This year Tom Dixon is not coming to Milano for Salone del Mobile.
After 27 years of uninterrupted presence at the Milano Design Week, and every single time as the highlight of Fuorisalone in a crescendo of installations and events on an ever larger scale, appeal and success, this year, Tom Dixon, the rebellious and unpredictable hero of British design, surprises us again, but in another, truly unexpected, way: he will not be presenting his new collections in Milano.
Tom Dixon and Salone del Mobile: a story that goes back a long way
Tom Dixon, edition after edition, has always brought to the Milano Design Week not only product novelties, but also moments of true engagement with both trade professionals, and the general public, intuitively grasping also the “show” and entertainment direction that Salone del Mobile week was taking.
And so, we had him for two years at the Science Museum with a kind of living factory, Most, where he gave away just-made chairs; then came the Cinema in 2015 and, in 2016, the spectacular concept, the Restaurant, at La Rotonda della Besana.
An escalation to last year's taking over of Galleria Manzoni, in the heart of the city: the Multiplex project, in collaboration with Ikea and the unveiling of a unique bike with Moto Guzzi, the Tomoto: his greatest and most complex Design week that’s tough to compete with and surpass.
It was 1990 when he first debuted in Milan: it was with Cappellini and the S-Chair, at 10 Corso Como. Tom himself recalls that he was sleeping on a bench near Piazza Castello because at the time he didn’t have “enough money” for a room.
Tom Dixon only went to the fair at Rho one year, and he probably won't go there again (too many constrictions and limits for such a super free and rebel mind as his, always eager to do things his own way).
In a couple of Salone editions, Tom even picked up his bass guitar to play on stage with a group of friends and peers, The Rough (as a 20 year-old in the London of the 70s, he was a musician in the band “Funkapolitan” and rock and motorbikes are still big loves).
So Tom undoubtedly always knows how to intrigue us and to stand out in the increasingly more fierce and crowded Milano calendar, chock-full of events, cocktails and parties. And this year he does it again: he surprises us by not even coming!
And just last year Tom was awarded Designer of the Year – Lifetime Achievement for his contribution to Fuorisalone’s history.
Why Tom Dixon is not coming to Milano for Salone del Mobile
Not Milano, but London. Tom Dixon actually is working big in his hometown.
His headquarters are being relocated from Ladbroke Grove, West London, to King’s Cross, an increasingly more vibrant area and one to keep a watch on (in fact, besides Central St. Martins school, Google is moving here and also Facebook has just announced it will open offices in King’s Cross as well; and Thomas Heatherwick is already based there).
He is moving into a building originally dating back to 1851, the Coal office, a 17,500 sq. ft. complex, once a coal distribution centre. What shall we expect to see from him from this new venue?
"Offices, a store and showroom, a restaurant and café… more people, more shops, more partners… We will use this incredible location as a platform to broadcast our latest ideas in interior design, product innovation and experiments in food, functionality and future living", says Tom, but he can’t reveal anymore yet.
And from London he has also just announced a 90-day preview tour around the world to present his latest collections, from Cape Town (just did) to Reykjavik, from Singapore to Lima. So it appears that for now for him Milano is no longer the epicenter for launching his novelties as usual, but vice-versa, Tom and his team are going to personally visit and meet architects, showrooms, clients and journalists.
Many other projects are in the pipeline, besides the development of an always broader range of products; a new mono-brand store is planned to open soon in Sydney and Tom Dixon and his Design Research Studio are also designing ship interiors for Sir Richard Branson’s upcoming Virgin Voyages cruise line, whose first ship is set to sail from Miami in 2020.
And so all eyes are on London for this big opening and Tom Dixon’s new around-the-world adventures. Meanwhile, in April we'll definitely miss not only the dazzle and innovation of his lighting and materials, but also his eclectic spirit and unpredictable and engaging vibes in Milano!
We await his return in 2019! Tom, just back from South Africa, tells us from London: "The modern world is about networks, and rather than do a big launch this year I want to weave a more complex more unexpected web of interrelated global friends. Next year I will come back to Milan with, I hope, some new, more unexpected material that will be inspired by my travels”.
At the opening: The new Tom Dixon headquarters in King’s Cross, London. The relocation is planned for this spring.
