in the market looking to acquire things, but it was a perfect deal for both of us,” says Michael Pucci. “We were obviously very familiar with Dave, given that he started his career with us, and we’ve stayed friendly over the years.” Over the course of conversations that spanned more than a year, the new partnership began to take shape. They signed an agreement in February, and have spent the past three months integrating the studio’s production, sales and technology into the business. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

For Weeks, who shuttered his Tribeca storefront amid the pandemic in 2020 and consolidated his company’s operations to a Brooklyn studio, the shift is largely about creative freedom. “As an artist, it just became exhausting to fill orders and track inventory,” says the designer, who got his start as a jewelry apprentice for Ted Muehling before founding his metal fabrication studio out of a loft in Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighborhood in 1996. “For the last 10 years, I’ve been running a company and doing lighting on the side. Working with Pucci will give me the opportunity to work with the suppliers I’ve cultivated over the years, and allow me to just be the creative. It’s something that, as an artist, you only fantasize about.”

As part of the deal, Weeks will continue to collaborate with the gallery as a featured designer. But the agreement allows him to step away from the day-to-day operations to focus more on creative work. Production has moved across the river to Ralph Pucci’s Manhattan flagship, where it is now housed inside a dedicated lighting studio. Key members of the David Weeks team have also transitioned to Pucci and will continue fabricating the line.

While the studio’s operations have already resumed under the Pucci umbrella, the partnership will be fully on display at a gallery opening in New York in January, followed by similar shows at the Pucci outposts in L.A. and Miami. Future plans for the line include new pieces as well as finishes for existing ones. Weeks is also excited about the ability to design smaller runs alongside larger collections, and the freedom to explore new technologies and materials “without the distractions of payroll and insurance.”

The Puccis can’t help but be enthusiastic about the potential. “Dave has his formula and Pucci has our formula, but if you put the two together, the unexpected can happen,” says Ralph Pucci. “We work with so many great designers, and have so many residencies with designers coming in from Europe to work in our sculpture studio. When they come in, maybe they team up with Dave—who knows where this could go? But we’re expecting to go down some roads that no one has gone down before.”

Also on the agenda: a bit of star-making. The Puccis say that one of their goals is to cement Weeks’s legacy as one of the industry’s leading voices in lighting. “Dave is an iconic designer, an original thinker, and a pioneer in this aesthetic," says Michael. “These works are at the forefront of a movement, and have an importance in design history. We’re hopefully going to widen the audience and [present] Dave to the next generation of clients and collectors.”