Tableware International has named Lou Scala as its Lifetime Achievement Award winner for 2024. Lou Scala has been on the cutting edge of the tabletop industry for over 40 years and throughout that time has been a force for creative re-invention and forward thinking change in the category.
Lou began his career at Bamberger’s Department Store in Newark in 1977 and then moved on to May Company in 1980. Over the next 17 years he rose to VP/DMM of Decorative Home where he set the set the trends in the US and global markets in Fine China, Crystal, Silver, Gifts, Trim & Luggage, Stationary, and Candy and generated sales of over $400 million a year across all categories; not a small sum today, and an industry dominating force in the 1980s and 1990s.
When Lou took the helm at Lenox in 1997 he set about re-inventing the iconic American China company. Carrying forward the trends he helped set at May Company Lou pioneered casual dinnerware at Lenox, and expanded the brand into multiple adjacent categories, not more China patterns but whole home lifestyle collections across multiple categories became the order of the day. Lou successfully brought the fashion industry onto the table with the introduction of Kate Spade at Lenox and reinvigorated seasonal product at Lenox which came to dominate the holiday season table in the USA in those years.
In 2006 Lou moved on to take the role of President & CMO for Waterford Wedgwood USA and bought the casual and designer revolution to its iconic British, Irish, and German brands like Wedgwood, Waterford Crystal, and Rosenthal China. Notably he launched the Vera Wang collection at Wedgwood, and was a driving force in significant collaborations with Martha Stewart, Jaspar Conran, and many others. At all times Lou led the charge towards casual dining and creative lifestyle and seasonal offerings that broadened the scope of what was possible in our space.
Lou returned to a newly private Lenox in 2009 where he breathed new life into his Kate Spade franchise and continued to innovate new and exciting seasonal product before leaving in 2014 to take over product development and sales at Nambe as CMO.
Nambe’s contemporary design vibe and unique brand story was a perfect environment for Lou to have full creative freedom to take the brand to a new level in stunning new mixed material designs, beautiful contemporary dinnerware and home decor, and luxury modern holiday themes.
After Nambe was acquired by Portmeirion Group in 2019 Lou became CMO at Portmeirion Group USA where in collaboration with the Portmeirion team in the UK, Lou has bought the “Scala Touch” to an expanded and re-invigorated Spode Christmas Tree franchise, brought about the stunning new collaboration between Spode and Kit Kemp, brought new life to Portmeirion’s classic Botanic Garden franchise with innovative line extensions and new introductions, as well as continuing to be the driving force behind Nambe’s endless stream of creativity.
A true merchant with the heart of a designer and the exacting standards of the most discerning consumer, Lou continues to delight and surprise the industry in 2024 with the same passion he bought to May Company way back in 1980.
