GUCCI: BAMBOO ENCOUNTERS

Gucci marks Milan Design Week with Bamboo Encounters, a multidisciplinary exhibition celebrating one of the house’s most enduring emblems. Since its introduction in 1947, bamboo has taken on many iterations in Gucci’s design vocabulary, symbolising both innovation and heritage.

Curated by Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli and his studio 2050+, the showcase brings together a global roster of creatives to reinterpret the material through a contemporary lens. Highlights include a kinetic light installation by The Back Studio, sculptural resin works by Austrian designer Laurids Gallée, and delicate hand-blown glass vessels housed in woven bamboo baskets by Palestinian architect Dima Srouji. A series of talks and discussions will run in parallel, offering deeper insight into the interplay of craft, sustainability and storytelling at the heart of the brand.

8-13 April, Chiostri di San Simpliciano

HERMÈS

At La Pelota, Hermès returns with a minimalist yet deeply poetic exhibition designed by Charlotte Macaux Perelman and Alexis Fabry. This year’s scenography strips back the superfluous to focus on essential forms and materiality. Objects are presented within luminous white cubes, allowing each piece to cast its own chromatic aura, a subtle interplay of light, texture and shadow. 

The collection spans a lacquered glass side table, a 33-piece porcelain set and other finely crafted objects that sit at the intersection of utility and expression. With glass as its narrative thread, the display explores the material’s emotional resonance, delicate yet durable, romantic yet restrained. 

9-13 April, Via Palermo, 10, 20121 

MCM X PET THERAPY

Luxury fashion house MCM ventures into the world of pet-friendly design with a playful new collaboration with Pet Therapy. The collection blends cutting-edge design with a touch of childlike wonder – think upcycled MCM materials transformed into stylish pet pouffes and oversized cat sculptures decorated with cartoon-inspired motifs and illustrated characters. 

Bringing the collection to life, Giardino delle Arti is transformed into an open-air dreamscape, offering a packed schedule of immersive experiences. From 8-13 April, visitors can take part in pet pilates, dog training sessions and even pet portrait sessions. 

8-13 April, 10am to 6pm, Giardino Delle Arti, Via Palestro 8

PRADA FRAMES: IN TRANSIT

Milan Design Week has officially begun, and Prada Frames has returned with its fourth symposium exploring the intersection of design and the natural world. This year’s theme, In Transit, conceived by design duo Formafantasma, examines the role of infrastructure in shaping the movement of people, goods and power. The programme features a series of lectures, talks and discussions across three days, offering a thought-provoking take on mobility and its environmental impact. 

In Transit takes place until 8 April

MAISON LELEU

Renowned for its minimalist aesthetic, French design house Maison Leleu presents one of its most ambitious showcases to date. Miroir en Poésie, set within the Institut Français Milano, sees a selection of contemporary and archival pieces suspended over a dark stream of water, creating an immersive reflection on heritage, craftsmanship and artistic legacy.

‘At its core, each piece tells a story, a fragment of memory that I choose to extend,’ says creative director Alexia Leleu, who envisions the exhibition as a poetic ballet of form, material and light. Highlights include the sculptural Mava armchair and 1K table lamp, alongside reimagined classics such as the Albertine and Coretta.

7 April-6 May, Institut français Milano, Palazzo delle Stelline Corso Magenta 63

MOLTENI&C LETTERS TO MILAN

Molteni&C honours its deep-rooted connection to Milan with Letters to Milan, an evocative
installation set within the historic Museo Poldi Pezzoli. Conceived by Studio Klass, the exhibition transforms the museum’s inner courtyard, orangery and armoury into a meditative journey through architecture, memory and domesticity. At the heart of the project is a dialogue between past and present, with archival designs from the 1970s reimagined for contemporary living.

Among the highlights is the return of Tobia Scarpa’s Monk hair, unseen for over three decades, alongside new creations such as Vincent Van Duysen’s Aria desk and Linea armchair. The scenography plays with thresholds and transparency: a suspended metal mesh filters light while a central totem, inspired by Milan’s architectural skyline, reinterprets the skyscraper as a symbol of civic identity and urban evolution.

Throughout the week, the space will also host a series of intimate talks with leading voices in art and design, including Alex Majoli, Tony Chambers, Patrick Tuttofuoco, Maria Cristina Didero and Denis Dekovic, in conversation with Francesca Molteni.

8-13 April, Museum Poldi Pezzoli, Via Alessandro Manzoni, 12, 20121 

LOUIS VUITTON

Louis Vuitton marks Milan Design Week 2025 with the launch of its expanded home universe, featuring five refined categories. 

Two events will anchor the week. The first: a private, ultra-curated presentation of Objets Nomades, the brand’s ongoing series of collectible design, featuring standout pieces like the new Kaleidoscope Cabinet by Estúdio Campana. Realised in eight colourways, the blue version takes the focus at the fair. The second event celebrates the opening of Louis Vuitton’s newly reimagined Via Monte Napoleone store.

Louis Vuitton, Via Monte Napoleone, 2, 20121

STONE ISLAND

As part of its ongoing music initiative, Stone Island has collaborated with Friendly Pressure to bring visitors a week-long immersive sonic experience. In a first of its kind, it will merge soundproof design with a custom-built hi-fi audio system to create a unique sensory experience where the dimensions of the space dictate the texture of the sound. 

Contextualising the display is a host of conversations with record producers and loud-system designers exploring why and how music takes form. As day turns to evening, the space transitions into an enigmatic dance space with a selection of DJs set to perform, including Retromigration, Ninaafterdark and Lobo Sound. The week culminates with a C2C Festival takeover to close out the whole experience. 

7-13 April, 10am to 8pm, Capsule Plaza Via Achille Maiocchi 7

DIOR: ODE À LA NATURE

In a celebration of organic beauty and artisanal finesse, Dior unveils Ode à la Nature, a poetic collaboration with French designer Sam Baron. Drawing inspiration from the natural world, the collection embraces botanical motifs and fluid, sculptural forms that echo the fair’s emphasis on environmental issues.

To honour the collection, the maison is releasing three limited-edition vases, each standing up to an impressive one metre tall. Handcrafted using traditional Italian mouth-blown glass techniques and finished with a luminous striated glaze, the vessels evoke both fragility and grandeur. Exclusively unveiled at Salone del Mobile, each vase is made to order and limited to eight editions.

8-13 April, Dior boutique, Corso Venezia, 1, 2012 

GIOPATO & COOMBES

To mark the occasion, the design studio Giopato & Coombes is unveiling Scarabei, a site-specific installation hosted at the Gallery on Via San Maurilio. Using the ancient technique of sand casting, every creation is a unique offering that echoes the raw irregularities of matter and its natural textures. A variety of dome-shaped lamps are displayed in an assortment of sizes and densities. 

7-11 April, 10am to 8pm, and 12-13 April, 10am to 6pm, Giopato & Coombes Gallery / 5 VIE via San Maurilio 19

OCCHIO: DREAMAGINATION 

Set beneath a sleek glass pavilion in the garden of Villa Necchi Campiglio, Occhio’s Dreamagination is a hypnotic collision of light, colour and imagination. The immersive installation unfolds in curated chapters: the Gioia series appears first, glowing in 18 expressive shades; a few steps away, the brand’s iconic Mito lights take on a bold new identity in a high-gloss finish. At the centre lies the “Red Saloon”, a theatrical setting where Occhio presents the full Luna series, including Lunanova, its contemporary take on the classic chandelier. A luminous journey through light and dream.

8-13 April, Villa Necchi Campiglio, Via Mozart 14, 20122

LOEWE

Now in its ninth year at Salone del Mobile, Loewe returns with a quietly subversive installation that reimagines the art of tea. Presented at Palazzo Citterio, the brand’s latest exhibition brings together 25 teapots, each designed by a different artist, architect or designer. From playful scale-experiments to tactile, handcrafted finishes, each piece focuses a distinct creative lens on the rituals and aesthetics of tea-making. Accompanying the pots is a selection of tea cosies, coasters and botanical charms, underscoring Loewe’s dedication to elevated craft and cultural storytelling.

8-13 April, Palazzo Citterio, Via Brera 12, 20121 

GIORGIO ARMANI: ORIENTAL INKS

To mark the anniversary of Armani/Casa, Giorgio Armani unveils Oriental Inks, an intricate, atmospheric installation within the brand’s Corso Venezia flagship. The new collection draws inspiration from East Asian art. It features embroidery crafted using more than 50 materials including silk thread, sequins, glass beads and metallics. Dragons, bamboo and dense flora appear in relief, echoing a similar level of detail found in haute couture. Displayed across a series of interconnected rooms, the exhibit is visible to passersby through the building’s grand windows, purposefully inviting the city in.

8-13 April, Corso Venezia 14, 20122

SWAROVSKI

Following the opening of its three-storey flagship in the Duomo district last year, Swarovski returns to Milan Design Week with a luminous new offering. The brand debuts the Swarovski x Rosenthal Idyllia collection, its second collaboration with the esteemed porcelain house, featuring crystallised depictions of royal flycatchers, cockatoos and citrus fruits, realised through an innovative new technique.

Throughout the week, visitors can also spot the crystallised Idyllia florals of the Swarovski Tram touring the city, hop on and enjoy a floral workshop and sweet treat while taking in the views of the city.

7-13 April, P.za del Duomo, 31, 20121