Cool Hunting
It seems furniture isn't the only thing on display during the Milan Furniture Fair. Increasingly, corporate sponsors, associations, and schools use the fair as an opportunity to sell their brands. Interestingly enough, one of the most awe-inspiring installations this week has come not from an Italian mega brand like Moroso or B&B Italia, but from Polimoda, the International Institute of Fashion Design and Marketing, which is based in Florence.
The exhibition is designed not to showcase the work of graduates and presumably catapult new careers, but to serve as a proud banner for the school itself. Situated on the same block as the sprawling Superstudio, in a magnificent warehouse space, "White Carpet for Polimoda" is an exhibition of work from 60 first year students, produced in their very first semester. By lining the students' pieces in single file along the entire length of the space, and sticking to a regimental palette of black, creamy white, and natural tan, the collective work was a profound break from the chaotic design displays throughout the Zona Tortona. It almost made we want to take up fashion. (Click images for detail.)
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For years, Royal Tichelaar Makkum, the Netherlands' longest extant company, has quietly mounted the most impressive displays of ceramic ware during the Milan Furniture Fair and this year is no exception. Two years ago, they released a hugely successful collection of biscuit ware with Studio Job; last year they launched a unique office collection with Dick van Hoff, which turned the ornamental into the...
The most talked about exhibition during the Salone del Mobile was that by Maarten Baas. Set within the chaotic mess of a working auto garage in the Zona Tortona, the show covered works to date, along with a preview of new collections for Contrasts Gallery and Established & Sons Limited. The choice of space initially felt to me like a commentary on the hyper-produced...
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With all the press and buyers swarming around Milan's Salone del Mobile, I was so happy to wander into a seemingly inauspicious exhibition called "Shapes of Japanese Style." The group show was tucked into the gallery's basement and, like many exhibits of its kind, felt a little thin. That was until my eyes landed on Hidebumi Yamaguchi's IMAnoWa collection. The concept, to encourage users...
Droog's current exhibit on the Foro Buonoparte as part of Milan's design week, called "A Touch of Green," attempts to address the imperfections and issues of sustainability with products that hint at eco-consciousness, while making no pretenses about resolving the matter. Martin Azua's "Plaited fence" is a simple galvanized iron frame stitched together with vertical strings through which users can weave a medley of...


