Luxury brands sweep Italy at the Venice Biennale and Milan Design Week

Italy is in the spotlight more than ever this spring and will host some of the most interesting events in the culture, art and design sectors in April. Starting with the 60th edition of the Venice Biennale, an international art exhibition that is held every two years and whose opening, scheduled for April 17 to 19 and which arouses great media interest, overlaps this year with another major event, the Milan Design Week. , scheduled for April 15-21. Deciding which of the two events to participate in has turned out to be quite a headache for many luxury brands.

This was the case, in particular, with Dior and Louis Vuitton. The LVMH group's two main brands have chosen not to show in Milan this year, even though their installations are often among the most popular at Design Week, and they will present special projects at the Venice Biennale. Tod's made the same decision. The Italian footwear brand, a collaborator of the Italian pavilion at the Biennale, will organize an event dedicated to top-level Italian craftsmanship in Venice, parallel to the exhibition.

Chanel will also be present in Venice this year, through the Cultural Fund created in 2021, which supports the French-Caribbean artist Julien Creuzet. Creuzet represents France at the Biennale and will exhibit his works in the French pavilion of the exhibition. Buccellati, a jewelry brand owned by the Swiss group Richemont, will organize a retrospective exhibition in Venice during the Biennale, focusing on its history and heritage, while the Buccellati store in Milan will display a selection of objects designed by architect Patricia Urquiola.

Meanwhile, Milan will not be watching from the sidelines. Far from there. Fashion and luxury brands will once again flock to the capital of Lombardy, which will be filled with cultural events during Design Week. From Hermès to Dolce & Gabbana, passing through Gucci, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Elie Saab, Loewe and Versace, passing through, for the first time, Saint Laurent, Yves Salomon and the Irish label JW Anderson – to name only the most famous -, A host of fashion names will compete for inventiveness, trying to capture the public's attention through a wide range of initiatives. Both the Italian Fashion Chamber (CNMI) and Altagamma, the association of Italy's leading luxury brands, have drawn up their own calendar of events!

The themed fashion events planned for Milan Design Week include spectacular installations, such as Hermès, an extraordinary exhibition of giant paintings mounted by Moncler in the city's Central Station, a series of avant-garde projects in various private spaces and multiple event formats such as the one chosen by Missoni, which will be presented in different parts of the city, as well as in-store presentations of collaborations between fashion designers and objects.

In addition to product launches, of course: Thom Browne, for example, will launch a new homewear collection in collaboration with Frette inside a historic palace. Getting noticed is key. Roberto Cavalli will adorn an urban tram and a bistro, in collaboration with AD magazine, with his “golden lightning” print, created for the brand's new home decoration collection.

Eager to join in, some brands have arrived in Milan early and have organized their events before Design Week taking advantage of Milan Art Week. From April 8 to 14, the city hosts the Miart modern and contemporary art exhibition, the MIA Photo photography exhibition and many other events in different locations. For example, in recent days, the walls of the city have been covered with large posters with original images made by 70 artists for the Trussardi Foundation.

The renowned men's clothing brand Canali has invited the artist Linda Carrara to present its new store concept; while Tivioli, a brand founded in Turin in 1970, specializing in luxury leather and sheepskin coats handmade by its 17 artisans, presents works by ceramist Jane Yang d'Haenne, selected for the Tivioli store in Milan by gallery owners Raphaella Riboud Seydoux and Alessandro Pron. .

The frenzy will reach its peak starting Monday, April 15, when Milan Design Week officially opens. The main event is the Salone del Mobile (Salone del Mobile), held at the Rho Fiera exhibition center on the outskirts of the city, bringing together nearly 2,000 exhibitors and featuring an installation by American director David Lynch. Along with it, the FuoriSalone, a parallel calendar that presents more than 1,000 initiatives spread throughout Milan.

Guglielmo Miani, president of the Montenapoleone District, the association of retailers operating in the city's luxury shopping district, said: “Milan Design Week is a unique opportunity for the city in terms of footfall and revenue, and to promote “Synergies between luxury, retail and tourism sectors, in particular in the via Montenapoleone area Following the large number of visitors registered in 2023, we anticipate record attendance from all over the world.”

Next week, more than 300,000 visitors are expected in Milan, especially from Europe and the United States.