In Milan, Jil Sander and Apartamento have opened the Reference Library as part of Fuorisalone during Milan Design Week, a temporary exhibition running from April 20 to April 24, 2026, that quietly pulls attention back to books at a time when most things are consumed in passing.
Presented inside the Jil Sander showroom at Via Luca Beltrami 5, the installation brings together 60 books selected by writers, designers, artists, filmmakers, and thinkers from around the world. Each title is treated as a personal reference, forming a collective snapshot of the ideas and influences behind contemporary creative practice.
The space, designed by Milanese studio studioutte, is stripped back and precise. Chrome lecterns sit in measured rows under warm reading lights, with a mirrored wall expanding the room into a calm, almost suspended field. It is less about display and more about focus, with every element directing attention toward the books themselves.
Visits are by appointment only, with limited hourly entries to maintain a calm, unhurried atmosphere. White gloves are provided at the door so each book can be handled with care, shifting reading into a more intentional gesture. Visitors keep the gloves afterward as a small reminder of the experience.
The project positions the physical book as a counterpoint to fragmented digital attention, asking for slower looking and longer engagement during Fuorisalone. Among the selections, Jil Sander Creative Director Simone Bellotti contributes Italo Calvino’s Il Barone Rampante, drawn to its perspective of observing the world from a distance with clarity.
Reference Library runs as part of Design Week from April 20 to April 24, 2026, at Via Luca Beltrami 5, Milan, with a preview installation also at the Jil Sander store on Via Verri.