This year I decided to make my choices and choose a couple events in each Milano design quarter: obviously Fundazione Prada  and Rossana Orlandi were included! But I didn't miss Lambrate, and the new Dutch expansion in Isola; Brera, something from Tortona, visual merchandising at "Quadrillatero dela moda" and Salone Satelite.

Last year trend merging 3D and artisans has evolved into weaving technique: trying to blend intricrate crisscrossing with this new technology.

So at the end of Lambrate, via Private Oslavia I found Envisions. I have checked what it means at the dictionary and it says: "to picture in mind, imagine". That is what these 9 Dutch designers do; they try to foresee the future in industrial design, but focusing on the materials and process. Tijs Gilde investigates in Cored, what would happen if he changed the cord's core. He applies his experience in sailing; he got inspired and found new shapes, colors and ways of expressing with this material. Even he obtained new ways to fabricate joints.

Also in the same exhibition I discovered Studio Plott, Rudi Boiten and Mireille Burge, who try to incorporate a human touch to technology. They focused on weaving techniques and translate them into patterns. Their main goal is to devolope a material with both functional and aesthetic value.

In Brera I found the espectacular FRAME exhibition: "What's the matter? Design for phygital world",  where Jim Chen-Hsiang-Hu showed his XI collection. This Taipei born fashion designer has added 3d dimension to the planar porcess of weaving. Setting "bridges between the phyisical world and the digital one".

Finally close to Fondazione Prada, Nike revelead all brand's conceptual projects at "The nature of Motion". All of them gave a twist, but working in the same direction as Envisions and Frame, Bertjan Pot pushed manufacturing boundaries and experienced with textile and weaving techniques. His main role character the wheel, that in our imaginery is associated to movement, was upholstered, attached to the earth with ropes, Nike laces and belts. 

ENVISIONS

TIJS GILDE

STUDIO PLOTT

BERTJAN POT