Salone del Mobile, also known as Milan Design Week, returned to Italy on April 7 with a renewed focus on the intersection of fashion and design. Once a niche crossover, the presence of fashion and beauty brands has become a defining force at the annual event, with labels translating their house codes into furniture, interiors, and immersive experiences. From historic palazzos to industrial pavilions, brands used the city as a canvas to showcase everything from sculptural teapots to conceptual living spaces. The week wasn’t about product drops—it was about point of view. Whether through architectural installations or cerebral salons, these fashion houses proved they’re as fluent in design as they are in style. Below, the standout presentations that made fashion more than just something to wear.
Jil Sander
Jil Sander partnered with heritage furniture maker Thonet to present JS Thonet, a minimalist reinterpretation of Marcel Breuer’s iconic S64 chair. Presented at Galleria Il Castello, the chairs featured natural tones and unvarnished finishes, embodying Bauhaus principles through a lens of modern restraint. The collaboration emphasized purity of form without unnecessary embellishment. In a week filled with bold statements, Jil Sander’s understated approach offered a refreshing counterpoint. It was a testament to the power of simplicity in design.
Hermès
Inside La Pelota, Hermès delivered a light-drenched dreamscape that floated somewhere between sculpture and sanctuary. The house’s latest home collection appeared within translucent, glowing structures that hovered like paper lanterns suspended mid-breath. Under Charlotte Macaux Perelman’s direction, materials spoke through texture—leather, wood, silk—all balanced in perfect tension. It was craft as choreography, with each object whispering a quiet luxury. The space radiated serenity without ever dipping into sterility. A masterclass in poetic materialism.
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton expanded its design repertoire with the Objets Nomades exhibition at Palazzo Serbelloni and the debut of Louis Vuitton Home at their Montenapoleone flagship. Objets Nomades introduced new pieces by designers like Patricia Urquiola, exploring themes of travel and modularity. Concurrently, Louis Vuitton Home unveiled a comprehensive furniture and décor collection, marking the brand’s foray into permanent home offerings. This dual presentation underscored Louis Vuitton’s evolution from fashion house to holistic lifestyle brand. It was a seamless blend of heritage and contemporary design.
Gucci
At the Cloisters of San Simpliciano, Gucci presented Bamboo Encounters, a sweeping group exhibition dedicated to one of its most iconic materials. Curated by 2050+, the installation featured seven international artists and designers reimagining bamboo through sculpture, light, and scent. Dima Srouji’s hand-blown glass vessels referenced traditional basketry, while Eugenio Rossi’s luminous structures turned bamboo into architectural poetry. The result was meditative but radical—a deep dive into sustainability, symbolism, and reinvention. Rather than a nostalgic nod, the show pushed the narrative forward. In true Gucci fashion, heritage met experimentation—and the conversation felt refreshingly alive.
LOEWE
At Palazzo Citterio, Loewe presented Loewe: Teapots, an exhibition featuring 25 artists’ interpretations of the classic teapot. The collection ranged from David Chipperfield’s minimalist designs to Rose Wylie’s whimsical creations, each piece blurring the line between function and art. Jonathan Anderson’s curation highlighted the brand’s dedication to craftsmanship and playful design. The installation turned everyday objects into extraordinary art pieces. Loewe celebrated the beauty in utility.
Miu Miu
Miu Miu swapped objects for ideas at the second edition of its Literary Club, held at the Circolo Filologico. The salon-style event centered on “A Woman’s Education,” exploring texts by Simone de Beauvoir and Fumiko Enchi. The setting was intimate, with guests lounging on vintage chairs as panelists dissected themes of girlhood, desire, and autonomy. It was intellectual without being pretentious—a study in the aesthetics of thought. No products were shown, but design was everywhere. Miu Miu proved that cultural capital is as valuable as any collection.
Saint Laurent
Saint Laurent turned to modernist icon Charlotte Perriand, presenting four rare furniture pieces that had never been realized in her lifetime. The centerpiece—a sweeping seven-meter sofa—anchored the stark industrial space with sensual curves and quiet grandeur. Each piece echoed Perriand’s radical femininity and design rigor. The collaboration, aligned with YSL’s Rive Droite concept, felt more archival resurrection than brand stunt. No logos, no flash—just iconic forms brought back to life. The past, made powerfully present.
Loro Piana
Loro Piana offered a hushed escape with “La Prima Notte di Quiete,” a moody domestic dreamscape staged in its Cortile della Seta HQ. Designed with Dimorestudio, the space mimicked a private Milanese apartment cloaked in Loro Piana’s signature wools and linens. Rooms flowed from lounge to bedroom to garden, wrapped in caramel tones and low-slung luxury. Furniture blurred with upholstery, everything soft to the eye and softer to the touch. It felt like a world apart—sheltered, cinematic, and supremely elegant. A manifesto for living well, quietly.
Prada
Prada’s design symposium, Prada Frames: In Transit, curated by Formafantasma, unfolded at Milan’s Central Station, emphasizing conversations around mobility and urban transformation. Set within the evocative Royal Pavilion and an original Gio Ponti-designed train carriage, the symposium gathered architects, urban planners, and philosophers to explore how transit shapes modern life. Rather than showcasing products, Prada positioned itself as a curator of ideas, making design about discourse rather than decor. This intellectual deep dive offered attendees insights on the intersections between infrastructure, sustainability, and society. Prada’s installation wasn’t about what we wear—it was about how we move, think, and coexist.
Issey Miyake
Inside its Via Bagutta store, Issey Miyake’s A-POC Able line teamed up with Atelier Oï to debut light sculptures made from fabric and wire. The result was “Type-XIII,” a poetic exploration of how material can capture illumination. Each lamp felt like a garment in mid-motion, pleated and shaped into glowing forms. It was innovation without bravado—just thoughtful design rooted in movement. The exhibition echoed the Miyake ethos: merge technology with craft, future with form. A gentle standout in a week of maximalism.
Versace
Versace celebrated three decades of home design with The Art of Living, an installation at its Home showroom that reimagined iconic furniture through the brand’s unapologetic lens. Signature pieces included the revived ‘Vanitas’ chair, luxuriously upholstered in rich velvet, and the ‘Harem’ chair featuring plush satin cushions accented by gold Medusa heads. Each design radiated Versace’s trademark extravagance, emphasizing bold color and opulent detailing. The installation embodied the brand’s maximalist ethos, proving that living spaces can be as daring as any runway. Versace elevated everyday furnishings into striking declarations of luxury.
Aesop
Aesop brought scent and sensation to the sacristy of Chiesa di Santa Maria del Carmine with “The Second Skin.” The installation likened architecture to the body, using hand balm as a literal binding agent in its material composition. Earthy walls pulsed with fragrance, creating an atmosphere of enveloping tactility. Aesop positioned skincare as building material and ritual as design. It was unexpected, eerie, and quietly moving. Proof that beauty can build worlds—one texture at a time.
Byredo
Byredo collaborated with designer Bethan Laura Wood to transform various urban spaces into immersive art experiences. A traditional newsstand at Via Brera 21 was reimagined as a vibrant gateway into Byredo’s universe, adorned with Wood’s signature kaleidoscopic patterns. Additionally, a mobile cargo bike roamed the Brera District, serving as a perfumed vignette in motion, enveloping passersby in Byredo’s iconic scents. The Byredo flagship store at Piazza Filippo Meda 3 was also enveloped in Wood’s tactile, flowing designs, creating an immersive retail environment. Visitors received limited-edition totes and fanzines, making the experience both memorable and tangible.
Pharrell Williams’ Humanrace
Pharrell Williams’ wellness brand Humanrace presented Have a Good Day, a sensory installation that reframed the bathroom as a sanctuary for holistic self-care. In collaboration with USM Modular Furniture and Laufen fixtures, the project featured an airy, open layout bathed in Humanrace’s signature green. Visitors interacted with gender-neutral skincare products thoughtfully integrated into the minimalist environment, transforming routine moments into mindful rituals. Williams emphasized that wellness isn’t just about products but about cultivating daily awareness and intention. The installation made self-care feel fresh, inviting, and essential.
