The Kurator’s top moments from Milan Design Week 2025

Inside the storied walls of Palazzo Serbelloni, Louis Vuitton conjured a multi-sensory dreamscape. Picture a Pharrell-designed pinball machine, speakers swathed in leather, and record players masquerading as floral sculptures. But the pièce de résistance? A reconstructed La Maison au Bord de l’Eau, originally imagined by Charlotte Perriand, nestled in the courtyard. A masterclass in marrying fantasy with function — and making it look effortless.

This year, Hermès pivoted. Gone were the moody theatrics of the past — in their place, a calm, white-cube sanctuary at La Pelota. Floating display boxes housed jewel-toned throws, sculptural cedarwood tables, and playful woven objects, all softly lit and spaced like sacred relics. It felt less like an installation and more like an atmosphere — zen, precise, and quietly luxurious.

Jonathan Anderson bowed out of design week for Loewe with signature poetry and wit. Set in the shadowy halls of Palazzo Citterio, 25 artists reinterpreted the teapot. There was Rose Wylie’s painterly ceramics, David Chipperfield’s sleek minimalism — and even knitted tea cosies shaped like ducks and hedgehogs. A final act of design storytelling that was both sincere and cheeky. Loewe in limbo, but never lost.

In the cloisters of San Simpliciano, Gucci planted an actual bamboo forest. Bamboo Encounters paid homage to its iconic bamboo-handled bags, but went far beyond product. Palestinian artisans crafted delicate glass installations, while rainbow-hued kites by Dutch collective Kite Club drifted overhead. A showcase of nature, craft, and culture — radical in its softness, and lush with symbolism.

Fashion slipped into the background at Miu Miu’s Circolo Filologico takeover — but not out of sight. The two-day Literary Club featured intimate talks with novelists like Naoise Dolan and Nicola Dinan, set against neoclassical columns, candlelit corners, and jazz on loop. Feminist literature met modern tailoring in a setting that felt part salon, part after-hours book club. Refreshingly cerebral, quietly cool.