Milan Design Week recently concluded its 61st edition, which featured pop-ups, product launches, exhibitions, and plenty of collaborative showings, all taking place in Milan, Italy.
The renowned 6-day event took over Milan’s Design Districts: Breaking, Isola, Turtana, and 5VIE, with over 2,000 exhibitors from 37 countries cementing their artisanship.
Participating countries included China, Brazil, The U.S., Spain, Brazil, and India.
Sustainability and the circular economy were the main themes for the Salone del Mobile Milano, the annual furniture exhibit, as well as Fuorisalone, the city-wide event circuit.
Both big fashion houses and local craftspeople showed off their work during the event that saw 307, 418 registered attendees, 550 young designers from 31 countries, and 28 design school’s and universities from 18 countries, according to the festival’s press release.
65% of buyers and “sector operators” were from abroad, noted Maria Porro, president of Salone Del Mobile Milano. There was a 15% increase in attendance from 2022.
“The number of attendees makes for an exceptional result, which we worked very hard, deeply, and radically for, to bring new meanings and values to the trade fair visit and create new experiences for visitors who came along,” said Porro.
Hermes came out with mid-century-inspired furniture pieces, including table lamps designed by Finnish designer Harri Koskinen. Upholstered chairs, hand-embroidered carpets and blankets were also featured.
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Chinese artist Wang Ziling’s captivating bathroom illustrations were taken from Chinese scenery paintings.
Kohler presented 150 bespoke pieces, including small toilets that “played homage to our dedication to the arts, culture, and diversity,” the brand said.
Bottega Veneta enlisted Gaetano Pesce to design his first two handbags, dubbed “Vieni a Vedeve,” which means “Come and See.” The showing took place inside BV’s flagship store and featured one handbag that represented the mountains and one that represented the prairies, as detailed by Deezen.
Pedrali’s installation (#PedraliBacktoNature) was full of raw materials that can be taken apart. Housed in a booth with 900 square metres, the exhibit traced back to the origination of the brand, which first started out as an outdoor-focused design company.
Local fashion house Marni showed off its first tableware collection with Belgian designer Serax. Marni’s Francesco Risso also partnered with Italy’s LondonArt for an elegant wallpaper series.
LOEWE Chairs was a key attraction and appeared as a favourite of critics. The exhibit featured, you guessed it, a selection of chair designs, weaves, and builds that represented designer Jonathan Anderson’s artistic authority.
Lighting artist and designer Lindsay Adelman presented LaLAB, which honours “raw development without the attachment to outcome,” said Adelman, adding “I’ve long been interested in the space between words, between people, between thoughts; the space between things, which is for me as important as the things themselves. LaLAB allows for the physical realization of these ideas…an energetic realm full of opportunity and experimentation.”
Dozie Kanu got a shot to reinvigorate well-known and best-selling fragrance, Bal d’Afrique, through a partnership with Adjoa Armah’s Saman Archive, which also featured photographic negatives from travels across Ghana.
“This isn’t something for you to taste for a moment and forget. My goal is always to bring forward a feeling that has the ability to stay with you over and extended period” said Kanu.
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Kiki Goti took vanity to a new level with her elevated dressing room entitled “Neo Vanity,” which featured a pendant light, side table, modular mirror, and a standing vanity.
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“Tools and Crafts” highlighted work from Kick Veldman who invited people to look at reflections in the trash, produced by mirrors made from waste aluminum.
California’s PROWL Studio and M4 Factory worked their “fast furniture” exhibit which featured their take on the plastic stacking chair, made from hemp bast fibre.
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LAGO reintroduced the “Good House,” which was first presented in 2022 and reduces CO2 emissions by up to 87%.
Claudio Feltrin, president of Federlegno Arredo praised the outcome of the Salone, saying, “The exhibitors made good use of their resources, the visitors made good use of their time. This is borne out by the figures, by the palpable enthusiasm right the week and by the press presence (over 5,400 accredited journalists), and that of the institutions that are fundamental for the wood furnishing industry, such as training, internationalization, sustainability, and short supply chains with timber made in Italy.”
Social media played a big part in the event’s reach. China’s WeChat, as well as TikTok, podcasts, and streaming talks kept the energy at a max.
More can be found at Salonemilano.it