WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Supplied, Alberto Strada (Marni x Cucchi)

Every April, Milan becomes a global stage for design, with immersive experiences, new launches, installations, talks and exhibitions taking place across the city.

Milan Design Week, which comprises Salone del Mobile.Milano – the official trade fair and one of the most important design events in the world – and a citywide programme of independent showcases, offers some of the most exciting and interactive brand collaborations. And this year is no different.

Here’s a selection of cool fashion-based collaborations that caught our attention across MDW ’26, from interesting mash-ups and thought-provoking experiences to standout installations.

Bottega Veneta x Kwangho Lee

For Milan Design Week 2026, Bottega Veneta has collaborated with Korean artist Kwangho Lee to create Lightful – a site-specific light installation at the Via Sant’Andrea store, alongside activations at Anna Flower on Corso Magenta and at Micamera on Via Medardo Rosso.

The project combines a suspended woven form characteristic of Lee’s practice with new light sculptures crafted from Bottega Veneta leather ‘fettucce’. In bespoke shades of black and green chosen by creative director Louise Trotter, these organic shapes engage with Lee’s ongoing exploration of textures, surfaces and forms. bottegaveneta.com | @_kwangho_lee

MCM x Vetsak

MCM and Vetsak are united by a shared vision of luxury contemporary living, with a limited-edition capsule collection that celebrates mobility, versatility and elevated comfort.

Merging MCM’s heritage of luxury travel and Vetsak’s modular seating, the three-piece collection – a noodle, a beanbag and an island – is on show at MCM’s 50th-anniversary experience, Disco on Mars, held at the Rotonda del Pellegrini.

Designed by Atelier Biagetti, the immersive sci-fi showcase reimagines MCM’s future through three levels of speculative, futuristic design that merge fashion, sound, performance and architecture. mcmworldwide.com | vetsak.com

Marni x Cucchi

Marni and Pasticceria Cucchi have come together to celebrate two distinctly Italian social rituals – a morning espresso or cappuccino enjoyed ‘al bancone’, and the simple pleasure of aperitivo.

The iconic Milanese café has been reimagined by RedDuo Studio. Fusing the identities of both brands, the studio has created a shared visual vocabulary through materials, colour and serveware. Here, red and green alternate and overlap in retro-inspired polka-dot and striped patterns, evoking the memory and history of the pasticceria while reflecting Marni’s sophisticated irony.

The reimagined café is open to the public until 15 July 2026. Guests can enjoy live music during aperitivo hours, with a menu curated by Martini, and purchase limited-edition pieces, such as cappuccino cups, to take the Marni x Cucchi experience home. marni.com | pasticceriacucchi.it

Issey Miyake x Ensamble Studio

The Paper Log: Shell and Core, an exploratory project conceived by Satoshi Kondo of Miyake Design Studio and developed by the project team at Issey Miyake, in collaboration with Spanish architecture office Ensamble Studio, is currently on display at the store in Milan.

The installation comprises two complementary series of works derived from reappropriating the Paper Log – a by-product of the house’s pleated garments.

Shell, by Ensamble Studio, features a series of crisp paper objects that appear frozen in time. They were made by sculpting with sheets peeled from the Paper Log and treating the paper with hardening agents to crystallise every pleat, wrinkle and crease. Core, created by the in-house project team, consists of furniture prototypes – a stool, chair and table – treated to explore the materiality of the Paper Log.

The installation will be on display at the store until 5 May 2026. isseymiyake.com | ensamble.info

Jil Sander x Apartamento

Reference Library is a collaborative exhibition by Jil Sander and Apartamento magazine, comprising more than 60 books from around the world – each chosen by a writer, designer, artist, architect, filmmaker or critical thinker.

Together, the curated collection forms a portrait of perspectives, rather than a reading list.

Designed by Milanese architecture studio studioutte, the installation at the Jil Sander showroom in central Milan features chrome lecterns in rows, each lit by a warm beam, with reflections cast back by a mirrored wall. Visitors are encouraged to register for one of 60 hourly slots, enter the library, and pick up, open and read the books in any order. Upon entering, each visitor is handed white gloves (which they keep) – a small ritual intended to change how carefully each book is handled. jilsander.com | apartamentomagazine.com

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WORDS & PHOTOS Susanne Brodnik

This year’s Milan Design Week saw the city transform into an exciting hub of design where Renaissance grandeur, mid-century nostalgia, and futuristic optimism intertwined with intent by reimagining courtyards, ateliers and hidden gardens in every corner of the city. Here, the inspiring trends interior designer Susanne Brodnik spotted during her trip to the Italian city.

Green hues were everywhere – emerald, mint, avocado, and sage tones returned with bold confidence, often layered alongside fiery sunrise palettes of terracotta, orange, and deep burgundy shades. Complementary colours merged to create glamorous spaces that felt both raw, refined and rooted in nature.

Outdoor living has officially assumed a new role as the emotional centre of the home. Gardens, terraces, and alfresco lounges were curated with as much intention as the interiors – think lush greenery, sculptural furniture, and ambient lighting, which softens boundaries and fulfils a deep, post-digital longing for nature and connection.

Soft forms dominated with circles, ovals, and egg-like silhouettes evoking a retro 70s vibe. Interiors whispered of the golden era of home entertaining, with sunken lounges, cocktail bars, and plush conversation pits channelling early James Bond glamour.

Natural materials – stone, wood, bark – appeared in sculptural, organic shapes, designed to invite touch and intimacy. Hard surfaces took on a softness, blurring the lines between structure and sculpture. Suede, mirrored surfaces, and plush velvets in earthy tones created spaces that felt cinematic and soulful, while organic patterns were woven into textiles, bringing nature’s forms into the sensory experience.

Architectural lighting took centre stage at EUROLUCE, where chandeliers shimmered, and reflections faded and shifted. Forget light being purely functional – designers used it to shape mood, movement, and emotion within a space.

Milan also embraced leisure at its most luxurious: bespoke billiard tables, poker lounges, and artisanal table tennis sets reflected a new era where play and craftsmanship intertwined. | myplaceincapetown.com

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WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Revealed for the first time in the sprawling setting of Palazzo Serbelloni, Louis Vuitton gave those attending Milan Design Week 2025 a glimpse of their new playful Home Collections alongside the now iconic Objets Nomades. 

Since its debut in 2012, Objets Nomades has embodied Louis Vuitton’s dedication to pushing the boundaries of design through imaginative collaborations with acclaimed contemporary creatives such as India Mahdavi, Patricia Urquiola, and Estúdio Campana. In 2025, the brand ushers in a bold new era with the launch of its ever-growing Home Collections. Alongside Objets Nomades, the Louis Vuitton Home Collections presents a range of furniture, lighting, objet d’art, home textiles, tableware and even unique games.

Louis Vuitton revealed its homeware collection through a spectacular display that unfolded room by room within the walls of the historical Palazzo Serbelloni. In the Giangaleazzo Room on the first floor, furniture pieces by Patrick Jouin and Cristián Mohaded were presented alongside iconic Objets Nomades designs and newly introduced home textiles.

In the Gabrio Room, a refined dinner scene was arranged around Cristián Mohaded’s Atlas table, complemented by new Arts de la Table pieces – most notably the Dolce Vita plates, which give a subtle nod to Sicily. The centrepiece of this new collection, the Malle Vaisselier, revealed a display of refined porcelain and delicate glasses. The colourful objects from Jaime Hayon’s Botanik collection were also presented alongside the Valse lamp by Atelier Biagetti.

Creating a vibrant scene in Beauharnais Room was Patrick Jouin’s Lagoon sofa, Patricia Urquiola’s Pecora armchairs, Inti vases and Vertigo Coffee table. The Parini Room showcased signature pieces by Charlotte Perriand, Cristián Mohaded, Zanellato/Bortotto and Fortunato Depero. The adjacent bedrooms revealed spectacular pieces, too: a modular Games table and the fascinating Kaleidoscope cabinet by Estúdio Campana.

The modernist “La Maison au Bord de l’Eau”, designed by Charlotte Perriand in 1934 and reconstructed by Louis Vuitton for the first time in 2013, was displayed in the courtyard.

Coinciding with Milan Design Week 2025, Louis Vuitton opened its redesigned flagship store on Via Montenapoleone. Designed by Peter Marino, the luxury boutique offers an immersive retail experience by combining the space with its restaurant DaV by Da Vittorio and adjacent bar. | eu.louisvuitton.com

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WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Ed Reeve

Cork is truly one of nature’s wonder materials – the flexible yet durable bark is not only sustainable, but offers excellent thermal insulation, and is naturally hydrophobic and fire-resistant, too.

This multifaceted materiality inspired David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group to create “Casa Cork” for Milan Design Week 2025 – an immersive, layered space that invited the global design community to envision a regenerative future. The pop-up was a collaboration between the Rockwell Group, the sustainability-focused non-profit Cork Collective, and Corticeira Amorim – the world’s largest cork producer – which invited the global design community to imagine a regenerative future.

At the heart of Casa Cork was a dramatic centrepiece – a lifelike, six-metre-tall 3D-printed replica of a monumental tree, clad in virgin cork reclaimed from trees that have fallen due to disease or lightning strikes.

Beyond the tree, the space showcased the versatility and sustainability of cork through various design applications. The interior and furnishings were crafted almost entirely from, you guessed it, cork, and featured innovative cork furniture and products by both emerging and established international designers and manufacturers. Highlights included a bespoke chandelier and bar custom designed by Rockwell Group by Artemest; a custom illuminated wall feature, with sconces designed by Rockwell Group and manufactured by Thomas Cooper Studio, a Lusive company; and fabrics, tiles, and wallcoverings from 4Spaces.

Framing the entrance to the bar and tasting lounge inside Casa Cork, was a display that showcases the applications of cork in collectable design. The objects in these vignettes further emphasised the material’s versatility and beauty, crafted by luminaries from the design industry worldwide, including the Campana Brothers, Tom Dixon, Made in Situ by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, Grain, Toni Grilo (Blackcork), Maddalena Casadei (designer), Falegnameria Pisu (artisan) for Pretziada, and Susana Godinho (Sugo Cork Rugs).

The pop-up also played host to a student design competition and a series of talks aimed to educate visitors about cork and sustainable design practices. Featuring prominent figures in architecture and design – including David Rockwell, Yves Béhar, Deyan Sudjic, Suchi Reddy, and Tom Dixon – the talks explored themes related to cork, such as craftsmanship, timelessness, manufacturing, and the circular economy. | rockwellgroup.com

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Thabisa Mjo, Creative Director of Mash.T Design Studio, recently participated in the esteemed Dolce & Gabbana Next Generation Programme during Milan Design Week 2024.

For the second consecutive year, Dolce & Gabbana presented eleven international designers during Milan Design Week 2024 as part of their Gen D – Designer Generation initiative. Handpicked from various countries, these designers under 40, including Thabisa Mjo, converged in Milan to celebrate cultural diversity through the universal language of design. Drawing inspiration from their native countries, they collaborated with Italian artisans to create a mosaic of styles that transcends traditions and continents.

Thabisa’s selection for the Dolce & Gabbana Next Generation Programme underscores her talent and unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of African design.

Through her creations for Dolce & Gabbana, she captured the essence of traditional South African women’s attire, often worn during events of great significance. Seamlessly blending elements of the fashion house’s Alta Moda, she achieved a harmonious fusion of cultural heritage and high fashion, showcasing the richness of both worlds.

This isn’t the first time Mash.T Design Studio has made waves on the international design scene. The studio’s Tutu 2.0 light, a woven and beaded pendant lampshade inspired by the xibelani skirts worn by Xitsonga women, was acquired by the Louvre Museum in Paris for its permanent collection. The light, which was voted the Most Beautiful Object in South Africa in 2018, has since been installed in restaurants all over the world. | mashtdesignstudio.com

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Complimenting ARRCC’s design for the Architectural Scenarios exhibition at Milan Design Week 2024, OKHA Design Studio showcased a collection of sculptural furniture pieces.

OHKA’s Sculpted Forms Collection, comprised of the Repose Chaise, Reposer Armchair and Cut Forms side tables, formed a sophisticated hybrid seating area complimenting ARRCC‘s luxurious Valcucine kitchen setting for Milan Design Week 2024.

Newly launched, the Reposer Armchair continues the aesthetic mandate begun by OKHA‘s Repose collection of seating. Designed with comfort in mind, the Reposer’s asymmetrical form is naturally versatile, encouraging a formal freedom of arrangement that suits the dynamic requirements of contemporary living spaces.

Both feminine and futuristic in feel, the Reposer’s composition of curvy forms, colour nuances, and asymmetry is a subtle nod to the retro-modern mood of sophisticated lounge culture.

The electropolished metallic finish of the Cut Forms sides tables transcends time and place. Made from polished steel, the tables are an ode to positive and negative space. To create Cut Forms, OKHA Creative Director Adam Court coaxed a new totemic, futuristic and reorganised mass by cutting away at the rectangular block.

“This is not about destroying one form to make it speak but creating a new form with another language,” says Adam.

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On display during Milan Design Week, “Metamorphic” by Cosentino and Tom Dixon challenged conventional interpretations of bathroom design by reimagining a traditionally functional space by transforming it into a sculptural place of refuge and contemplation.

Spanish surface design specialists Cosentino and world-renowned British designer Tom Dixon came together for Milan Design Week 2023 to create “Metamorphic”, an architectural installation that challenged the perception of the bathroom as a purely functional, hidden space.

Brought to life with Dekton®, an ultracompact stone, “Metamorphic” showcased the versatility, sustainability, and durability of this innovative material. Inspired by Tom Dixon’s fascination with new methods of modular construction and deep understanding of the properties of Dekton®, the sculptural installation featured four modules of varying sizes that showcased a new vision for the bathroom as a focal point of interior architecture. “Metamorphic” aimed to take visitors on a journey through a modular world with surreal shapes and the dramatic effect of water, sound, and light.

“I’ve long been fascinated by prefabricated bathrooms inserted into buildings as modules, which was the departure point and initial inspiration behind ” Metamorphic”’. After visiting the Dekton® production facility in Spain, I was enthralled by the innovation and sustainability of the material. The durability and beauty of Dekton® allowed me to create a unified and seamless 3D installation – almost as if it was carved out of stone. The result showcases the bathroom as a practical place of refuge and awakens the opportunity for these spaces to be more expressive and heroic,” said Tom Dixon.

The sole collection used to create the installation was the new Dekton® Pietra Kode, which reinterprets the timeless beauty of three classic Italian stones: Vicenza, Travertine and Ceppo di Gré. The five colourways featured – Grafite, Sabbia, Ceppo, Nebbia and Marmorio – conveyed the look and natural texture of classic Italian stone.

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Milan Design Week 2023 saw Italian Architect and Designer Paola Navone collaborate with New York-based media company The Slowdown to give away hundreds of design gems collected or designed by Paola, including antique metal spoons from India, rare Alessi prototypes and fine German porcelain.

Known for her uninhibited taste for adventure and idiosyncratic interior and furniture designs, the giveaway of Paola’s collection of items followed suit. It was run through a free, by-reservation lottery run by The Slowdown and curated by Daniel Rozensztroch, former artistic director of the Paris concept store Merci.

After booking a timed reservation online, reservation holders entered to have a number pulled during their allotment. From there, they were chaperoned into the exhibition room to find the corresponding numbered object arranged within the exhibition. Once the object was identified, they were then faced with a choice: Take it or leave it?

Each taker was then photographed with the object they took (or empty-handed if they chose the latter), and explained briefly why they took or left the object. As for Paola’s reasoning: “So why do I want to do this? To be able to continue this crazy activity of acquiring things. At a certain point you are somehow surrounded by thousands of elements, thousands of objects, thousands of colours, thousands of samples… I wanted to be free to bring in new things and to make more space to have them!”

More than just a provocative exercise, Take It or Leave It is an effort in upcycling and reuse underpinned by a projective, climate-forward manifesto. The exhibition boldly considers: Rather than relying on virgin materials and energy-intensive processes, why not appreciate and honour the things we already have, and give them a new life?

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‘Feeling the Energy’ is a collaborative project by international design and innovation office Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA) and architect Italo Rota that sees Milan’s Botanical Garden transformed into an energy park – a sensorial exploration of the link between energy and play.

Developed for Plenitude as part of Milan Design Week‘s INTERNI Re. Generation exhibition, the project features 500 meters of digitally bent copper pipe that meanders through Milan’s historical Botanical Garden in a sequence of six main stages – Energy Carousel, Garden Orchestra, The Leading Logo, Powering Vibrations, Blinds in the Sun and Solar Garden. Each stage invites visitors to discover different forms of sustainable energy production and consumption; making energy produced by the sun, wind, and people’s movements tangible and curious.

First, the Carousel gifts the experience of energy in motion. Next, wanderers walk beneath a series of portals that play sequences from the renowned Four Seasons symphony by Italian baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi, performed by the Ensemble Strumentale la Barocca of the Symphony Orchestra of Milan. And should they wish to add their own tune, a giant vibraphone beckons audience participation.

Deeper still, an interactive tunnel of coloured diaphragms with organic photovoltaic panels afford curious hands the chance to open and close. Above, a canopy with sensors that detect passers’ presence activates a cool mist, simultaneously cooling pathways and sustaining vegetation. By day, the installation harvests and stores energy so that by nightfall it may illuminate the Garden.

READ MORE: Artistic Playgrounds by Monstrum

“The installation is inspired by the functioning of plant organisms,” says Carlo Ratti, founding partner at CRA and director of the MIT Senseable City Lab. “As trees in a forest draw energy from different sources and then use it locally where they need it – in a certain branch or the end of a leaf – the long copper tube of ‘Feeling the Energy’ absorbs energy in its entire length and then uses it in specific points of the installation path.”

“Playing is a fundamental activity for every human being. This installation suggests new links between play and the world of energy. It shows us that every time we consume energy – whether it’s on a carousel or a swing, or even while producing sound waves – we can recover some of that energy. In addition, the installation hints closely at the theme of efficiency. A simple gesture such as orienting the photovoltaic panels allows us to think practically about saving and optimising resources,” says Italo Rota.

‘Feeling the Energy’ will be open to the public until 13th June 2022. For more information on Milan Design Week, visit @milan.design.week.

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Nando’s is supporting a collective of South African designers to showcase their work at the annual Milan Design Week from 9-14 April 2019. 

The exhibit, entitled Sacrosanct, was conceptualised by Thabisa Mjo of Mash.T Design Studio who was invited to exhibit as part of Ventura Future. Thabisa has a longstanding relationship with Nando’s after her Tutu 2.0 light helped her win the Nando’s Hot Young Designer Talent Search Lighting Design Competition in 2016.

The pendant has since been awarded the Most Beautiful Object in South Africa in 2018 at Design Indaba, exhibited at 100% Design South Africa in Johannesburg and 100% Design in London, and installed in Nando’s restaurants around the world. It’s no wonder Thabisa was included in the Mail and Guardian newspaper’s list of 200 Young South Africans.

Now, thanks to sponsorship from Nando’s, the Tutu 2.0 will be showcased in Milan as part of the local design collective curated by Thabisa. Thabisa also designed the Sacrosanct installation architecture, taking inspiration for the room-sized pod from her celebrated server (which graced the cover of VISI 97).

Visitors will enter Sacrosanct in order to experience the local products. In addition to Thabisa’s lights, her Potjie Server will be the centrepiece of the interior. It features beaded panels by Qaqambile bead studio, in association with Spier Arts Trust, and a hand-painted pattern by mixed-media artist and fashion designer Sakhile Cebekhulu.

Thabisa Mjo and Sakhile Cebekhulu.

Inside Sacrosanct will be mirrors with woven details by Candice Lawrence of Modern Gesture; two carpets by The Ninevites – one a wall hanging and the other a handwoven mohair rug – both inspired by traditional Ndebele tribal patterns; Mpho Vackier’s Oromo chair upholstered in fabric designed by Bonolo Chepape of Lulasclan; and a collection of four ceramic vases by Laurie Wiid van Heerden of Wiid Design.

Candice Lawrence of Modern Gesture was one of the finalists in the Nando’s Hot Young Designer Talent Search Lighting Competition.

Founder of The Ninevites collaborative platform, Nkuli Mlangeni was the winner of the Most Beautiful Object in South Africa at Design Indaba 2017.

Mpho Vackier of The Urbanative took inspiration from traditional African hairstyles for her African Crowns Collection.

Bonolo Chepape, founder of Lulasclan, was one of the finalists in the 2018 Nando’s Hot Young Designer Talent Search.

Art meets function in Laurie Wiid van Heerden’s Wiid Design pieces.

A limited-edition tote bag will showcase Agrippa Mncedisi Hlophe’s award-winning pattern design. Agrippa is the current winner of the Nando’s Hot Young Designer Talent Search.

Agrippa Mncedisi Hlophe with his award-winning pattern.

In supporting Sacrosanct, Nando’s continues its commitment to promote and support South African design. Its global franchises’ feature Afro-positive interior design: bold, bespoke furniture items that are procured through an online interface known as The Nando’s Portal to Africa (bepartofmore.com) and a revolving gallery of contemporary Southern African artwork curated by the Spier Arts Trust.

“There’s tangible evidence of a dynamic, layered culture filtering up in what’s being created here in South Africa,” says Creative Director of the Nando’s Design Programme, Tracy Lee Lynch of Studio Lee Lynch. “These emerging designers are passionate about telling that unique story. And how they tell that story is often through collaboration with crafters and other makers. Often a piece reflects so much more than just one person’s ideas or responses. It’s perhaps why, when works travel from South Africa, they get the response they get – because they feel like they’re a whole universe in one piece. There’s so much inspiration here that isn’t cookie cutter, that isn’t very safe.”

Since its launch in May 2018, The Nando’s Portal to Africa, which acts as one of the largest facilitators of South African design export, has generated more than R16 million in sales for its featured designers. Follow the Nando’s Hot Young Designer account on Instagram for the latest news and read more about its design platform here.

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