At Milan Design Week, a symbiosis between design and fashion – SURFACE

The influence that fashion brands exert in the cultural sphere of Milan is well documented; their symbiosis with the city’s bustling design industry, less. That dynamic became much clearer during this year’s Milan Design Week, where sartorial sensibilities seemed to be driving Fuorisalone – the city-wide events that take place outside of the Salone del Mobile – far more than habit. The impact may have been felt more widely due to the delayed fair’s compact footprint, but many of this year’s most anticipated events were hosted by fashion houses. Whether they brought in designers to reinvent the brand’s essentials or gave them carte blanche to imagine pieces inspired by fashion figures, what we saw in Milan proves that the boundaries between the two industries continue to grow. fade in a way that is both welcome and unexpected.

Perhaps the most grandiose statement is that of Dior, which called on 17 world-renowned artists and designers to reinvent one of the iconic emblems of the French brand: the Medallion chair. Symbol of the Louis XVI style chosen by Christian Dior to adorn his then fledgling house on Avenue Montaigne in the mid-1940s, the Medallion chair has long seated guests of its parades in a “sober, simple, and above all classical and Parisian” decor. “. , as he recounts in his memoirs. The newly renovated Palazzo Citterio welcomed fair visitors to the cavernous depths of its basement to learn how renowned talents like Pierre Yovanovitch, India Mahdavi, and Dimorestudio would reinterpret the majestic construction and elliptical backrest of the object of desire.

Ambitious concepts abounded. Nendo’s Oki Sato unveiled an illusory piece in which a medallion silhouette was sculpted from a very thin sheet of pink tempered glass. Korean artist Hang Jin, meanwhile, formed a modern-day medallion from subtly distorted pipes produced by sand casting that took inspiration from Dior’s theatrical parades. “The Medallion chair embodies the brand in many ways as a symbol of elegance, a timeless piece that challenges ephemeral trends,†says Yovanovitch. Its two chairs incorporate textured steel, Vermont fabric and a touch of humor: “I redesigned this piece as a duo, as if the Medallion Chair had been split in two. Like a real couple, these two objects are intrinsically alike, but their personalities are different.

Hermés Maison may not have dispersed its novelties this year in a life-size labyrinth, but the French label presented its penchant for craftsmanship within an imaginative scenography by Hervé Sauvage. Housed in five towering fabric structures hand-painted with sand underfoot, were an array of textured objects “designed to be touched.” Among the stars were the Sillage wooden armchair by Studio Mumbai wrapped in cellulose microfibers made in Puglia, the birthplace of papier-mâché. Although traditional in look and feel, the piece balances ancestral know-how and modern craftsmanship embodied in its meticulously hand-painted lines.

Theatricality aside, the collaboration was the name of the game for Valextra, Tod’s, and Versace, who all went for slightly more subtle displays that still put the expert design and craftsmanship behind their products front and center. To present its new capsule collection of Chiaroscuro handbags in the best possible light, Valextra called on none other than British design maestro and neighbor Tom Dixon. Nodding at the collection’s name, which means contrasting light and shadow, he illuminated the Italian leather brand’s flagship product, designed by John Pawson, with a series of LED sculptures aptly called ‘Black Light â€. Designed in collaboration with the Austrian contract lighting specialist Prolicht and reminiscent of printed circuits, the luminaires range from free-standing totems to spectacular chandeliers and honor the greats of Milanese design Gio Ponti, Ettore Sottsass and Achille Castiglioni.

Tod’s, meanwhile, enlisted the help of American artist Willie Cole to create three pieces using leftover leather, semi-finished goods and materials salvaged from the Italian brand’s production line. Although Cole’s five-decade career has encompassed transforming discarded household materials such as irons, hairdryers, and bicycle parts into surreal sculptures that have landed in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. , ordering has always been a learning experience: “It never happened to me that shoes were made by hand,†he says.

Cole partnered with the artisans at Tod’s to use leftover uppers from the brand’s iconic driving shoes to shape a chair, sofa and sculpture, proving that design and durability can go hand in hand. “I am very aware of pollution, especially waste, and I think about minimizing the amount of waste and excess in the world,†says Cole. “Through my art, I try to communicate this as an educational tool to everyone who sees my work. He also kicked off the launch of the new Tod’s Mosaic handbag series, which uses a patchwork technique inherited from Italian women who handcrafted grocery bags from production waste. .

Versace adopted its Italian lineage by teaming up with Roberto Palomba and Ludovica Serafini, two of the country’s leading interior and product designers, who brought a touch of understated elegance to the relaunch of the home collection. The ensuing furniture line looks a lot more streamlined than you might expect from a label known for its flashy prints and pops of color that widen the retina, but the familiar designs of Medusa, Barocco, and Trésor. de la Mer are woven into the details and impart a sense of three-dimensionality to each room. Tone-on-tone engravings, screen printing, textile treatments and pleating give even more panache to the Aeternitas love bed, the models of the Goddess line and the Stiletto collection.

The influence of Rick owens is felt everywhere in fashion, but how has it shaped the rising avant-garde of furniture designers? Galerie Philia unpacked this question by juxtaposing its own furniture with emerging talents such as Morghen Workshop and Agustina Bottoni, who cite the dean of rule-breaking fashion as a major influence. Perhaps most aligned with Owens’ vision is the Urania Chair by Pietro Franceschini, a slightly offbeat piece of marble that is sculpted by a robot in Carrara from a single block of Breccia di Capraia marble in sinuous shapes. refined. Uncompromising yet playful, the chair looks like what Owens might offer if asked to respond to the neotenic trend.

Another unexpected revelation came from the Galleria d’Arte Milano at Villa Reale, where Bulgari typed Makoto azuma, Vincent van Duysen, Daan Roosegaarde and Ann Veronica Janssens to create pavilions around the theme of “Metamorphosisâ€. Azuma, who Area presented himself as Tokyo’s most daring florist, reinterpreted the Garden of Eden through a towering brass tree sprouting fruits and flowers that change shape, color and fragrance over time. The lush flora provides a stunning contrast to the exquisite architecture of Leopoldo Pollock, which dates back to the late 18th century as the home of Count Lodovico Barbiano de Belgioioso, vivid frescoes and paintings by Picasso, Van Gogh and Cezanne.

At this point we’re used to overloaded partnerships that often fail to keep up, but Bulgari’s setup seemed perfect. The Azuma Lodge, in particular, was a breath of fresh air, a welcome oasis for an otherwise hectic week. While we’re all probably still recovering from our risotto and negroni coma, remembering the moment of peace felt in that slice of serenity makes us look forward to what the designers (and yes, the fashion brands ) have up their sleeves when Milan Design Week arrives in full swing again in April.