Milan Design Week, as we know it today, is the result of a long cultural, economic, and symbolic evolution. It began in 1961 with the founding of Salone del Mobile, originally conceived as a platform to support and promote the Italian furniture industry. Over time, it grew into an event of international reach. Especially in previous decades, the week served as a symbol of cultural legitimacy, with participation — whether as exhibitor or visitor — becoming a status in itself. Since the 1980s, the fair has transformed from a centralized event into a citywide phenomenon, where some of the most authentic initiatives are found in Milan’s peripheries.
Just above Milan’s central station, in tunnels beneath a viaduct, Dropcity — a new hub for design and architecture — opened its refurbished premises last autumn. The concept was first introduced in 2018 by architect Andrea Caputo, with the aim of creating a space in Milan for experts from related fields to meet and exchange ideas. This year, the center gradually opened its material library, woodworking and textile workshops, and exhibition spaces. Its primary role is to serve as a cultural apparatus — with significant space dedicated to research, education, and offices for young professionals, offering support during a critical stage of development.
In addition to its newly opened facilities, the Dropcity curatorial collective presented the outcome of a year-long research project on the role of design in the growing prison crisis. The exhibition Prison Times brought together everyday objects structuring prison life: doors mostly closed, sterile dining sets, and pastel-colored suicide-proof chairs sourced directly from prison furniture suppliers. The exhibition amplified interest in the realities of incarceration through its program as well as through a comprehensive publication.
At the venue DOPO?, the interdisciplinary initiative Farm Group launched a book, the result of a one-year project exploring potential knowledge exchange between agriculture and creative fields. The publication documents a year of farming and exhibitions at Hofgut Rimpertsweiler, an organic farm near Lake Constance in southern
The installation 18 Drops of Sweat by Warm Weekend, Robinson Guillermet, and Mathias Palazzi — a bathroom originally built at La Station, Gare des Mines in Paris in summer 2024 — was re-presented in Milan as an architectural intervention with strong social and emotional charge. In Paris, it functioned as a hygiene station for young refugees; in Milan, through comprehensive documentation, it extended the discussion toward rediscovering the collective act of bathing. The “shower stall,” built from recycled materials — textiles, bricks, tiles, and metal — demonstrates how responsible design can revalorize discarded matter. Yet the project goes beyond materiality: it aims to reintroduce public rituals into urban life, providing a space for conversations about public hygiene and water use in shared environments — issues the authors argue have regained urgency in light of current energy concerns.
Mass production under one roof with a small-batch approach. Terraformæ is an independent research lab linked with a company of vast manufacturing capacities, capable of producing both large-scale runs and limited series. At Milan Design Week, they presented a wide range of new products, each located at the intersection of traditional and innovative practices. For example, Weave (pictured) is the outcome of using 3D-printed clay. The designs depart from the typical aesthetics of 3D printing, instead employing a technique reminiscent of weaving. Created during a residency by David Ronce and Pablo Dorigema, the project resulted in two products: Weave Brick and Weave Tile. These pieces redefine terracotta, playing with light, depth, and pattern to create objects that feel lighter, more textile-like, and challenge conventional perceptions of the material.
