6 Brand Strategies of Creative Collaboration at Milan Design Week 2023

The Milan Design Week, one of the major design festivals in the world, comprised of the Salone del Mobile (the Furniture Fair) and the Fuorisalone (program of parallel events in the city) can be compared to the design world’s Olympic games where countries, brands, galleries, and independent designers strive to present the most impressive and forward-thinking projects.

During this year’s edition of the Design Week (April 17 – 23, 2023) many brands’ initiatives included collaborations with artists and design collectives and ranged from immersive multi-sensorial installations to whole takeovers of cultural spaces and to several day symposiums on the issues of today.

Here is the round up of the six approaches from the Milan Design Week, which contemporary brands can rely on to elevate their positioning and create meaningful experiences for their clients and the public.

#1 Curate a multi-sensory experiential journey to present your brand in a new light: 

One of the most talked about projects in this year’s Fuorisalone (and the winner of the Fuorisalone Award) was created not by a well-known furniture or fashion brands. SolidNature, a company specialized in natural stones, commissioned Ellen van Loon and Giulio Margheri from the architectural firm OMA to work on the installation “Beyond the Surface” which theatrically showcased the beauty of stones in several acts. Besides the underground labyrinth where guests of the project had the opportunity to explore parallels between stones and the formation of the human character, they could also enjoy art and design works over coffee in the garden, and received pieces of stones as souvenirs to remember and relive the experience.

The fashion house Bottega Veneta took further its partnership with Gaetano Pesce and turned its boutique on Via Montenapoleone into a grotto going through which guests could discover two limited edition bags – My dear Prairie and My dear Mountains – created in collaboration with the Italian design and architectural legend. The handcrafted bags are inspired by Pesce’s early life in the mountains in Este in Italy, and the prairies of America, where he lives now. At the store on a nearby street participants could also receive a special poster designed by Gaetano Pesce, which visually presented the grotto experience.

The crystal manufacturer Saint Louis owned by the Hermès group presented a mesmerizing light and sound exhibition LUMIÈRES in collaboration with the artistic duo NONOTAK in the cloister of the Santa Maria del Carmine church in the Brera district.

#2 Move away from the product and facilitate a dialogue on social and environmental issues: 

One of the most intellectual integrations into the Milan Design Week was the Prada Frames symposium curated by the Milanese design studio Formafantasma. They put together a three-day program featuring panel discussions on the topics of material in flux and waste. Designers, architects, writers, curators, and scholars such as Hans Ulrich Obrist, Elizabeth Povinelli, Paola Antonelli, Alice Rawsthorn and others took part in the event taking place in the Teatro Filodrammatici, one of the oldest theatrical institutions in Milan.

#3 Take over and reimagine the well-known (cultural) space: 

While many brands focus on presenting their special collections or art installations in hidden gems – historical palazzos, gardens, etc – GROHE SPA, a brand for bathroom solutions and kitchen fittings, created a gigantic pool with mirrors in the courtyard of the Pinacoteca di Brera, one of the major art galleries in the heart of Milan. Spaces at each corner of the installation provided experiences around GROHE SPA’s technologies and design solutions.

 

Glo took over the whole building on Largo Treves, which is planned to be demolished later, and turned it into a site specific art project “Dry Days, Tropical Nights” by the Italian artist Agostino Iacurci. His work provided a reflection on what our planet would look like if people continued to treat it in the current way.

#4 Look at your brand, products, and processes through the lens of a bold creative genius:

During the Milan Design Week, Tod’s presented The Art of Craftsmanship project – a collection of images and a video shot by the British photographer Tim Walker. Playful photographs picturing the process of creating Tod’s bags and shoes as well as the craftspeople behind them were shown in the Leonardo Da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology.

#5 Showcase another dimension of your product:

Loro Piana presented a series of exhibitions in its headquarters on Via della Moscova, in the courtyard of its Via Montenapoleone store and in the heart of the Brera district featuring the works of the Argentinian designer and artist Cristián Mohaded. Towering sculptures known as Apachetas made of fabrics from Loro Piana’s past collections were an homage to the landscape of the Andes mountains. In Loro Piana’s spaces the artworks were shown next to its new furniture collection and bags created together with the artist.

Kohler, the kitchen and bathroom design brand, took over the courtyard of the Palazzo del Senato where it showcased the results of collaborations with four artists (who presented their take on bathtubs) and the site specific art installation by the US sculptor Janet Echelman. The space also featured a cafe where guests could enjoy refreshments and flowers covered in paper with artist prints.

 

 

Byredo gave a structure to its perfume Bal d’Afrique by presenting an art installation by Dozie Kanu. This is the second project where the brand explores the perfume dedicated to African memories of Byredo’s founder through different artistic partnerships. Earlier in March, photographer and filmmaker Gabriel Moses presented a video inspired by his African roots.

Buccellati transformed the roof of its Milanese headquarters into a red dome housing a site specific installation with carnivorous plants “Rosso Maraviglia” (Italian for “red wonders”) by the botanical artist Lily Kwong. Curated by Federica Sala, it included new tableware items as well as Buccellati’s collaboration with the Italian heritage glassmaker Venini. In fact, the red dome was inspired by Venini’s signature “fazzoletto” vase in red, to which Buccellati added a silver base.

 

#6 Present a new collection in the cultural context connecting the past and the future

The storied British textile company Liberty didn’t just launch a new art inspired FuturLiberty collection in partnership with the designer Federico Forquet, a long-time Cristobal Balenciaga collaborator. The brand told story about its context through two exhibitions at Museo del Novecento and Palazzo Morando. They explored the works of futurists and the influence the art had on the Liberty design.

Brands’ collaborations with artists during art or design fairs is nothing new, but taking a closer look at how forward-looking teams approach projects more holistically while creating multi-sensory journeys, taking over unexpected spaces, discovering new dimensions of their products and processes through artistic lenses or moving away from the product completely in favor of intellectual debate could spark new ideas when you are thinking about how you can bring business and culture together.