MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2021 – A veteran’s perspective

Milan Design Week 2021 marks the return of design to Milan after the pandemic. After a long absence, from September 4 to 10, Milan will once again be populated by special design-related events, both at Rho-Fieramilano and in town. However, it will be very different from the past editions.

First of all, there will be no Salone del Mobile.Milano. The event curated by Salone del Mobile, called Supersalone, will be held in the Rho-Fieramilano fairgrounds but will occupy only four of the usual twenty-two pavilions. 

There will be about 423 participating companies (as of August 19th), and the set-up will include shared spaces and cultural exhibitions. In addition, the show will be extended to other products made in Italy, such as food. It will be open to the public, not only to professionals, and, in addition to the exhibition of the novelties, it will also offer cultural presentations dedicated to the icons of design made in Italy, such as the exhibition with the chairs awarded with the Compasso d’Oro. Moreover, a section will be dedicated to design schools from all over the world.

Among the participating companies, many of the best Italian brands, such as Arper, Baxter, Driade, Glas Italia, Lago, Lema, Lualdi, PaoloCastelli, Porro, and many others. 

In 2021, as usual, or maybe more than expected, the Fuorisalone will again play a significant role in the Milan Design Week. The Triennale will be the official hub of the Supersalone in the city, with a rich program of exhibitions and events. 

But Milan Design Week, for audiences outside Milan or abroad, will also be an opportunity to see the ADI Design Museum, officially opened in May 2021. ADI Design Museum will also host a stage of the exhibition dedicated to the chairs awarded with the Compasso d’Oro.

Fuorisalone is back, with new locations and new energy. DDN HUB, the special event organized by Design Diffusion, is back with its fourth edition on Piazza del Cannone, inside Parco Sempione, with the entrance next to the Triennale. Here, one can find exhibitors and a rich program of debates, and the presentation of the first book on the History of the Fuorisalone in Milan, published by DDN and written by Roberta Mutti.

The Superdesign Show events are also confirmed, with two unique locations at Zona Tortona, and the brand new Superstudio MAXI, just opened. Brera Design Week, Durini Design District, return to populate the center, together with the District of 5Vie; Tortona Design Week will organize as always the events in Zona Tortona. Isola Design District also confirms its presence, and, among the debutants, we can point out the brand new Alpha District in City Life. 

Unfortunately, the restrictions still in place for the pandemic will not allow all the participation from around the world. If people can enter Italy freely (with Covid-pass) from the EU area, restrictions with mandatory stay-home days are still in force for the rest of the world. Citizens from the USA, Canada, Japan and Israel, and Emirates can enter Italy without stay-home with Covid-free flights (with PCR text before departure and at arrival). There are exceptions, but in short, it’s not always that simple. In addition, to access the events, you will need to get a Covid-pass, which can only be obtained with an EMA-approved vaccine (two doses, for the vaccines for which they are required), a certificate of recovery, or a negative rapid test, every 48 hours. 

So, a massive turnout from around the world is not expected. However, some representations will be, for example, Brazil, which will be both at the Fair and in the city. The presence of foreign press is expected, mainly from the EU. 

But it’s a special event; let’s consider it a dress rehearsal in view of Salone del Mobile.Milano 2022, and Fuorisalone in April 2022.

The History of the Fuorisalone

A book tells the history of the Fuorisalone, the most attended lifestyle event in the world

Over time, Milan’s Fuorisalone, started as a complement to the Salone del Mobile, has established itself as an almost independent event, becoming a fundamental part of the event that has taken the name of Milan Design Week.

Now, a book tells its story, trying to trace the time boundaries and its development in the city of Milan. The Fuorisalone, the independent event that includes all the side events to the Salone del Mobile, has neither a starting date nor a specific place.

At the end of the 1970s, some entrepreneurs and designers decided to exhibit “outside the Salone del Mobile” for different reasons. At first, Fuorisalone simply meant “outside the Salone.” It was an urge to communicate in a different way, free from the constraints imposed by the fair pavilions.

During the 1980s, some areas of Milan underwent a gentrification process, with large industrial spaces being abandoned and creative activities taking their place.

So, event after event, year after year, the Fuorisalone spread to all areas of Milan. At first in the city center and in the area of via Tortona, and gradually to the other suburbs, as the industrial activities moved. In addition to expanding in the various areas of Milan, the Fuorisalone grew in size, involving more and more people and events, until it reached the proportions of the 2010s.

The History of Milan Design Week

The book “Storia del Fuorisalone” (History of Milan Design Week) tells the first 40 years of the event that contributed to changing the look of many areas in Milan. Written by Roberta Mutti and published by DDN-Design Diffusion World, the book focuses on the protagonists of this story: the people who contributed to building it.

There have been many protagonists over these years. The entrepreneurs who organized the events, the designers, the journalists who came from all over the world, the emerging public relations agencies. And, of course, the attending public, a specialized audience that contributed to spreading the fame of the Fuorisalone and Milan Design Week throughout the world.

The book reconstructs the chronology of the events, while identifying several recurring themes that have emerged over the years. Communication, socialization, urban redevelopment, the relationship with the territory and the citizens. Without neglecting the relationship with the Salone del Mobile and furniture, with the large companies outside the sector that have arrived in recent years and their influence on the transformation that the Fuorisalone has undergone since the mid-2000s.

Milan Design Week: a story of people

All the stories are told by their protagonists, who recount their experience in the first person. The book illustrates these stories with photographs of the events, starting from the early 1980s, with some events that can be considered milestones, until 2019.

Finally, all the protagonists wonder about the future of the Fuorisalone. As early as the second half of the 2010s, the Milan Design Week started to suffer from oversizing and overcrowding. Even more so in the light of the current situation, it is legitimate to wonder what path should be taken for the future.

The book will be available at specialty bookstores from September 

To buy it you can also send an email to abbonamenti@designdiffusion.com