Forget your Manolos and Jimmy Choos. If you want to get around the Salone del Mobile, the furniture fair that every spring brings the world of design to Milan, you need a sturdy pair of fashionable flats, a trusted bicycle, and loads of stamina. At the end of the week, your calf muscles will be better toned than those of a SoulCycle devotee and you’ll have amassed an impressive collection of promotional canvas bags. The city is flooded with events and presentations of all sizes and content, and has opened up happily to a bonanza of aperitivi, parties, and private dinners. Sometimes amid all the excess it can feel that actual “design” gets lost, as some respected critics are pointing out. But under all the glitter there’s no shortage of creativity, be it from established design super-brands in their pavilions or from the young entrepreneurs showing at Fuorisalone in impromptu locations scattered around the city.
The festivities started over the weekend with MiArt, the annual art fair that includes a design/art section. Indeed, the melding of design and art seems to be the common thread that runs through many of the works presented so far, together with an emphasis on craft and cutting-edge technology. Highlights included the elegant pop-up store by Cabana Magazine at MiArt; the exhibition Exercises in Seating by the British designer Max Lamb; the opening of Shit Show at Pomo Gallery, a project masterminded by architect Luca Cipelletti that, despite its scatological title, was about energy and transformation; a cocktail party held at Dimore Studio’s showroom; and the presentation of Orsina Sforza’s poetic paper lamps at Stephan Janson’s atelier.
Topping it all off was the unveiling of the Nilufar Depot, a grand space where über-gallerist Nina Yashar displayed a treasure trove of fantastic design pieces, a veritable Ali Baba cave for design lovers. The world of fashion was also out in force with luxe installations from Bottega Veneta and Louis Vuitton. Made in collaboration with the collective Segno Italiano, designer Antonio Marras’ artisanal collection of woven tweed baskets was a contender for best in show.
—Tiziana Cardini, Style.com