Karl Lagerfeld label joins forces with Toan Nguyen, Thom Browne with Frette

Milan Design Week offers the fashion sector the perfect opportunity to launch or present all types of projects. Among those seen during this frenetic week are the brand Karl Lagerfeld, which presented its second home collection, by designer Toan Nguyen; the Thom Browne brand, which launched a home linen line with the Italian manufacturer Frette, specializing in high-end products; and Fidenza Village from Value Retail group, which partnered with French artist and designer Cyril Lancelin on an immersive project.

Like last year, Karl Lagerfeld took over an elegant apartment on Via della Passione, which has been completely renovated with the brand's new furniture line. From the bedroom to the dining room and study, through the different living rooms, accessories and rugs, the new furniture has been designed this year by the French designer based in Milan Toan Nguyen, who also works with Fendi, another house in the that Karl Lagerfeld has worked on. . Only the dressing room and the kitchen have elements from the first collection, launched in 2023.

With sketches and photographs of the legendary German couturier, as well as trinkets with his image, the effect is striking. You have the impression of wandering around his house, as if he had just left. The brand's senior vice president of image and communication, Caroline Lebar – or Karo to her friends – is a true owner of the house, she welcomes visitors with a smile and guides them from one room to another. “I started working with Karl in 1985, when the brand was launched. I worked with him on all of his decoration and design projects. As a result, I now play the role of artistic director for all aspects of architecture and design,” we account. .

Last year, the brand presented its first collection for the home, which includes furniture and objects, in collaboration with interior designer Matteo Nunziati. It is produced and managed under license by the Italian company The One Design. “The idea is to bring in a new designer every year. The first collection was more of a representation of Karl Lagerfeld, with an elegant and organized style, a bit in the German spirit of the Bauhaus. The goal was to announce that the brand was now we are in the process of consolidating ourselves with a more contemporary design, in line with current market demand,” says Caroline Lebar.

“The goal is not to interpret Karl. We asked the guest designers to interpret elements of his world to create a Karl Lagerfeld collection. Toan Nguyen did an incredible job, taking elements and details from his fashion designs as well as the decoration from his Parisian apartment on Place Saint Sulpice in the 70s,” he continues. Inspired by the curved lines of some of the dresses designed by the couturier, designer Toan Nguyen has interpreted and integrated the designer's rounded lines into his furniture. For example, in the curves of the bed, or in the undulations that make up a set of armchairs and a seventies-style chrome sofa. Hence the name 'Wellen' (waves in German) that this collection receives.

Other key pieces of the collection are the footrests and a sofa with a wavy design in colored velvet, made up of ten modules, as well as an imposing labradorite stone table. “It is only four centimeters thick and stands on four steel-covered legs without any structure. The whole thing weighs 300 kilos. It is a very hard and dense stone. It is difficult to work with. But depending on the lighting, it takes on an iridescent shine. . blue in some areas and appears clear,” observes Toan Nguyen.

A change of scenery at Thom Browne's Palazzina Appiani. This neoclassical building from the 19th century, immersed in Sempione Park, serves as the entrance to an amphitheater reminiscent of Ancient Rome, which today houses an athletics track. With its panels, friezes and large chandeliers, the room offers the perfect setting for one of the American designer's famous productions.

To launch its new line of home linen, Thom Browne has installed six luxury cribs equipped with mattresses, sheets, cushions and cozy gray cashmere blankets decorated with four white stripes, on which sit six models with elegant sleep masks. afternoon to the sound of a soft lullaby.

“I've actually been a Frette customer for a long time and this collaboration came about quite naturally. I imagined a slightly utilitarian collection, very simple and clean, and at the same time very luxurious,” says Thom Browne. , who entrusted the development and production of his line to the Italian luxury textile manufacturer.

The collection includes plush home and beach towels, cotton sheets, cotton or cashmere pillowcases, blankets, beach bag and bathrobe, all in white or grey. It is sold through Thom Browne's e-commerce site and boutiques.

“Thom Browne is a client and contacted us. We have been working on the project for two years. It has taken time because they are sophisticated products full of details. The fabrics have been made especially for the brand. Prices start at 350 per bag , 380 euros for the bathrobe and 2,400 euros for the blanket,” Frette's general director, Filippo Arnaboldi, tells us.

Not all fashion brands participate in Design Week to present and sell their design collections. Many also take the opportunity to be seen and communicate. Like Fidenza Village, one of the Italian luxury shopping destinations of The Bicester Collection, the series of brand villages managed by the Value Retail group. For the occasion, the brand has installed itself at the Università degli Studi in Milan, which every year hosts the most spectacular installations of the Fuorisalone, the off-programme of the Salone del Mobile.

With its mobile porticos mounted on wheels in the shape of golden spheres, his installation titled “A Thousand Mirrors” did not go unnoticed. It was created by Cyril Lancelin from Lyon, often called upon by the fashion world: he has worked for Victoria/Tomas, K-Way and Coach, among others. “The connections between different fields such as fashion, music and performing arts are increasingly important. Here I imagined a playful and immersive sculpture, where the public can move. It is open, with paths and spaces,” he explains.

“This is the second year that we participate in Milan Design Week. The idea is to make the public understand that we are not only focused on shopping, but that we are also a leisure destination, with restaurants, sports, art and music in particularly tough competitive environment, this is a way to differentiate ourselves. We offer five-star service to our customers,” says Edoardo Vittucci, CEO of Fidenza Village, who is particularly pleased with the first quarter sales. “There's a big return to physical shopping,” he notes.