The City of Milan unveils the 63rd edition of Milan Design Week, set to take place from 8th to 13th April 2025. This year’s official Fuorisalone theme, “Mondi Connessi” (Italian for “Connected Worlds”), explores the intricate interplay between diverse spheres of life—technology and nature, tradition and innovation, human relationships and digital realities. It reflects on how design serves as a bridge, fostering harmony between the physical and the digital, the local and the global, the past and the future.
Isola Design Festival, a key event within Milan Design Week, deepens this narrative with its own theme: “Design is Human.” It places people at the heart of the design process, advocating for a more balanced, empathetic approach that prioritizes the well-being of both humans and the planet.
Among long-standing participants, Natuzzi—part of Milan Design Week since 1977—presents “Radice: Rooted in Harmony.” The concept symbolizes the brand’s continued evolution into a global lifestyle name while remaining firmly anchored in its Italian heritage, established in 1959.
Via Durini showroom | Natuzzi
Innovative Indulgences at MDW’25
If the designer in you is screaming for inspiration, we have got you covered! Here are a few interactive and immersive events you can put on your list of exploration.
Isola Design Festival
The 9th edition plumbs the depths of functional design, social impact, environmental responsibility, and the fusion of artisanal and digital, affirms Gabriele Cavallaro (co-founder and CEO of Isola Design Group). This year’s iteration is set up in BasicVillage—a former rubber factory turned design hub in Isola’s industrial east. As the new heart of the festival, it hosts three standout exhibitions—Conscious Objects, Isola Design Gallery, and Openspace—curated by Elif Resitoglu and the Isola Studio team.
RASA-Indian Collective at Isola | Stirpad
The exhibit goes beyond the venue across the neighborhood where installations, talks, and workshops animate the streets. Rasa – The Indian Collective, curated by Nidhi Chandak and Varun E S, celebrates Indian craftsmanship, featuring hand-blown glass, textiles, sandstone, terrazzo made from construction waste, woven bamboo and woodwork by more than 15 Indian designers.
Salone Del Mobile
A massive international trade show, held annually as the centerpiece of Milan Design Week, is set to open at the Fiera Milno exhibition complex in Rho. It enunciates the connection between humanity and design through display of new furniture prototypes, site-specific installations and lighting forums.
SaloneSatellite 2024 | Salone Milano
Every year, Salone del Mobile comes alive with the spirit of creativity, bold vision, innovation, sustainable excellence, and emotion—the lifeblood of the brands and designers who exhibit here. Euroluce and Workspace 3.0 focus on lighting in workspace innovation. S.Project presents dedicated design products and decor solutions beyond traditional boundaries. SaloneSatellite illustrates futuristic concepts and prototypes of young designers under 35.
Brera Design District
On the occasion of Milan Design Week, Brera Design District reaches its 16th edition, embracing the theme of “Connected Worlds”. The district will come alive with a vibrant mix of craftsmanship, art, culture, lifestyle, food, wine, and hospitality. The Hyper Portal installation by Michela Picchi for the ‘glo for art’ project will set the stage with a unique sensory indulgence for visitors.
Hyper Portal | Brera
Richard Hutten’s collaboration with Jaipur Rugs for ‘Playing with Tradition’ merges vivid, contemporary designs with traditional Indian artistry, creating handmade rugs inspired by the festival of Holi with playful motifs.
Jaipur Rugs | Stirpad
5VIE Design District
The heart of Milan will be filled with enticing displays and activations in three distinct exhibition spaces. Alongside its historic venues – Cesare Correnti and SIAM – a striking new addition takes center stage: the National Museum of Science and Technology, emphasizing 5VIE’s bold dedication to experimental and forward-thinking design.
The iconic Zeus sculpture from the Paris Olympics will be displayed during Milan Design Week | Stirpad
But this isn’t just about eye-catching installations. 5VIE invites visitors to look beyond surface-level aesthetics and consumer trends, urging a deeper reflection on design as a language that bridges the tangible and the intangible. Armonie Invisibili (Invisible Harmonies) by Alizadeh contributes to the vision with a radically reimagined model of the traditional Persian carpet. Instead of thread and loom, each piece uses vivid synthetic hair, reciting bold poetry on heritage, identity, and materiality.
Persian carpet by Hiva Alizadeh | Milanpost
Alcova Milano
The 9th edition of Alcova is set to return to Varedo, further reinforcing the idea of Milan’s position as a city in perpetual growth, expansion, and change. Alongside the historic residences presented last year, Villa Bagatti Valsecchi and Villa Borsani Alocva introduce two new sites.
Villa Bagatti Valsecchi and Villa Borsani | Alcova
Once home to Europe’s largest white orchid cultivation, the Pasino glasshouses now offer a stunning natural stage for Alcova’s curated design showcase. The airy, light-filled structures blur the line between nature and design, creating a poetic dialogue between the organic and the man-made.
SNIA factory (left) & Pasino Glasshouse (right) | Alcova
Meanwhile, the former SNIA factory is a striking relic of Milan’s rationalist past—sets the scene for bold installations focused on materiality and innovation. With its towering chimney and sleek glass facades, the space evokes Italy’s industrial heritage while looking firmly toward the future.
Luxury Brands and Emerging Designers
This event serves as a convergence point for luxury, design, fashion, and technology. Esteemed brands like Louis Vuitton, Brioni, and Jimmy Choo will debut exclusive homeware collections, reinforcing their commitment to artisanal excellence. Simultaneously, emerging galleries and designers will showcase state of the art creations, such as Serena Confalonieri’s “Jambo” collection—vivid vases crafted from reclaimed flip-flops in collaboration with Kenyan artisans, addressing marine pollution and promoting community empowerment. This blend of established luxury and fresh talent underscores the event’s role in shaping the future of design.
Milan Design Week 2025 is going to be a living, breathing expression of connection, with each district weaving a unique narrative around people, place, and purpose. Whether you’re drawn to tradition, tech, craftsmanship, or conceptual art, there’s something here to stir your imagination. One visit won’t be enough – this is a story you’ll want to read, walk through, and feel all over again.
References
- https://www.breradesigndistrict.it/en/news/brera-design-week/glo-ridefinisce-i-confini-tra-arte-design-e-tecnologia-con-hyper-portal-di-michela-picchi/
- https://www.stirpad.com/news/stir-news/brera-design-week-2025-hosts-connected-worlds-of-innovation-craft-and-design/
- https://www.stirpad.com/news/stir-news/isola-design-festival-2025-captures-the-evolving-zeitgeist-of-contemporary-design/?utm_source=search_bar&utm_medium=stirpad_search
- https://isola.design/event?eventGK=Y064WCWR
- https://www.salonemilano.it/en/exhibitions/salone-internazionale-del-mobile
- https://www.stirpad.com/news/stir-news/5vie-shapes-and-finetunes-designs-armonie-invisibili-at-milan-design-week-20252/?utm_source=search_bar&utm_medium=stirpad_search