Milan Design Week 2018 finds fashion once again and this year, a number of events unite the two fields for a strong showing of culture in the city.

The Fashion District, also known as the Quadrilatero della moda, was one of the first locations to understand the necessity of speaking a shared language. During Design Week, the area was a frenetic frenzy of presentations, exhibits, and installations. Key designers, artists, and companies have chosen fashion to communicate their ideas in emotional shows that extend beyond the simple concepts of formal design. Meanwhile, fashion houses find a new democratic and authoritative channel to reach an incredible diverse public.

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Andrea Pedretti

Traveling through the city, Hermès touched down in some of the most popular locations of Fuorisalone: from Permanente, where they curated a show by Charlotte Macaux Perelman, to the boutique in Via Montenapoleone, whose display window were curated by sculptor Markus Hofer, and all the way to Via Brera 15 & 28, Via della Spiga, and La Triennale, where artists illustrated traditional patterns from the brand outside.

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Andrea Pedretti

With Nina Chez Valentino, one wonders what to do when confronted with tradition, whether its a historic brand or something rooted deeper in culture. The installations here continued through five rooms within the boutique in Via Montenapoleone, imagined by the Nilufar Gallery founder together with Valentino’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli. The spaces are an interpretation of a moment in design, a decade or a style, synthesized in an object and inserted into the current context.

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Andrea Pedretti
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Andrea Pedretti

Vivienne Westwood invites visitors at Milan Design Week 2018 for a moment of rest to play table football on the slim lines of the redesign from Basaglia + Rota Nodari. Meanwhile, chairs from Kenneth Cobonpue help create a relaxed outdoor atmosphere. The British stylist employs design to create a decisively fun environment that’s easily accessible.

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Andrea Pedretti
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Andrea Pedretti

A journey through the cultural abundance of artisan textiles throughout the world exalts the diversity and skill of artisan craftsmanship. Loewe collaborated with over 100 ateliers across different continents for a series of unique tapestries and covers in limited edition series.

The red thread connecting the various products were the early 20th-century Italian nudes from German photographer Wilhem von Gloeden, digitally printed directly on the fabric. A creative way of reflecting how the product, both in furnishings and clothing, needs to pass through the intellectual process of the manufacturer.

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Andrea Pedretti

Among the other names to catch, even if just for a glimpse of the vibrant colors, are the fringed stools designed by Lorenza Bozzoli for Pomellato, and the rugs from Patricia Urquiola for Santoni, transforming the boutique with a fun 2D effect.

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Andrea Pedretti