Achille Castiglioni was born in Milan in 1918. He and his brothers Livio (1911–1979) and Pier Giacomo (1913–1968) showed a great interest in industrial production from an early age. Achille studied He studied architecture and, after graduating in 1944, became interested in the idea of developing a holistic design process. He later joined the design studio founded by his brothers.
Livio Castiglioni left the studio in 1952, and the two remaining brothers worked together until Pier Giacomo's death in 1968. The creative duo's designs were fundamental in defining the playful intelligence for which Italian design became known in the second half of the 20th century.
The Castiglioni brothers were also recognized for their lighting design, especially the Arco lamp, which is still in production 60 years later. In 1956, Achille was one of the founders of ADI (Association for Industrial Design). Later, in 1969, he was authorized by the Ministry of Education to teach the chair of Artistic Design for Industry.
He taught at the Faculty of Architecture in Turin until 1980 and subsequently held a full-time position as Professor of Industrial Design at the Polytechnic University of Milan until 1993. The Museum of Modern Art in New York owns 14 of his pieces, and other works are found in major museums around the world.
Achille Castiglioni received 9 Compasso d'Oro awards. He died in Milan in 2002.