Gucci Memoria by Demna
Courtesy of Gucci
Everyone in the design community is converging in Milan this week, and it’s no surprise that a wide range of brands are mounting exhibitions to get their moment in the sun. As with every Milan Design Week, immersive installations at FuoriSalone, the catch-all term for anything that happens outside the main fairgrounds, is growing year on year. Every brand is keen to stake their claim on the world’s biggest design week, some using it a launchpad for new covetable collections while others as a creative, experiential storytelling platform.
Here are those worth a proper stop — not just for an Instagram post but for a dose of inspiration.
Rubelli partners with artist and activist Ai Weiwei
Courtesy of Rubelli; Photography: Felipe Sanguinetti
Why go? Designer collaborations are dime a dozen but few have a landmark partnership with an artist as influential as Ai Weiwei.
Some collaborations are a visual showcase, others are about an important message. Rubelli’s partnership with Ai Weiwei is both. The artist has created a site-specific installation at the brand’s flagship store on Via Fatebenefratelli, marking the first time he’s worked with silk — a material inextricably linked to Chinese history and culture.
The showstopping installation sees the store wrapped with fabric, anchored by monumental silk lampas woven with gold and silk threads. The work features the artist’s signature motifs such as surveillance cameras, handcuffs and chains, the Twitter bird and the subversive llama, which represents the socio-political message that he has devoted his life to bringing to light.
Visit the exhibition at the Rubelli showroom at Via Fatebenefratelli 9; rubelli.com
Gucci Memoria by Demna is the creative director's first Salone installation
Courtesy of Gucci
Why go? This is the first exhibition curated by Demna offering a window into the brand’s evolution over the years.
Fashion brands have become a fixture at Salone del Mobile, but it’s rare to be able to say you’re doing something for the first time. For Gucci, this edition of Fuorisalone 2026 marks Demna’s first-ever involvement in an exhibition of this scale. Called Gucci Memoria, the exhibition curated by Demna tackles the house’s 105-year history — its transformation from an Italian maison to a global powerhouse.
The setting of Chiostri di San Simpliciano is immediately transportative: guests are welcomed by a Gucci vending machine then discover a bountiful flower garden in the next courtyard. Massive tapestries hang on the walls depicting various eras of the Gucci universe under different creative directors, a cheeky wink to the history and modern milestones of the brand.
Gucci Memoria is at Chiostri di San Simpliciano at Piazza Paolo VI 6. The exhibition is open to the public from 21-26 April 2026, upon prior registration at gucci.com.
The Harcourt collection is part of Baccarat's return to Salone del Mobile after a four year hiatus
Courtesy of Baccarat
Why go? After a four year hiatus, the world’s premier crystal brand is back with a bang.
Four years is a long time to be missing in design’s largest event, so Baccarat's return to Milan Design Week had to be big. At its center is Crystal Crypt, a scenographic installation by Marseille-based art historian Emmanuelle Luciani that reimagines the house’s iconic crystal through the lens of sacred architecture, mythology, and contemporary art. The brand also debuts the Mille Fleurs chandelier by London-based designer Bethan Laura Wood, as well as two colorful interpretations of the Harcourt, Baccarat’s longest standing glassware collection dating to 1841.
Crystal Crypt by Baccarat is at Via Marco Formentini 10; baccarat.com
Traces by Range Rover focuses on the brand's bespoke capabilities
Courtesy of Range Rover
Why go? A peek behind the curtain of the luxury automotive brand, highlighting its bespoke process.
The link between cars and design week may not be visible at first glance, but that’s not the case for Range Rover — a brand known for its iconic silhouette and mastery of the quiet luxury aesthetic. Following its debut at Milan Design Week in 2025, they’re back this year with Traces, created in collaboration with Storey Studio.
Centred on how our memories leave traces in our current worldview, the exhibition is unveiled in three parts tackling different chapters of the personalization process. Guests are taken through a journey of how the brand approaches bespoke commissions — from creating a tailored color to embroidered details — and ends with a reveal of a one-of-one car called the Pearl of Tay, inspired by the River Tay in Scotland.
Traces is at Galleria Meravigli, Via Gaetano Negri 6 from 21-26 April 2026; rangerover.com
Speak Back by Sister by Studio Ashby at Alcova, one of Milan Design Week's most compelling exhibition initiatives
Courtesy of Sophie Ashby; Photography: Milo Hutchings
Why go? One of London’s design darlings debuts a bespoke collection at the uber-cool Alcova Milano.
What makes good design? For designer Sophie Ashby, it’s more than just visual impact but how it can nurture human connection. With Speak Back, Ashby invites visitors to enjoy an intimate living room set up — featuring her new designs, of course — centered around our personal and emotional bond with furniture. It also marks the debut of Sister by Studio Ashby’s bespoke collection, along with a sculptural self-standing textile wall by artist Katarina Lalic. Part of Alcova Milan, the showcase is one of 130 inspiring exhibitors showing across Baggio Military Hospital and Villa Pestarini, the two venues for this year’s edition.
Speak Back by Sophie Ashby and Sister by Studio Ashby is at Baggio Military Hospital, Alcova Milan from 20-26 April 2026; studioashby.com
Why go? The lifestyle brand dials up the whimsy factor at their flagship store, alongside new products and a collaboration with Belmond.
Say eccentric and most people’s minds would inevitably drift to René Magritte. That’s one of the key inspirations for La Double J’s Milan activation, Size Matters, which turns the boutique into a surreal interior, where scale is stretched and subverted.
The installation also presents the Al Fresco collection, a vibrant edit of weather-ready furniture and porcelain designed for open-air living. If that isn’t enough, it also serves as a prelude for La Double J’s new initiative — the launch of the The Energy Raising Program at Villa San Michele, a Belmond Hotel, Florence where guests can experience a curated spiritual wellness program by founder J.J. Martin herself.
Size Matters is at Via Sant’Andrea 10/A; ladoublej.com
The high-end coffee equipment brand launches Casa La Marzocco
Courtesy of La Marzocco
Why go? Where you’re into coffee or not, this exhibition is a love letter to the art of coffee.
Go to any stylish cafe and more often than not it’s anchored by a La Marzocco machine. The Italian luxury brand offers a peek into their universe at Casa La Marzocco, a 300-sqm interactive space at Corso Garibaldi presenting the full product range including new color iterations of La Marzocco Home. Of course, what’s a Milan activation without a collaboration? The brand has partnered up with Dutch design brand POLSPOTTEN on a capsule collection of fun coffee cups, breakfast bowls and 30-second hourglasses — the exact time required to extract an espresso.
Casa La Marzocco is located at 77 Corso Garibaldi; lamarzocco.com
Objects That Speak by Rosewood is the brand's first initiative at Milan Design Week
Courtesy of Rosewood
Why go? Hotel brands don’t have much of a presence at Milan Design Week, and Rosewood proves its commitment to creativity with this bold initiative.
Rosewood Hotels marks its first foray into Milan Design Week with Objects That Speak — a large-scale exhibition devoted to legendary Italian architect and designer Andrea Branzi whose works rarely appear together in a single space. This is juxtaposed with contemporary pieces from nine artists and designers whose works were commissioned for Rosewood properties around the world and brought in one place exclusively for the event. Curated by Deyan Sudjic, Director Emeritus of The Design Museum, the exhibition is conceived as a visual dialogue — each maker given a distinct voice, each work a reflection of the culture and place that shaped it.
Objects That Speak is at Via Carlo de Cristoforis 1 from 21- 25 April 2026; rosewoodhotels.com
Prototype Island is a showcase of Singapore's innovative design spirit
Courtesy of DesignSingapore Council
Why go? An exhibition devoted to Singapore zeal for innovation, defining it as one of world’s most forward-thinking cities.
Few cities think about the future quite like Singapore. This is the focus of Prototype Island — an exhibition of 15 globally significant ideas from emerging and established Singapore-based creatives. Presented by DesignSingapore Council and curated by Hunn Wai, co-founder of design studio Lanzavecchia & Wai, the pieces range from tableware co-created with a neurodiverse community to 4D-printed casts replacing the traditional plaster, as well as heritage crafts reimagined through new technology ensuring Singapore’s cultural traditions endure.
Foro Buonaparte 54, Brera Design District from 21-26 April 2026; designsingaporecouncil.com
ForbesMilan Design Week 2026: 5 Designer Collaborations To Shop This YearBy Kissa CastanedaForbesDesign Shanghai: Inside The Fair Highlighting China’s Creative FutureBy Kissa CastanedaForbes6 New Hotels Design Lovers Should Visit In 2026By Kissa Castaneda
此内容由惯性聚合(RSS阅读器)自动聚合整理，仅供阅读参考。 原文来自 — 版权归原作者所有。