The Hypebeast Guide to Milan Design Week 2025
We scoured thousands of events to pick out the things you don’t want to miss.
The Hypebeast Guide to Milan Design Week 2025
We scoured thousands of events to pick out the things you don’t want to miss.
“Hello! How are you? How has it already been a year! What’s the best thing you’ve seen so far?! Are you going to any dinners or parties later? See you at Bar Basso after?”
Just a few days before these sentences drown the air surrounding Milan, as the design world descends on the Italian city for its landmark week-long festival.
We’ll keep it brief up here. But we’re hoping to give you a bit of everything from Milan Design Week with this guide: something from the fashion brands, plenty of places to discover emerging talent, immersive installations, food for thought (and for eating), and importantly, some places to end the night.
Of course, there’s so many more we could’ve put on that list – but we’ll be covering them in the days that come, so keep your eyes glued to our design channel Hypeform.
Read on for our edit.
Theater of Things
The Theater of Things is a self-described “experiment in living with design”. Staged in the show window of Delvis (Un)Limited gallery, the show blurs the lines between what is a home and what is a gallery, by getting designers to quite literally inhabit the space all day and night. A schedule will apply: each night, one of the seven participating designers will sleep there, and each morning, a journalist, critic, or curator will wake them for coffee a chat about the experience. If the bonkers concept alone doesn’t entice you, then the roster should. Expect to see Objects of Common Interest, Linde Freya Tangelder, Espace Aygo, Rich Aybar, Laurids Gallée, Stefania Ruggiero, and Niki Danai.
VOCLA
We don’t know about you, but this year, we’re in the market for a late-night event in Milan that doesn’t involve standing on a roundabout. And that is precisely why we’re giving Alcova’s VOCLA its own spot on the list. Vehemently going against the “do not touch” nature of most exhibitions, the works at VOCLA will be there to be used, and will provide the furniture for a dining and bar area. Open for the duration of the week, there will be a lineup DJ’s, as well as a custom-designed lounge bar by Henge, mixology NEIT, and a popup dining experience by Yapa. Admission to VOCLA is free, and will be open from 6 PM until 2AM (with the exception of April 7, when it is closed)
Ex-Macello di Viale Molise, Viale Molise, 68
Capsule Plaza
Ahh, Capsule Plaza. Year after year, we love it more and more. This year, curators Alessio Ascari and Paul Cournet are bringing projects to Spazio Maoicchi unde the theme of “Expanded Living”. With that in mind ,this year the space will, quite literally, be expanding across the street into a former gym and pool newly renovated by ASA Office, and two satellite venues in the Porta Venezia area. Expect to see projects and exhibitions from the likes of Stone Island, Sabine Marcelis, Humanrace, USM Modular Furniture, NO-GA, NM3, Willo Perron, PAN x Nike, Hydro, Misha Kahn; Pierre Paulin, Harry Nuriev & Tyler Billinger, and of course, our Swedish fave Hem. The lounge areas will be decked out in furniture by Karimoku and Uma, while the cafe and ice cream parlor will be designed by Georg Jensen. Phew. Sounds like we’re gonna have to spend a full day here.
Spazio Maiocchi, Via Achille Maiocchi, 7
Salone del Mobile
Yes it’s a bit of a trek, and yes, the Rho Fiera isn’t the most inspiring of places. But – if you’re a design brand fan, it’s worth making a trip out to see the latest collections from pretty much every company you’ve ever read about. We’re particularly looking forward to Memphis and Meritalia. It’s also Euroluce this year (the fair alters between Eurocucina and Euroluce annually) – meaning the big lighting brands will be coming out to play. Finally, the iconic Salone Satellite showcase is a great place to visit up and coming talent, and will also play host to some exciting Design Academy Eindhoven graduates this year (pictured), in a show titled ‘New Craftsmanship’.
Convey
If you’re going to only pick five things from this list, make sure Convey is one of them. The curation of brands there is carefully and expertly done by founders, with the aim being to showcase smaller, international labels and forge connections across the course of the week. This year, the brands we’re most excited to see from the lineup include REdDUO, Vero, Campeggi, Very Simple: Kitchen, and Meritalia. The new location in Porta Venezia also brings about a new initiative – a guest designer. This year, it’s New-York based studio Sunfish, which will present its self-produced furniture collection for the first time in Europe.
News From Home
It was LS Gomma (work pictured) that put this show on our radar. Along with a selection of other designers working in the collectible space, he’ll be part of the “News from Home” show, which sees the Belgian galleries Cour and Uppercut come together with design studio Burlina Morshed to present new works at Ordet’s newly opened gallery space.
House of Switzerland
The annual House of Switzerland Milano show takes place in the city’s Brera district. It’s a prime location, particularly during design week, and offers a solid opportunity for them to showcase their country’s design credentials through the work of schools, emerging designers, and brands. Now in its third year, the show brings emerging designers, schools, institutions, and brands together under one roof. This year, the show’s curatorial theme is “Collaboration” – something the organisers describe as being typical of Swiss design.
Casa Degli Artisti, Via Tommaso da Cazzaniga
The Things We Do In Bed
We’re all for going to an exhibition with a title that might raise a few eyebrows. And we’re doubly likely to go if Laila Gohar has been involved. Lucky for us then, that Finnish brand Marimekko has paired up with the food artist to create a show titled “The Things We Do In Bed”. The collaboration will resulte in bedroom-themed capsule collection in archival Marimekko stripes, which will be brought to life in an installation at the iconic venue of the Teatro Litta. Throughout the week, the space will play host to all sorts of activations.
Teatro Litta, Corso Magenta, 24
Saint Laurent-Charlotte Perriand
During this year’s Milan Design Week, Saint Laurent and Anthony Vaccarello are set to bring four pieces of furniture by revered French designer Charlotte Perriand back to life. Each of the four pieces, curated by Vaccarello, existed only in sketch or prototype form. Through the collaboration with Saint Laurent, they have been brought into production, and reissued in limited editions.
Padiglione Visconti, Via Tortona 58
La Prima Notte di Quiete, Loro Piana and Dimoremilano
Loro Piana and Dimoremilano feel like a match made in heaven, yet this will be their first time working together. Inside Loro Piana’s Cortile della Seta courtyard, the studio will recreate a fully-furnished house, crafted in earthy tones and natural materials. Each room in the house offers a different cinematic and sensory experience, but on the whole, the space is designed to bring about a sense of calm and silence. Much needed on Salone week.
24 Hours
Canada-based Jamie Wolfond has gathered 24 designers to create a group show filled with clocks. Wolfond set each the same brief back in July last year: create a wall-mounted clock that fits within a 50 × 50 × 50 cm box. “While a clock is a tool for measurement, it also takes on qualities that seemingly similar devices do not,” Wolfond said. “Unlike rulers, scales, and thermometers, a clock is simultaneously a practical tool, a decoration, an index of craft, and a status symbol. It’s unique that a Rolex, a grandfather clock, and Big Ben can all belong to the same typology. The myriad interpretations of the clock create an opportunity to compare the methodologies of design studios with vastly different practices.” Make sure you have time to see it.
The Last Pot, Alessi
Despite its inevitability, death remains an incredibly taboo subject across many Western cultures. Despite this, it’s a topic that’s set to be explored by Alessi at a show titled The Last Pot, which will see designers bring their own interpretation of funerary urns, among them Michael Anastassiades, Audrey Large, David Chipperfield, and Naoto Fukasawa. Together with the installation, the brand will showcase a book that positions the concept of the project within the context of life, memory and continuity.
Biblioteca Ostinata, Via Osti 6
Reperito, Nilufar Depot
At Nilufar Depot, the entire space will be transformed into a scenographic exhibition that is divided into five so-called acts, each filled with works by designers curated by gallery founder Nina Yashar. In one section titled Silver Lining, Fosbury Architecture is set to design an immersive installation for the backdrop of the pieces in the form of a ”labyrinthine-like space”. Here, paying homage to the Depot’s former life as a silverware factory, all works will be crafted from metal.
Alcova
Alcova was obviously going to make the list. Year on year, it proves itself as a great place to discover something new, and the amount of work on show allows you to spot the pieces that actually speak to *you* rather than the stuff you’ve just seen on Instagram and feel the need to go and snap yourself. Villa Borsani and Villa Bagatti Valsecchi return for 2025, as well as two new sites: the former SNIA Factory and the Pasino Glasshouses. The designer list is huge, so we’ll leave you to head to the Alcova website to look through it.
A Stones Throw, Mitre & Mondays
The Mitre & Mondays team have taken an elongated route to Milan. It’s all for a cause, though, and they will be collecting stones that will form part of their interactive installation aptly titled “A Stones Throw”. Here, visitors will be introduced to the practice of “spolia”, which involves the stones being repurposed from one construction to another. “Our collection of local stones will not be presented as an endpoint but rather as a way-station in their ongoing journey,” they say. As typical of the London studio’s work, the show will be zero waste – “all materials are merely borrowed from their onward destination.”
Base Milano, V. Ambrogio Bergognone da Fossano, 34
Opposites United
Have you seen that video of an installation on Instagram recently, where a cloudy bubble effortlessly floats across a room? Magic. The artists behind it, A.A. Murakami, are set to show similar works at Opposites United: the Eclipse – a group show that brings together visual arts, curated talks and live performances. French artist Philippe Parreno will also be showing works, and the talks programme will include designer Martino Gamper, curator Andrea Lissoni, neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, and philosopher Reza Negarestani.
Museo della Permanente, V. Filippo Turati, 34
Futurespective: Connected Worlds, Range Rover
With car brands increasingly making their mark on Milan Design Week, it’s nice to hear that Range Rover will be creating something with a design studio we love. Marking its first landmark installation at Milan Design Week, Range Rover presents Futurespective: Connected Worlds, designed in collaboration with California-based design studio NUOVA. Presented at the 18th century Palazzo Belgioioso, the installation is a dynamic two-part experience that transports visitors between two time portals, from 1970 to 2025.
Dropcity
We were super impressed with Dropcity last year. Located in the city’s railway arches, the centre is dedicated to progressive architectural and design projects, and during Milan Design Week it will be home to two research exhibitions: Prison Times – Spatial Dynamics of Penal Environments, an investigation into time and space in detention centers; and Bruther.fbx which brings together the work of the Paris-based architecture studio.
Teapots, Loewe
We’re still getting over Jonathan Anderson’s departure from Loewe, but for now, we can revel in his legacy at the brand’s latest Milan offering. This year, it comes in the form of teapots. 25 artists, designers and architects have each put their own spin on the hot drink vessel – reimagining what it can look like, but also the traditions surrounding tea making and the many cultures that observe it.
Mission Aldebaran
Milan is increasingly becoming a multisensory experience, and this installation will be no exception. Parisian perfumer Marc-Antoine Barrois will debut his newest perfume alongside a large-scale installation designed by Antoine Bouillot. Expect to also see his debut furniture collection, and paper-crafted tuberose flowers infused with the fragrance.
Bocci Apartment
Bocci celebrates a milestone this year – its 20th anniversary. As such, the brand has worked with David Alhadeff of The Future Perfect gallery to curate an exhibition of the brand’s founder Omer Arbel, within its historic Milanese showroom apartment. Also here, Irish brand Orior will launch the Beatha – their first drinks cabinet. “Evoking the warmth and weight of a cottage with its thick exterior, rounded legs and gently curved silhouette, the cabinet features hair-on-hide doors that open to reveal bespoke stone, metal and wood detailing,” the brand describes.
