The New Launches We’re Excited to See at Salone del Mobile 2022
The Milanese design expo returns in full force with its IRL 60th edition.
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Home décor enthusiasts, take note: The design world’s largest event is finally back (in person!) after a two-plus year hiatus, just when we’re more focused on our interior spaces than ever. Salone del Mobile, or Milan Design Week, is without a doubt the biggest, most sweeping display of exhibitions, launches, and collaborations in the lifestyle space. The fashion pack has always been involved in one way or another, with many brands putting forth their homeware and design visions—and this iteration is no exception. From Louis Vuitton’s 10-year anniversary of Objets Nomades to Loewe’s basket-driven exhibit, we’ve rounded up the best of what the Italian fair has to offer (even if you can’t join in on the festivities).
Louis Vuitton Presents Objets Nomades
Who: Louis Vuitton
What: “Objets Nomades”
Why: Salone is an anniversary-packed celebration this year, as Louis Vuitton celebrates a decade of Objets Nomades, which has invited dozens of the world’s finest designers to operate under Vuitton’s unfettered artistic vision. For this year’s presentation, Vuitton invited old collaborators and new names alike to design special home and lifestyle objects. Pictured here is the Bulbo chair by the Campano Brothers, who draw inspiration from nature and food, as one does. The exhibit also features a curation of past pieces, celebrating 10 years of the finest savoir-faire that the historic brand has to offer.
Loewe Debuts ‘Weave, Restore, Renew’
Who: Loewe
What: “Weave, Restore, Renew”
Why: Loewe is the ultimate designer label for design lovers. For the brand’s seventh Salone installation, it debuted several exciting concepts. For instance, Loewe called upon Spanish designers Idoia Cuesta, Belén Martìnez, Santiago Basteiro, and Juan Manuel Marcilla to reimagine 240 discarded wicker baskets into brand-new creations for “Repaired in Spain.” The project also includes an exploration of coroza, an ancient Galician practice of weaving natural fibers into raincoats and hats (pictured here). The signature tiered fringe of the technique invokes sculptural ready-to-wear, meshing seamlessly with creative director Jonathan Anderson’s artful take on clothes. The takeaway? One man’s trash is definitely another man’s treasure.
Stella McCartney Introduces Second ‘Future of Fashion’ Installation
Who: Stella McCartney
What: “Future of Fashion: An Innovation Conversation with Stella McCartney,” in partnership with Bank of America
Why: Stella McCartney is a fierce advocate of sustainability, which just so happens to be one of the main themes of this year’s Salone. In partnership with Bank of America, which has committed over a trillion (yes, you read that right) dollars to financing a low-carbon planet, McCartney brings her vision of a fashionable yet innovative future to Milan—and it revolves around the humble mushroom. Her Frame Mylo bag, composed of mycelium (the root system of fungi, for the uninitiated), is on view amongst many other sustainably made wares, demonstrating that high fashion doesn’t have to come at the planet’s expense. Also displayed is a reimagining of the Le Bombole chair by B&B Italia, made with conscious materials and rendered in McCartney’s spring 2022 hand-drawn Fungi Forest burgundy print. This funky pattern was also realized on sustainable wallpaper, created in partnership with British wallpaper manufacturer Cole & Sons. The exhibition is rounded out with larger-than-life mushroom sculptures, a mushroom Infinity Room, and a screening room featuring Louie Schwartzberg’s groundbreaking documentary, Fantastic Fungi (2019), which explains why mycelium is the future of our sustainable planet.
Prada Presents ‘Prada Frames’
Who: Prada
What: “Prada Frames”
Why: Prada is highlighting the inherent contrast between the nature and design worlds with a three-day symposium running concurrently with Salone. The series of lectures and events, curated by research and design studio Formafantasma, aims to offer a critical approach to design by analyzing how it directly impacts the environment, in order to illuminate ecological practices already in place and set the course for design’s future relationship with nature. The visual manifestation of the symposium is a forest made using a Lidor scan, a process used both to digitally scan original copies and select trees when foresting. More than this, the scan represents the goal of the symposium to go deeper than face value and unpack our relationship with our surroundings.
Cassina Initiates Patronage Project With Linda Freya Tangelder’s ‘Soft Corners’
Who: Cassina
What: Patronage project with Linda Freya Tangelder’s “Soft Corners”
Why: Luxury Italian furniture magnate Cassina is deeply invested in the future of design, as seen with its new patronage project. The practice of larger businesses facilitating unfettered creativity via emerging designers is a historical Renaissance practice, which both pushes the needle forward in design and introduces new names to the forefront. The first participating designer is Dutch-born Linda Freya Tangelder of the design studio Destroyers/Builders. Her offerings make up her “Soft Corners” collection, featuring the modular poof pictured here, meant to symbolize the interlocking nature of stone walls, each piece crucial to the support of the whole. In addition to the soft poofs, a steel coffee table offers a stark balance, and features barely-there seams and handy hideaway storage.
Dsquared2 Launches Wallpaper
Who: Dsquared2
What: Wallpaper collection
Why: Fashion brand Dsquared2, designed by twin brothers Dean and Dan Caten, is releasing its first-ever wallpaper collection in partnership with luxury wallpaper manufacturer LONDONART. Dsquared2’s audacious design ethos is shown in several wallpaper designs, some of which include patterns taken straight from the runway. For the minimalists, a more subdued take on cement (pictured here) still provides a glimpse into the world this design duo has built with its uniquely creative label.
Carhartt Work In Progress Collaborates With Toogood
Who: Carhartt Work in Progress
What: Clothing line in collaboration with Toogood
Why: Carhartt Work In Progress (WIP) is committed to creating quality wardrobe cornerstones. Its latest collaboration is with British design studio Toogood, who took on the brand’s classic shapes and reworked them into sculptural, artsy silhouettes. Staying true to Carhartt’s minimalist, practical design approach, Toogood worked within a refined color palette to create a six-piece capsule. “Combining our aesthetic and cutting style with Carhartt WIP’s construction skill and capacity has been a proud moment for us, resulting in an accessible, durable and iconic product,” says designer Erica Toogood. The collection is paired with an exhibition of helpful hacks that lay bare the cutting process of each garment.
Lee Broom Debuts ‘Divine Inspiration’
Who: Lee Broom
What: “Divine Inspiration”
Why: British lighting, furniture, and interior designer Lee Broom has designed his first lighting collection in four years for this edition of Salone, commemorating his 15th anniversary. “Divine Inspiration” is a mixture of handmade and ready-made lighting fixtures and sculptures that takes inspiration from Broom’s surroundings as a child, growing up around Brutalist architecture. He melds this view with the notion of religious lighting—specifically the way cathedrals are lit. The Vesper Light (pictured here) is made of extruded aluminum and combines the austerity of Brutalism with the modernism of cathedral lighting, resulting in a simple yet mystical piece that will undoubtedly stand the test of time and trends.
Off-White Releases ‘Organic Feeling’ and Ginori Collab
Who: Off-White
What: Fourth homeware collection “Organic Feeling” and collaboration with Ginori 1735
Why: Off-White was, of course, created by the late Virgil Abloh, a visionary whose ideas could not be contained to one medium. His striking vision for homeware is presented in this year’s lineup. The selection, titled “Organic Feeling,” includes everything from tabletop flip clocks to oblong Quote mirrors, as well as a second collaboration from homeware giant Ginori 1725 (pictured here). The classic tabletop pieces, including an ashtray and cachepot vase, are whittled down to their essence in pure white porcelain, but of course are irreverently Off-White-ified with the brand’s signature arrow logo.
Missoni Debuts Tableware
Who: Missoni
What: Tableware collection
Why: Italian fashion brand Missoni is a clothing brand to some, but a lifestyle brand to many. Its iconic knitwear has become a mainstay in any stylish traveler’s summer wardrobe, and now, the label is bringing its one-of-a-kind color combinations to life with its newest tableware offering, manufactured by Italian craftman Arnolfo di Cambio - Compagnia Italiana del Cristallo S.r.l. You’ll find everything you need to set the chicest table this summer, from cutlery to mouth-blown glassware.
Tom Dixon Exhibits ‘TWENTY’
Who: Tom Dixon
What: “TWENTY” lighting exhibition
Why: British designer Tom Dixon is celebrating 20 years of being one of England’s top interior designers with a new campaign, titled “TWENTY” (naturally). Featuring some of his most successful designs from over the years, including the MELT chandelier (pictured here), and new pieces focused on sustainable innovation, the exhibit showcases the best of the best. Case in point: For this version of the iconic light fixture, Dixon filtered light through a dichroic filter, allowing for a chromatic effect. Taking cues from Stella McCartney, Dixon is also crafting sculptures out of mycelium, proving design must keep up with the times to provide earth-friendly pieces that still pack an aesthetic punch.
Kevin LeBlanc is the Fashion Associate at ELLE Magazine. He covers fashion news, trends, and anything to do with Robyn Rihanna Fenty.
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