This year during Milan Design Week, fashion’s biggest houses flexed their visions beyond the runway, offering immersive installations, cultural dialogues, and sensorial journeys that blurred the lines between design, storytelling, and emotion. From Gucci’s meditations on bamboo to Prada’s thought-provoking literary train ride, the week—which took place from April 8 to 13— revealed how brands are reimagining their identities through objects, environments, and ideas. Whether it was Loro Piana’s incredible Dimore Studio experience, the spiritual vibrancy of La DoubleJ, or Miu Miu’s intellectual deep-dives, each brand expanded the language of design to speak to something deeper—our memories, desires, and sense of self. Read on to discover all of the major fashion highlights from Salone del Mobile 2025.
Gucci
Gucci presented “Bamboo Encounters,” from April 8-13, an exhibition inspired by its classic bamboo bag handles, inviting artists worldwide to reinterpret the material in innovative ways. Curated by 2050+ and Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli, the exhibition features bold reinterpretations of bamboo by global artists and designers, each piece exploring bamboo’s evolving symbolism in art, culture, and craftsmanship. A stabdout was Hybrid Exhalations, courtesy of Palestinian artist Dima Srouji who found bamboo baskets with hand-blown glass to explore fragility and resilience.
Prada
Now in its fourth edition, Prada Frames is a thought-provoking symposium that runs alongside Salone del Mobile. Curated by Formafantasma, the 2025 theme In Transit explored infrastructure, mobility, and their social, environmental, and digital impacts. Among the featured voices are Palestinian architects AAU Anastas, contributing perspectives on movement, space, and resistance. Talks take place aboard a restored 1950s Arlecchino train and at Milan Central Station.
Loro Piana
Loro Piana and Dimoremilano presented the standout La Prima Notte di Quiete, an immersive installation blending cinematic fiction with refined interiors. Set in Loro Piana’s Cortile della Seta, the experience unfolds through a series of rooms filled with new and iconic furniture, textiles, and art, evoking warmth, calm, and sophistication. Each section of the space featured custom pieces designed by Dimorestudio and crafted in Loro Piana Interiors fabrics, merging vintage charm with modern luxury. The soundscapes by Nicola Guiducci add emotional depth, while shadows, textures, and curated lighting heighten the sensory journey.
Hermès
Hermès returned to La Pelota with a poetic scenography by Charlotte Macaux Perelman and Alexis Fabry. New creations were displayed in suspended, nearly colorless boxes that cast vibrant halos on the floor, revealing the objects like emotions. The installations explore the idea of the object as both tangible and imagined—emerging gradually through light, reflection, and memory. Each piece carries an aura, evoking presence, familiarity, and the subtle power of design- an object becomes more than form—it becomes a feeling.
La DoubleJ
La DoubleJ presents: La Prima Notte di Quiete, a showcase of design, energy, and Italian craftsmanship. The brand debuted its Napoli Rosa collection in a soft blush palette, alongside new additions to its beloved Napoli Blue and Wildbird lines. An immersive pop-up at Via Vigevano featured homeware, Murano glass, tarot readings, and J.J. Martin’s new book, Mamma Milano. La DoubleJ’s new “Starquarters” includes a public showroom and a rooftop Gong Temple hosting sound healing and spiritual activations. Through joyful design and consciousness-raising rituals, the brand connects its vibe with wellness, and aesthetic celebration in their signature style.
Loewe
LOEWE Teapots, featured 25 teapots reimagined by renowned artists, designers, and architects from around the world, notably Lebanese artist Simone Fattal. Held at Palazzo Citterio from April 8-13, the collection explored global tea cultures through sculptural interpretations in ceramic, porcelain, leather, and metal. Each piece played with proportion and materiality, from Rose Wylie’s fluted homage to Royal Albert china to Madoda Fani’s unglazed red clay vessel. Alongside the teapots, LOEWE showcased exclusive homewares, a custom tea blend, and collaborative pieces with Spanish and Japanese artisans.
Miu Miu
Miu Miu hosted its second Literary Club, under the theme A Woman’s Education, exploring girlhood, love, and sex education. Day one focused on Simone de Beauvoir’s The Inseparables, with a panel discussion on female friendship featuring writers like Lauren Elkin and Geetanjali Shree. Day two centered around Fumiko Enchi’s The Waiting Years, unpacking women’s sexuality and societal roles with authors including Naoise Dolan and Sarah Manguso. Both days included poetry readings and live performances by artists like Bluem and Kai-Isaiah Jamal, with guests such as Millie Brady and Cindy Bruna.The event was followed by two special episodes of Phoebe Lovatt’s Deep Read podcast and reinforces Miu Miu’s broader cultural initiatives promoting female voices.It continues the brand’s commitment to storytelling, following previous projects like Miu Miu Women’s Tales and the 2024 Literary Club Writing Life.
