Looking back at Milan Design Week by Annemoon Geurts
At last. Milano, for the first time since 2019. Wandering around the city, the first days of spring, friends and relations in expected and unexpected places, Italian cuisine, inspiring designs. How much I had been looking forward to it. Delightful!
But more than ever, I soon became overexcited by the amount of empty goodies, the effect chasing and well-meaning (social) greenwashing, combined with an aesthetic of the supposedly abrasive, or can I just call it ugly? Hopes that the pandemic would have accelerated the transformation towards nature-inclusive design proved vain. Perhaps the Salone is not the right place, but a little more responsibility would be honourable.
With his fantastic installation ‘More or Less’, Maarten Baas (again) hit the nail on the head: “Each year in Milan, I enjoy the tragicomic dialogue between green design and mass consumption. When G-Star approached me to work with recycled jeans, it was the perfect opportunity to address this duality instead of just acting as if we’re saving the world. We are all part of the puzzle, as we enjoy our prosecco next to this private jet of recycled materials. We’re well on our way. More or less…”
Lensvelt and Modular put their No Waste budget to sustainable use by redecorating an existing restaurant, to a concept by Erik Kessels, with an artwork by son Sjeng. Because of the line-up, ‘Dinkey Dutch’ was immediately the hot-spot to meet Dutch designers. The exhibition ’30 years Droog’, curated by tweets and algorithms was also a treat. It raised the topical question of what was human and what was not, beyond that it is always nice to be able to witness the iconic works live.
The colourful project ‘Everyday Paradise’ by Lidewij Edelkoort, featuring outsider Arts & Crafts from Brazil made us forget for a moment the darker delusion of the day. As did the moving project ‘Legends & Legacy’ in honour of Cor unum’s 70th anniversary. More than 70 designers with whom they had previously collaborated provided (posthumously) a design for a simple dinner plate, which, due to its unique handwriting, produces a particularly varied image. My hero Benno Premsela next to classmate Arian Brekveld and friends like Kiki & Joost next to Jeroen Wand and international luminaries like Michele de Lucci and Alessandro Mendini; I would like to name them all. What a wonderful gesture to honour your legacy.
Besides Social Label’s familiar but ever cheerful designs, I found Formafantasma’s ‘Taccini Flock’ project the most hopeful. In a tasteful presentation, the duo addresses wool surplus combined with the importance of local circular farming. At the same time, they reintroduce age-old techniques combined with innovations from the mattress industry. Four timeless Tacchini furniture pieces received a new interior, not made of plastic, but of exclusively natural materials: wool and natural latex. Too bad the factory does continue to offer the conventional option alongside the more nature-inclusive variant.
I skipped Formafantasma’s promising lecture programme at Fondazione Prada given the limited time. I am aware of having seen a very small selection in just over two days anyway. The inspiring gems, fine conversations, lovely people, sunshine and delicious food made it worthwhile again. On to Dutch Design Week.
Annemoon Geurts, founder & creative director Kazerne