21 April 2023 |
Loewe chairs, a Tim Walker exhibit, and special edition Bottega Veneta bags.
For design lovers, Salone del Mobile is a never ending stream of inspiration and eye candy. The Milan Furniture Fair, which runs through Sunday, is technically a place where manufacturers can show their latest creations be it innovative lighting, elegant sofas, or delicate glass vases. But it’s not just limited to brands in the interiors space — plenty of luxury labels are also joining in with elaborate installations, custom pieces, exhibits, and of course, special merch. Below, some key highlights not to miss, whether you’re there in person or living vicariously through social media.
Loewe Transforms Chairs
Stick chairs have been around since the 10th century but were written off as unimportant peasant items. For Loewe, it’s a chance to experiment with weaving techniques and unconventional materials, while still honoring the craft and history of the object. Using everything from raffia to leather to the foil found in thermal blankets, the result are 30 unique stick chairs, reimagined in colors, textures. Of these, 22 are original antiques while eight are by a British atelier who specializes in stick chairs, reinforcing the ways past and present can still create unique dialogues. You’ll also find eight paper loom chairs by Vincent Sheppard, which is another type of furniture created using woven materials. See them at the Palazzo Isimbardi and also shop bags and leather goods that are inspired by the materials and techniques used.
Bottega Veneta And Gaetano Pesce Continue Their Creative Partnership
Considering Gaetano Pesce is 83 years old, it’s never been a busier time for the Italian architect as his colorful designs enjoy a newfound resurgence. One of Pesce’s fans? Bottega Veneta. For the brand’s Summer 2023 fashion show, Bottega Veneta asked Pesce to create temporary artwork for the show space and now for Salone, the two have partnered up again on an installation. Called ”Vieni a Vedere”, which translates to “Come and See”, the resin and fabric covered creation has taken over Bottega Veneta’s Montenapoleone store. “The space is narrow and what you are actually walking through is the outline of a figure shooting for a basket. He represents almost a victory – it is not clear whether it goes in,” says Gaetano Pesce in the release. Nestled in the structure are two handbags, designed especially for the event and representing a mountain range before sunrise and sunset. Naturally these are extremely limited in quantity but visitors who check out the exhibit will also get a free poster drawn by Pesce to commemorate their experience.
Tod’s Gets Surreal With Tim Walker
For Salone, Tod’s decided to go a different route and celebrate the tools that make their signature loafers and bags so they asked photographer Tim Walker to get creative. The result is a series of surreal images that imagine what it would feel like to be running away from a giant set of pliers or to have a hand made up of awls, screwdrivers, and more. It’s lighthearted and playful, a way to inject some levity while still honoring the work that goes behind cutting, stitching, and brushing the leather. “Italian lifestyle and exceptional craftsmanship are core values and having them interpreted by Tim Walker allows us to convey [them] the young generations,” says Diego Della Valle, President and CEO of Tod’s Group. Check out the images at their exhibit in the Cavallerizze of the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo Da Vinci but if you’re not in Italy you can still see them in real life — they plan on exhibiting them across the world this year.
Prada Talks Sustainability
You’ll hear a lot about sustainability all April long but it’s especially relevant at Salone, as designers navigate climate changes as they affect how and what they create. For Prada, that’s a rich topic for discussion. After the success of last year’s Prada Frames, a multidisciplinary symposium that explores the relationship between design and the environment, they decided to bring it back to Milan. This year’s theme is Materials in Flux, how innovation and creativity can be fostered with recycled materials. Featuring three days of talks that were open to the public, Prada invited leaders from across a variety of fields including anthropologist Tim Ingold, architectural historian Beatriz Colomina, inventor Veena Sahajwalla, among others to discuss everything from to the potential of weaving techniques to food waste to the ways materials cycle in the world.
Louis Vuitton’s Luxurious Furniture and Cabinet of Curiosities
Few brands are better at creating desirable luxurious designs than Louis Vuitton. Since 2012, they’ve asked big international designers to contribute to their Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades, a series of inventive and functional furniture and objects. This year they’ve tapped the likes of Atelier Oi, Marcel Wanders, and more to fashion fantastical lighting, bowls, armchairs, and more. Also launching is the Cabinet of Curiosities by Marc Newson, which is a reworking of the classic trunk made to show off books, art, or travel souvenirs. Available in three sizes and colorways, you can arrange it in over 1,000 different ways. They’re limited to just 40 If you’re curious. To see all of these, head over to their exhibit at Palazzo Serbelioni, which also includes a Marc Formes designed pavilion. Made up of 1600 uniquely shaped aluminum sheets, it’s meant to look like a living entity that bubbled up from the ground and is definitely an eye-catching highlight of the week.
Jimmy Choo Partners Up With a Historic Glassmaker
You might commonly associate Jimmy Choo with red carpet shoes but for Salone del Mobile, the accessory brand is teaming up with Italian glassmaker Venini to create a series of colorful vases. The collaboration, which has a dedicated display at Jimmy Choo’s Milan flagship, was made in Venini’s Murano factory as a new interpretation of the glassware brand’s iconic Poliedro element. The faceted design was most famously used in a lighting installation by Carlo Scarpa for the Turin exhibition back in 1961. By playing off the prismatic shapes, it’s also a nod to Jimmy Choo’s diamond chain detail. Available in shades of green, yellow, and amber, it comes in four different sizes, all made-to-order.
Loro Piana’s Ode To Travel Across the Andes
Vicuñas, a relative of the llama, produces some of the finest and most expensive wool in the world, so it’s no surprise you’ll find the textile in Loro Piana’s designs. The brand sources theirs from the Catamarca province in Argentina and as it turns out, it also happens to be the same region where artist Cristián Mohaded was born. For Salone, Mohaded created “Apacheta”, a project that spans across Milan via three installations that range from the brand’s Milanese headquarters to Piazzetta Brera to via Montenapoleone 27, in the courtyard of the Loro Piana store. Inspired by the tradition of creating stones to mark paths while traveling through the Andes, Mohaded transforms these large, irregular towers by covering them with repurposed fabrics from old collections in calming hues of white, red, and blue that callback to its natural origins. Rising up to 8 meters from the ground, the dramatic setting is complemented by pieces of furniture, also designed by Mohaded. Designed to look like stones, you’ll also see hand-carved wooden elements as well as ceramic details, meant to resemble small lagoons between the furniture. Should you really love the pieces, they’re available for special order.
