Now in it's 51st year, the world's biggest and boldest design fair shows no signs of old age, with scores of designers - the more familiar characters and the next wave of fresh-faced young creators - landing in the city in a whirl of initiatives and
With most leading fashion houses expanding far beyond the realms of simply fashion these days – opening bars, hotels and restaurants, and of recent years enlisting leading designers to create furniture and home collections – it's no wonder that at this year's Salone del Mobile there was strong presence from the fashion world.
Now in it's 51st year, the world's biggest and boldest design fair shows no signs of old age, with scores of designers – the more familiar characters and the next wave of fresh-faced young creators – landing in the city in a whirl of initiatives and collaborations, and this year more fashion houses than ever have stepped forward to the meet the mark.
Hermès debuted last year with a collection of contemporary furniture by Enzo Mari, Antonio Citterio, Denis Montel and Eric Benqué presented in a space by celebrated Japanese architect Shugeru Ban. Ban was invited back this year, creating a modular system of aluminium panels, aptly named MODULE H, that can be used to cover interior surfaces and create partitions between rooms and spaces.
With Hermès' typical approach to colour and texture, each individual panel can be finished in a different material and shade, creating an origami-esque wall mounted "field" in colours ranging from pumpkin and gold to ivory and oatmeal. Each panel is the size of their classic carré (a 90cm square) and, in keeping with Hermès' attention to detail, the leather covered panels are finished with saddle-stitching, mille-feuille or origami finish. Ban came to fame after the 1995 Kobe earthquake with his use of innovative materials to create temporary housing and his second collaboration for Hermès with MODULE H clearly shows the designers' eye for ingenuity and interest.
"In the true spirit of Salone, furniture makers Cerruti Baleri teamed up with Maison Martin Margiela to create a playful – and enthusiastically surreal – installation"
In the true spirit of Salone, furniture makers Cerruti Baleri teamed up with Maison Martin Margiela to create a playful – and enthusiastically surreal – installation in the via Cavallotti showroom. Cher Voisins ("Dear Neighbours") recreates 4 different domestic set ups, or housing models, in the Baleri showroom complete with wonky curtain rails, x-ray paintings and mirror balls. Cerruti Baleri played with dimension and space with trompe l'oeil furniture, and have really fused architecture and design. On the first floor, Baleri and the Belgian fashion house created an apartment using Baleri items.
Marni's temporary garden which cropped up at last year's Salone was always going to be a tough act to follow on – fortunately Marni took the challenge by the horns and this year joined in the Salone festivities with 'L'arte de Ritratto' – an installation in their flagship store featuring 100 chairs made by ex-prisoners in Colombia. Marni's aesthetic is played out on the chairs with bold colours weaved from PVC threads on a metal frame. The chairs are linked to a collaboration with photographer and filmmaker Francesco Jodice where the chairs become the stage where Marni employees pose for a series of portraits. All proceeds from the sale of the chairs are to be donated to charity in a scheme that facilitates the inmates' resettlement into social and working life.
The Salone del Mobile runs until this Sunday April 22.
Text by Alex Tieghi-Walker
