Milan Design Week (April 8-13), in conjunction with the Salone del Mobile, is among the favorite destinations for enthusiasts and industry insiders, consolidating its status as the world’s most important trade fair for furniture and interiors. In recent years, however, it has also become an important hub for the fashion industry, where brands such as Loro Piana and La DoubleJ join the most important names in home design, with events and new product launches. One example among many: the Miu Miu Literary Club with two days of debates and presentations on French philosopher and writer Simone de Beauvoir, while the Prada Frames symposium will explore the concept of transportation from all points of view. Here’s a little guide for must-see events.
Let’s start with Loewe, where Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez were brought on as creative directors a few days ago. For its ninth participation in the Salone, the Spanish house recruited 25 artists, designers and architects to create teapots that celebrate craftsmanship. The artists – including Edmund de Waal and David Chipperfield – play with the symbolism of tea, creating pieces that evoke its cultural nuances. Also for sale is a collection of household items, many made from leather.
Legend has it that during a walk along the Arno River, Guccio Gucci noticed bundles of bamboo shoots and thought they might serve as an alternative to raw materials in short supply after World War II. An intuition that led to the creation of, among many other things, the highly successful 1947 Gucci Bamboo bag. The brand is now participating in Milan Design Week with a dedicated exhibition, “Gucci | Bamboo Encounters”. Set up in the 16th-century monastery Chiostri di San Simpliciano, the exhibition celebrates the material’s legacy, exploring the role bamboo has played in the maison’s illustrious history.
This year’s Prada Frames event is titled ‘In Transit’ and it examines the infrastructure that moves people and thoughts. Among the venues for the debates are the Harlequin, a recently restored 1950s-style train designed by Gio Ponti and Giulio Minoletti, and the Royal Pavilion, an elegant waiting room in Milan’s Central Station once reserved for royalty and heads of state.
Participating in the Design Week for the first time, Louis Vuitton could not fail to choose the Salone for the launch of the Louis Vuitton Home Collections at the beautiful Palazzo Serbelloni in Milan. The new line dedicated to home interior, which represents a larger ensemble than “Objets Nomades,” includes furniture and lighting, as well as tableware, textiles and toys.
Milan-based brand La DoubleJ, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, has opened a new location in the Navigli district: ‘LDJ Starquarters,’ a five-story building. For the Salone, DoubleJ will launch new versions of its Napoli Rosa houseware collection, along with a week of events, including tarot readings, sessions with sound healers in the new Gong Temple, located on the roof of the new building, and an open house at the La DoubleJ showroom.
Last year Miu Miu launched its Literary Club with a program titled ‘Writing Life.’ This year’s second installment is titled “A Woman’s Education,” and will focus on childhood and love as seen through the groundbreaking works of Simone de Beauvoir and Japanese writer Fumiko Enchi. Two days of performances and lectures will feature authors such as Lauren Elkin, Geetanjali Shree and Naoise Dolan.
Finally, Loro Piana, which in collaboration with furniture studio Dimoremilano has created an installation inside the brand’s headquarters entitled “La Prima Notte di Quiete”, an imaginary house inspired by the design archetypes of the 1970s and 1980s, set up with pieces from the “Loro Piana The Art of Good Living” collection, and artworks taken from Milan galleries.
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