Milan Design Week: The Highlights (2024)

MILAN — The ties among the worlds of fashion, design, art and architecture have never been stronger. Milan Design Week 2024 will run from Monday to April 22 and the calendar is bursting with events and projects that will help shape the future of the industry. Under the aegis of the theme “Materia Natura” (Italian for “natural matter”), brands are gearing up to unfurl projects that pay homage to the culture of conscious design.

Here, a roundup of some of the key events, as previewed by WWD.

Bottega Veneta

Bottega Veneta is partnering with Cassina and Fondation Le Corbusier for “On the Rocks,” a large-scale installation staged at Palazzo San Fedele and centered on the bespoke LC14 Tabouret Cabanon stools, which punctuated the venue of the brand’s fall 2024 runway show in February. Originally conceived for Le Corbusier’s cabin in Roquebrune Cap Martin on the French Riviera, the design draws inspiration from a wooden box of whisky the acclaimed architect found on the beach.

A new limited-edition stool iteration defined by Bottega Veneta’s signature leatherwork will also be showcased at the exhibition, which is open to the public. Further marking the project, 100 wood stools featuring a serial number as well as 60 pieces of the Intrecciato leather-made versions in yellow, red, green and blue will be available for purchase.

Hermès

In keeping with its legacy of designs that stand the test of time, Hermès’ latest home decor collection debuting at Milan Design Week with an installation at the La Pelota venue is poised to showcase old and new pieces together, highlighting the enduring appeal of the house’s lifestyle objects. The French house’s equestrian heritage echoes in the Diapason d’Hermès armchair in hammered aluminum and leather, which mingles with a midcentury-nodding table lamp crafted from waxed brass and featuring a bicolor chèvre or Swift leather lampshade. A new 27-piece tableware set, called Tressage Équestres and inspired by the passem*nterie typical of harness-making, features subtle braiding patterns conceived by Parisian artist Virginie Jamin and done in a subdued color palette with occasional accents of yellow, red and blue.

Miu Miu

Miu Miu is opting for a cultural approach and promoting literature and the arts with its activation during the week. The brand will introduce its inaugural Literary Club “Writing Life,” a two-day event spotlighting the work of the late Italian writers and poets Sibilla Aleramo and Alba De Céspedes. A schedule of talks, readings and live music performances will aim to evoke the spirit of literary salons and artist collectives of yore at the city’s Circolo Filologico Milanese location on Wednesday and Thursday.

Conversations will center on two landmark books by these authors, exploring women’s position in society, from motherhood to work. Wrapped in a special Miu Miu packaging, the titles selected and available at the event will be Aleramo’s 1906 book “A Woman” (considered Italy’s first feminist novel) and De Céspedes’s “Forbidden Notebook,” published in 1952. Panelists will include 2000 Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri; Strega prize finalist Claudia Durastanti; critically acclaimed writer Sheila Heti; 2011 Campiello Opera Prima winner Viola Di Grado; Booker Prize long-listed author Selby Wynn Schwartz, and novelist, memoirist and film-maker Xiaolu Guo.

Zegna

Zegna is launching the “Born in Oasi Zegna” book through an exhibition open to the public from Tuesday to April 21 at Zegna headquarters. The book is full of images, illustrations, words and historic bits that tell the story of Oasi Zegna, a natural territory that covers an area of 38 square miles in the Biella Alps of Piedmont in northern Italy. At the beginning of the last century, founder Ermenegildo Zegna undertook a vast reforestation program, which now boasts more than 500,000 trees, in the mountain area surrounding his wool mill.

The book is now available to buy exclusively at Zegna stores globally and online at the brand’s website. “We are very proud to unveil the ‘Born in Oasi Zegna’ book that narrates a timeless story never told before. It’s a legacy that the founder, our great grandfather, left us for the future generations. His vision went beyond reason and as a generation we are just its custodians” stated Edoardo Zegna, chief marketing, digital and sustainability officer.

JW Anderson

JW Anderson from Wednesday will host “Days,” an installation showcasing 37 Patrick Carroll artworks made by stretching textiles he knitted onto stretcher bars as if they were paintings.

From his large collection of yarns, nearly all scavenged from yarn remainder shops selling the fashion industry’s leftovers, Carroll forges compositions of varied textures, materials and colors in fabrics like wool, linen, silk and more. Each work is done by hand on a flatbed domestic knitting machine from the 1970s at his studio in Los Angeles. Knitted into the works are bits of text. About half the works, available for purchase at the JW Anderson store, bear a single word evoking a concept like music, abnegation, pity, voices, or permanence. Others quote works of literature, some refer to already existing works of art, and some feature Carroll’s own phrases.

Missoni

In addition to its presence at the Rho fairgrounds, Missoni will stage a series of events in town. Every morning breakfast will be served courtesy of the “Caffé Suonarestella” format, the brand’s takeover of Italian social media personality Paolo Stella’s apartment intended to spotlight its entire home collection designed by creative director Alberto Caliri. Items of the line also will be displayed at the new Missoni store located a stone’s throw from the city’s Golden Triangle, while the brand’s headquarters in the Brera district will showcase designs from the new outdoor project developed with specialist Roda.

“A central illuminated island, like a magical garden of stone and glass, welcomes the items of the collection in the midst of special lighting effects,” teased Caliri about the installation conceived to present the Roda project. Upholstered in Missoni fabrics in five different patterns, the range will include the modular sofa Mamba; the theatrical daybed Arena; the lounge chair Laze, and a series of poufs, among others.

Weekend Max Mara

Weekend Max Mara in collaboration with Bitossi Ceramics will present “On Slowness,” an installation inside the fashion brand’s boutique at Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 5, curated by Objects of Common Interest and the creative agency Studio Blanco. The main pieces of “On Slowness” are represented by the ceramics from the Tuscan manufacturer. These include the latest designs for the 2024 Design Week by designers Patricia Urquiola, Zaven, and Objects of Common Interest themselves. Additionally, there’s a selection of contemporary pieces from Bitossi, crafted by designers such as Muller Van Severen, Faye TooGood, Max Lamb, and Formafantasma. The installation will debut at the store on Wednesday.

Off-White

Off-White is releasing a limited-edition rug, which will also take center stage at the brand’s Via Verri flagship with an immersive floor-to-ceiling installation and a takeover of its windows. Available in only 40 pieces and coming with a numbered label, the design is marked by a floral pattern in a deep blue shade and bold lettering in popping yellow reading “Don’t walk here.” Crafted in Germany with a double-layer felt lining, the rug is to retail at 1,250 euros starting from Monday, while the brand will host in-store co*cktails and DJ sets the following two days to celebrate the launch.

Issey Miyake

Issey Miyake’s 2024 design project, to be unveiled at the brand’s Milan store, is called “Fold and Crease,” a self-explanatory name suggesting that the Dutch collective We Make Carpets selected for the initiative meant to highlight the DNA and core design and manufacturing ethos of the Japanese brand. Known for picking everyday objects such as chip forks, clothes pegs and sponges and arranging them into site-specific installations in carpet-reminding shapes, the Dutch artists wished to develop artworks that “would not visually compete with the clothing in the store and on the other hand [that] incorporate[d] some aspects that we felt most inspired [by],” they said. The results are carpets crafted from red-tipped wooden skewers or pins that create patterns evoking the signature Issey Miyake pleats.

La DoubleJ

Two novelties are to mark J.J. Martin’s showcase of her brand La DoubleJ’s new homewares collection, dubbed “Solar.” For the first time the presentation will be held not at the label’s flagship but at the Palazzo Belgioioso venue, whose elements were referenced in the range. For example, the 18^thcentury mosaic of the location inspired the “Sunrays” pattern on dessert plates, cups and the statement Bubble Vase painted with 18-karat gold bands.

Flanked by an installation by artist Max Siedentopf, the 36-piece collection of porcelain plates and bowls, hand-blown Murano glassware from Venice, table linens crafted in Como and hand-woven raffia placemats made by artisans in Colombia, was rendered in a mood-boosting palette of warm terracotta, electric azure and gold details for a heightened visual impact.

In another new turn, the collection will be see now, buy now, dropping both online and at the La DoubleJ store in Milan during the design week.

Rimowa

If only Rimowa’s signature grooved aluminum suitcase could also make coffee. That might have been the thinking behind the collaboration between the German luxury luggage maker and La Marzocco, a Florence-based leader in handmade espresso machinery. The tie-up promises to rise to cult status as much as the brand’s traveling product thanks to Linea Mini, a limited-edition compact espresso machine evoking Rimowa’s silver suitcases in its design and featuring an array of artisanal components, like hot water tap and knobs made in aluminum and bearing both parties’ monograms.

Available on a made-to-order basis starting Monday, the item is the star of the Caffè Rimowa pop-up installed at Milan’s Spazio Maiocchi and running through April 21.

MCM Wearable Casa

To mark its design week debut, German luxury brand MCM will unveil the MCM Wearable Casa collection conceived with Atelier Biagetti and displayed at 17^th-century Palazzo Cusani location.

The result is a seven-item line blending a futuristic flair and playful touch with the brand’s aesthetic codes, including its monogram logo. Highlights will encompass the Chatty sofa evoking street graffiti art with sinuous curves; the transformative Tatamu design marked by modular elements and soft rolls of mats, and the versatile Mind Teaser item winking to the Tetris game with its shiny and compact shape that can turn into a stool, chair or coffee table. The Clepsydra portable lantern doubling as a hat, the Magic Gilet wearable storage design and the Backpack accommodating small pets comfortably will be also displayed at the exhibition.

The showcase will reflect the collection’s multifunctional approach, with a hybrid space granting access to visitors both physically and remotely through a metaverse activation enabling users to virtually wear total looks by MCM and interact with the objects.

Serapian

Serapian will support the Doppia Firma exhibition at its charming Villa Mozart headquarters. At its eighth edition, the project celebrates creative partnerships between international designers, companies and local artisans, resulting in designs made expressly for the event.

The likes of Cristina Celestino, Marcel Wanders, Studio Job, Nendo, Nada Debs, Agostino Iacurci, and Elliott Barnes have partnered with companies including Ganci Argenterie, Tonino Negri and Artepura as well as with Milan artisans to create 15 objects.

For one, Serapian’s tie-up with Celestino gave way to an armchair elevated by the brand’s signature Mosaico leather weaving technique. The distinctive motif will also enhance the geometric shape of a series of trays that the label developed with Italian design company Bonacina.

Valextra

Valextra has conscripted Italian graphic design firm Studio Temp to shed new light on its codes and heritage, unveiling a full roster of initiatives to coincide with Milan Design Week. Under the moniker “Valextra Vocabolario,” the luxury leather-goods specialist is mounting an installation at its Milan store, debuting a new Iside top-handle bag and a range of nylon accessories, unveiling a repair service and taking over the La Rinascente department store’s windows.

“The collaboration is a continuation of Valextra’s enduring commitment and connection to the world of design [which] informs our approach 365 days of the year,” said Valextra chief executive officer Xavier Rougeaux.“Valextra and Salone del Mobile share a special synergy that continues to inherently define what we both strive to be conduits of; celebrating and capturing the inspiration that leaps off the streets of Milan and informing the globally renowned Made in Italy identity that incorporates style, engineering and architecture.”

Floor-to-ceiling aluminum sheets and pink carpeting will reconfigure the brand’s flagship on Via Manzoni, known for its minimalist, even austere decor, turning it into an installation apt for showcasing new products. The latter include the 3D-printed Iside Onda top-handle crafted from biodegradable corn filaments and bearing a wavy pattern, as well as Valextra Assoluto, a unisex capsule of regenerated nylon accessories, including a shopper, bumbag and backpack accented with a new matte black V-shaped hardware and matching zippers. Marking the introduction of the first Valextra Spa repair, cleaning and polishing service, a life-size wellness center is being mounted inside the store as part of the overall installation, housing artisans at work. Tongue-in-cheek merchandise — including towels, sleeping masks and aluminum trays — has been developed by Studio Temp to mark the initiative.

Stone Island

Stone Island is taking its diehard fans to the heart of its design and manufacturing process, mounting an installation at the company’s headquarters dedicated to the latest Prototype Research Series, the brand’s collection geared at pushing the boundaries of material innovation and manipulation. Series 08 comprises 100 limited-edition capes-anoraks developed in tandem with three industrial partners, crafted from multiaxial and flexible materials, including linen and a non-woven textile, which are then inkjet-printed and treated with a double lamination of aliphatic polyurethan coating. The outerwear is intended for protective and performance use in such fields as automotive and boating, among other sports. The installation features two areas, an art-like display of 32 capes opposite a video wall giving an abstract interpretation of the collaboration and development process behind the series. The capes drop on May 28 at select Stone Island stores, including those in Milan, Paris, New York, Seoul and Shanghai, among others.

Design Space Alula

The potential of Saudi Arabia’s design industry is ready to unleash itself on the rest of the world this year and that starts with Milan.The Arts and Creative Industries at the Royal Commission for the ancient city of Alula will debut the efforts of Design Space Alula, starting with prototypes from the inaugural Alula Design Residency. Under the curation of architect Ali Ismail Karimi, the work of the residency’s five design practices will be on display:Leen Ajlanfrom Saudi Arabia,Bahraini—Danishthe architectural officewith offices in both Bahrain and Denmark,Hall HausandStudio Leo Ortafrom France, as well asStudio Raw Materialfrom India. Madrasat Addeera, the Alula-based school set up to safeguard and perpetuate traditional crafts, will also showcase designs for Madrasat Addeera Editions, the fruit of the creative dialogue between the local design community in Alula and a range of well-known Saudi and international designers and artisans.

Design Space Alula commissionedCloud, themultidisciplinary practice founded by Paul Courneandartist Sabine Marcelis,for the scenography of the exhibition.

Azimut

Italy’s nautical world proved a major catalyst for the nation’s economy this year, and it’s no surprise that the design world is riding that wave and vice versa. Italian yacht maker Azimut will plant its Seadeck 6 vessel in a local city pool. Titled “Mooring by the Moon,” it’s an immersive installation curated by AMDL Circle, the multidisciplinary studio of well-known Italian designerMichele De Lucchi.The display will run like ajourney through four acts focused onsustainable innovation at the Bagni Misteriosipool. One of those acts will illustrate the philosophy of Italian designerMatteo Thun and Spanish designer AntonioRodriguez, authors of the “Seadeck Series Interiors:Design for AConscious World.”

Draga and Aurel and Poltrona Frau

After bursting onto the Milan design scene in 2019 with theirTransparency Matters collection, design duo Draga Obradovic and Aurel K. Basedow of Draga & Aurel will return this season with the new, ultra plush Parka sofa for Poltrona Frau.“Think… snuggly, soft, enveloping design with attitude,” the company said. In the duo’s first project for Poltrona Frau,they pay homage to the famed jacket that in recent decades became the epitome of street style.

Faye Toogood and Poltrona Frau

Interiors-to-fashion designer Faye Toogood has re-conceptualized the type of stately Poltrona Frau armchair the historic, Tolentino-based furniture maker is known for. Through her curated, abstract lens, Toogood envisaged the Squash collection, which she said is like “English folk with Italian horsepower and embodies her soft, sculptural approach.” The collection also includes a rug and a mirror.

Fornasetti

As it expands its range of furniture items, Fornasetti will present“Ceci n’est pas une salle à manger,” asurreal interpretationof one of the most welcoming spaces in the home:the dining room. A table, chairs and a cabinet, as well as accessories, will be displayed atthe Fornasettistore in Milan in a scenario that “transforms the dining space into atheater of surrealism, where the boundaries of reality and fiction intertwine, and the magic of imagination meets the functionality of design,” the company said.

Buccellati

Buccellati is debuting with designer Patricia Urquiola the new Tahiti picnic baskets. The items, unveiled at the brand’s new boutique in Via Montenapoleone 23, will enrich the famous tableware and objects line Tahiti, launched in the 1960s by the Maison Buccellati and characterized by the keen crafting of silver and bamboo. The combination evokes the natural wonders of the Polynesian islands and still today represents elegance and sophistication. Externally, they feature an interweaving of leather in the shades of beige and brown while the internal structure is made of wood covered in a soft suede fabric. The silverware included in the set belongs to the Buccellati Tahiti collection, while the porcelain items are part of the collection created in collaboration with Ginori 1975.

Acqua di Parma

To preview the new Mandarino di Sicilia fragrance and its limited-edition Mandarino Millesimato 2022 version, Acqua di Parma is staging an installation in its flagship hinged on geometric totems developed with Fornice Objects to metaphorically nod to Sicilian mandarin trees. Inside the boutique, circular elements crafted using 3D printing techniques will further echo the weave textures of the baskets used to collect the mandarins during the harvest, while Acqua di Parma’s signature Art Deco fragrance bottles will be integrated into the totemic structures.

Visitors will be able to book a 30-minute guided tour to discover the new scents with a brand representative as well as with Chiara Ravaioli, who founded Fornice Objects in 2019 to explore the intersections of sustainable materials, creative craftsmanship and 3D printing.

Laura Urbinati

During design week, Laura Urbinati will partner with floral artist Dylan Tripp to decorate the brand’s headquarters in Viale Col di Lana. The green project will be on display from Monday to Friday and Tripp will use nature as a raw material, combined with the brand’s archival fabrics, to transform the space into an innovative and experimental Garden of Eden creating small botanical worlds based on a modern floral aesthetic. On Thursday, the brand will open a new store in Milan, in Via Nirone 9A, celebrating it with the launch of a swimwear collection.

Longchamp

A special exhibition by studio Högl Borowski, a Viennese design duo composed of Stefanie Högl and Matthias Borowski, will be staged at the Longchamp boutique on Via della Spiga in Milan from Monday to April 21. The duo’s works range from furniture to sculptural objects, and stand out for the use of materials and attention to detail. “We are honored to have been chosen by Longchamp for this joyful association,” said the two artists. “The exhibition at Milan Design Week 2024 represents a great opportunity to make our work known to an even wider audience. We share with Longchamp a passion for creativity and innovation, and we are confident that this invitation will give life to a truly special event.”

Pierre-Louis Mascia

Pierre-Louis Mascia will unveil its first home collection, which comprises a fusion of objects such as vases, plates, tablecloths and notebooks covered in silk, fabrics and prints designed for a convivial space. L’Art de la Table is the last debut and includes a series of terracotta tableware made by a Tuscan workshop and precious printed silk tablecloths. Also, the collection features a homeware capsule with pajamas, dressing gowns and slippers, as well as printed plaids and pillows. The offer includes wooden screens, a series of wallpapers, notebooks and drawing boards covered in silk. The artist drew inspiration from exclusive prints of 19th century Chinese embroidery, 1930s tea jackets and 18th century pieces from the archives of the Musée Galliera collections, to name a few.

Sunnei

Following in the footsteps of the concept unveiled for its fall 2024 runway show in February, Sunnei will host a multisensory retrospective of its tie-up with CC-tapis at its headquarters Palazzina Sunnei. The 72-square-meter rug the brand developed with the high-end carpet maker will take center stage at the industrial white space, where the Sunnei community will also have access to unreleased materials and updates on the next steps of the collaboration. To wit, since the show the two companies have developed a series of smaller rugs that will be previewed at Milan’s Convey location and will be soon available to purchase

Plan C

Plan C is blending art performance and product launch by taking over the windows of the Banner store in the tony Via Sant’Andrea shopping street. An exclusive installation named “Unexpected Guest” and developed with Italian artist and director Maria Chiara Venturini will mix videos and physical objects — including the brand’s new Camera and Tote Folded bagslaunching exclusively at the retailer and at Plan C’s e-commerce this week.

The installation will reproduce two rooms of the Milanese house of the brand’s founder, Carolina Castiglioni. Filmed by Venturini, the videos will evoke a mysterious guest entering the apartment and examining what’s inside. For the entire duration of the takeover — which will run through April 22 — Venturini will also perform live within the installation.

Aliita

The Aliita Castle will land at 10 Corso Como to bring a fairytale vibe to the concept store. The installation will coincide with the drop of a new jewelry collection designed by Cynthia Vilchez Castiglioni, who launched the Aliita brand in 2015. In sync with the playful ethos of the label and the Western wave that is currently trending across fashion, music and pop culture, the range will include gold chains with enameled pendants shaped as horses, cowboy boots and hats.

Eéra

Buzzy jewelry brand Eéra will unveil the Casaeéra lifestyle project. This follows the label’s first foray into the world of objects with the Mani initiative, which was developed to support the work of a selection of artisans whose creativity and aesthetic were in line with the vision of founders Chiara Capitani and Romy Blanga.

Casaeéra aims to mark a further step into that direction, offering limited-edition pieces made in collaboration with 10 international artists, including glassware by Polish talent Aleksandra Zawistowska, paintings by Turkey’s Nilufer Yildrim and colorful vases and carpets by Spain’s Ariadna Chez and Edurne Camacho, respectively, among others.

Alessandro Mendini Exhibit

Triennale Milano museum and Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain are presenting, within the scope of their cultural partnership, a wide-ranging retrospective on Alessandro Mendini’s work as an architect, designer, artist and theorist. Mendini, who died in 2019, is revered for his unique, revolutionary approach to lifestyle. The title of the show,“Io Sono Un Drago (I Am a Dragon),” is inspired by one of his most symbolic self-portraits. The exhibit was curated by architect Fulvio Irace and will run Tuesday to Oct. 13. In tandem, Philippe Starck will present “What?”, his own homage to Alessandro Mendini, which will also be displayed at the Triennale.

Promemoria and Bottega Ghianda

Italian sister brandsPromemoria and Bottega Ghiandawill present“Meraviglioso & Meravigliosa,”a showcase of new interior design pieces, rooted in Italy’s long woodworking expertise.

Both brands are owned by craftsman Romeo Sozzi, who is also the CEO of both Lake Como-based companies. These haute couture furniture collections will showcase Sozzi’s own designs, including the small Battisti tables, which are a tribute to the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian. “Meraviglioso & Meravigliosa” will also welcome the work of Pritzker Prize–winning architectÁlvaro Siza, who created three of the pieces of the collection.

Articolo Home

Australia’sArticolo Studios— internationally recognized for its contemporary, artisanal lighting, will debut its first furniture label Articolo Home. The exhibition staged in Milan’s Brera District has been designed by longtime Australian design collaboratorStudio Goss, showcasing its new world world punctuated with high-gloss and mirrored platforms, pressed concrete walls, and metal accents to highlight the refined furnishings.

Gufram’s Talking Lips

If this sofa could talk. Gufram, the Italian furniture maker full of playful icons, has teamed with Motionitalia, a leader in the design of relaxation mechanisms for armchairs and sofas. The firms will unveil a one-off moving version of the Bocca sofa called “Gufram in Motion — La Bocca è Mobile (the mouth is mobile).” The surreal display will be set within a majestic hall of theSala degli Specchi at Palazzo Littasituated in the5VIE design district. The Bocca sofa was created in 1971 by Studio65 and will see its lips smooch, perhaps, for the very first time.

Marimekko

Finnish design house Marimekko is to mark the anniversary of its most distinctive print Unikko, which was created by Maija Isola in 1964. For the occasion, the brand will launch Bar Unikko, a takeover of a Milan café, created in collaboration with interiors publication Apartamento. Building on the Unikko-inspired initiatives staged worldwide throughout the year, the weeklong pop-up will feature a series of limited-edition collectibles in the colorful floral print, in addition to activations from breakfast to aperitivo.

“Marimekko founder Armi Ratia famously stated in the 1960s that Marimekko could have equally well taken the form of an ice cream parlor, a flower shop or even modern jazz, as long as it would bring joy to people’s everyday lives,” said Marimekko’s creative director Rebekka Bay. “At Milano Design Week, we celebrate the 60th anniversary of Unikko, a symbol of joy and creativity, by transforming the spirit of the print into an exciting lifestyle concept that celebrates Unikko in different forms.”

Il Bisonte

Florentine leather-goods brand Il Bisonte is having its second gig in home decor, teaming once again with New York-based interior designer Shawn Henderson. The new lineup expands the seminal collection, titled “There’s a Home for Everything,” that bowed last year with leather homeware called “The Keepsake Box.” It was a range of boxes crafted from wooden frames covered in vegetable-tanned leather and inspired by the Bauhaus aesthetics in natural leather, navy blue and black colorways. “A keepsake for you might be rocks and foraged curiosities, but it could be rare books and photographs for someone else. One thing we all want is a beautiful place to store our special things. I wanted to create a collection of crafted leather forms that allow you to store and keep the important things to you,” Henderson said about the lineup. The latter complements the brand’s home collection, which includes travel backgammon and checker sets in leather or suede as well as baskets.

Woolrich

Building on their three-year partnership, Woolrich and art collective Wanderlast Vision are unveiling a book during Milan Design Week intended to recap the pair’s past cultural and community-building initiatives. Called “Orama,” the Greek word for “view,” it honors the music events hosted against different mountaintop landscapes since 2022 via images, documents, flyers and invitations, among other memorabilia. The Woolrich store on Milan’s Corso Venezia will display some of the images to be found in the book, which drops in a limited run of 150 pieces on April 22. Wanderlust Vision was established in 2022 by music producer Tudor Laurini, art director Luca Ricci and Nicolas Barosi as an event platform, record label and creative agency fostering community building initiative at the intersection of music, culture and media.

Taller Marmo

Taller Marmo’s founders Riccardo Audisio and Yago Goicoechea will spotlight the work of Studio Sana Benzaitar, a female-led studio producing one-of-a-kind carpets and unique design pieces, at their recently opened Casa space. For the occasion, artist Sana Benzaitar also realized an exclusive rug paying tribute to the brand’s signature Mrs. Ross caftan and replicating the exact roomy shape of the fringed garment.

Vitale Barberis Canonico

Textile specialist Vitale Barberis Canonico has linked with Driade on outfitting some of its furniture icons with its woolen fabrics. The Rodolfo Dordoni-designed sofa Hall covered in a tartan carded flannel and the Verlane sofa and Lisa and Ipercubo armchairs upholstered in a coat-aimed double woolen fabric will be displayed at the fabric maker’s showroom in Milan’s Brera district.

REdDUO

REdDUO, the indie homeware brand founded in 2020 by Andrea Rosso and Fabiola di Virgilio, will make its return to the Convey location to present the tie-up with the Very Simple: Kitchen company, known for its customizable and modular freestanding stainless steel kitchens. This time, the result is a custom design in wood, defined by smooth, chamfered angles and playing with different colors made with natural pigments, ranging from butter and pinkish shades to brown and green.

Mantero 1902

Lending its painterly prints to the home decor universe, silk specialist Mantero 1902 is linking with furnishing company Ditre Italia, which bills itself as a designwear brand, to debut a range of pillows bearing the former’s signature “La Campagna,” or “The Countryside,” print. Crafted from silk twill in a palette that echoes Ditre Italia’s latest armchair collection, the pillows are available in six different chromatic iterations inspired by desaturated colors at sunset. The pillows are meant to complement Ditre Itali’s Blazer armchair, designed by Daniele Lo Scalzo Moscheri and evoking a garment’s cuff.

Giada

Giada is honoring its Chinese roots via Italian design firm Locatelli & Partners. Reprising the floral motifs conceived by creative director Gabriele Colangelo for the spring 2024 collection, the brand is launching a tableware collection called “Floral Lexicon” leveraging an ancient Chinese porcelain manufacturing technique originated in the city of Jingdezhen that entails embedding patterns and motifs within the thickness of white ceramics. In sync with the brand’s dual soul, part Chinese, part Italian, Massimiliano Locatelli, the design and architect behind the namesake firm, envisioned sizes and shapes equally catering to both countries’ gastronomic habits offering, for example, a bowl for pasta as well as rice and a cup suitable for sipping tea or enjoying Chianti wine, in addition to a regular plate. “They are in between the bigger European standard size, and the smaller Chinese one: perfect for an Italian dinner or a Chinese lunch,” Locatelli said. Marking the tableware launch, Giada’s fine-dining restaurant Giada Restaurant is hosting an exclusive dinner co-curated by Michelin-starred chefs Marino D’Antonio and Fung.

Marsèll

As a self-proclaimed culturally informed fashion brand, footwear specialist Marsèll has been providing its platforms and physical spaces for several art and design initiatives as of late. For the 2024 edition of Milan Design Week, its headquarters and flagship in the city will house an exhibit by the Berlin-based Gonzalez Haase AAS design studio, exploring limits and contradiction of the current urban landscape and how the latter shapes modern society. The studio’s cofounders Judith Haase and Pierre Jorge Gonzalez envisioned the “Dry Garden & Wet Movables” display, conceiving site-specific pieces including long modular benches, aluminum towers turned into unlikely vases and new iterations of the signature 2023 Lola lights in polished aluminum and mouth-blown glass. The space will be filled with fluttering confetti blown by fans furthering the sense of alienation. A special object, the modular Leaf Paravent, will be displayed at Marsèll’s flagship. Both showcases will remain on show until May 10.

Fratelli Rossetti

Fratelli Rossetti and Fondazione Achille Castiglioni are joining forces to celebrate their history, savoir-faire and creativity during design week. The inspiration for this collaboration comes from the two brands’ signature creations: the shoemaker’s loafer and Castiglioni’s lamp. The result is presented in the exhibition “Progetti per servire, i Castiglioni e la ristorazione — Projects to serve, The Castiglioni and the catering” curated by Marco Marzini and Chiara Alessi, on display at the foundation.

LuisaViaRoma

Florence-based luxury retailer LuisaViaRoma has set roots in Milan with new headquarters and is eager to show them off to the local community. The company is hosting a co*cktail on Tuesday for guests to discover the new space in central Via Spadari, as well as check out an immersive installation during design week. The 5,381-square-foot location houses the retailer’s offices, showroom and a suite dedicated to top clients replete with a changing room and a glam station.

The interiors punctuated by elements in iron and brass are enriched by artworks by the likes of Concetto Pozzati, Michael Staniak and Andrea Galvani hailing from the Galleria Secci gallery, as well as design pieces from Cassina, Mario Bellini, Verner Panton and Kartell, among others.

Fidenza Village

On the occasion of the Fuorisalone 2024, Fidenza Village luxury outlet, part of the Bicester collection, brings to Milan the installation Mille Miroirs by the artist Cyril Lancelin, composed of 18 sculptures made up of golden and silver steel spheres. It celebrates different cultures, countries and disciplines such as art, design, architecture and virtual reality, aiming to engage a cosmopolitan audience through beauty and a universal language. It’s on display until April 28 within the Interni Cross Vision exhibition, which celebrates the 70th anniversary of the renowned design magazine at the University of Milan, while from May to July it will be exhibited in Fidenza Village. The work will then return to its permanent home in France, in La Vallée Village, another shopping destination of the Bicester collection.

Ecoalf

In keeping with its sustainably minded ethos, Spanish brand Ecoalf is suggesting that waste is an opportunity via a window installation aimed at highlighting the possibilities of purpose-driven design. Four 16-foot-high aluminum tubes cascading, ceiling to floor, at the brand’s Milan flagship on Piazza Gae Aulenti will sprout waste including PET bottles, cotton leftovers, used coffee grounds and discarded fishnets — all raw materials used by the brand in its collection — to highlight its work on developing a recycling-heavy supply chain.

Eurojersey

Celebrating 20 years of their long-lasting partnership, Eurojersey, the Lycra Company and French denimwear specialist Marithé + Francois Girbaud are taking over the Chiostro del Museo Diocesano cloister in Milan with an installation marking the launch of a new unisex capsule collection from the latter brand crafted from Eurojersey’s Sensitive Fabrics powered by Lycra. Called “Fit+Form+Function,” it’s poised to highlight the combination of research and technology championed by the three partners since 2004.

Hosoo

After inking a partnership with LVMH Métiers d’Art – the French luxury group’s specialist crafts division – storied Japanese silk specialist Hosoo will launch its new textile collection during Milan Design Week. Dubbed “The Mind Landscape,” the lineup was created in collaboration with Michele De Lucchi and his multidisciplinary studio AMDL Circle. Inspired by the geometric complexity of trees, the range resulted into four motifs rendered in earth tones.Each fabric is the fusion of two elaborated images: macro photographs of fibers from various wood species form the main textile motif, while the color nuances encompassing shades of blue, mossy greens and rich ochres are derived from satellite images capturing terrestrial scenes from above.

Tivioli

In keeping with his penchant to intertwine fashion and art, Tivioli’s creative director Clemente Tivioli invited Paris-based art space Galerie Italienne to showcase new works by South Korean ceramicist Jane Yang D’Haene inside its Milan boutique, which boasts interiors designed by the late archi-starGae Aulentiand artworks byJean-Michel Basquiat. In the store, nine new ceramic vases will stand against a monumental canvas by the Italian Neo-expressionist painter Sandro Chia. The bold vases embody the fusion of Eastern and Western traditions that Yang D’Haene expresses in her work, where she combines porcelain and stoneware with gestural incisions and encrustations disrupting the symmetry of the form and creating unexpected surfaces.

Liquides Imaginaires

Luxury fragrance house Liquides Imaginaires will stage the Imaginarium olfactory laboratory and exhibition, nodding to the exploration of all things citrusy the brand’s artistic director Philippe Di Méo embarked on by also involving seven students from Givaudan’s perfume school. To give a visual representation to the project and imagine a whimsical tree bearing the fruits of this exploration, Di Méo tapped artist Laurentine Périlhou, who specializes in macramé techniques and counts collaborations with brands such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Loewe, Balmain, Dior and Hermès.

For this arty piece showcased at the Rossana Orlandi Gallery, Périlhou partnered with basket weaver Audrey Bruneau, too.

Lorena Antoniazzi

The Lorena Antoniazzi boutique is hosting the “Atelier d’artista” exhibition, which features sculptures and paintings inspired by the stars, symbols of the maison. They were reinterpreted through the works of artists like Bruno Ceccobelli, Massimo Kaufmann, Maurizio Mochetti, Antonella Zazzera, Nunzio di Stefano and Mario Consiglio. This was the starting point of the special T-shirt project: four T-shirts made of cotton and knit, in a limited edition, featuring four works among those of the artists present.

Alessandro Enriquez

Alessandro Enriquez presents a new home and interior design collection in collaboration with Bassetti inside the brand’s concept store in Corso Venezia 6, Milan. The designer transferred the colors of his collections to the interior design, applying them to Made in Italy products for the bedroom, the living room, table and kitchen. The new Alessandro Enriquez Loves Bassetti collection is a mix of the most iconic designs of his fashion pieces, such as the prints with hearts and double hearts combined with the claim “love love love,” the floral motifs, such as geraniums and chamomile flowers which express pure and sincere love toward the world and life. Ladybugs add a superstitious touch and transmit positive energy. The passion for Italian food and cuisine is interpreted in designs inspired by food and dress the table with a touch of irony.

Harmont & Blaine

Harmont & Blaine takes part in the next edition of the Fuorisalone with an installation created in collaboration with the Italian-Peruvian artist Lorenzo Vitturi. The project, called “Stripe Stories,” comprises four site-specific works in which the brand’s fabrics are combined with recycled materials. Viutturi, through a process of craftsmanship and upcycling has shaped a real art gallery at the Corso Matteotti boutique, reimagined as a path to high tactile and visual impact that ranges from shop windows to interiors. The artworks on display include Cosmoriga, a multimaterial ropes of different thicknesses hanging from the ceiling covered with archive fabrics, and PressRiga, a work on a pedestal generated by the layering and pressing of recycled shirts among others.

Icon Denim

During design week, Icon Denim, the premium denim brand born in L.A. and loved by celebrities, will present “Smoothies,” its new colorful collection inspired by the multicolored beverages. The denim pieces are in a palette of lilac, cream, blue jeans with a liquid-like tie-dye effect. On Friday and Saturday, Icon Denim Ape Car will be traveling across the main city’s areas, from the fashion district of Tortona to the neighborhood of Brera, from the district of Porta Venezia to the Navigli area inviting people to discover the new collection while sipping a smoothie.