by Mariacristina Ferraioli
Milan is once again becoming the design capital of the world, after the long stop imposed by the pandemic, and is preparing to celebrate its supremacy with an edition of the Salone del Mobile that has never been so full of events, exhibitions, installations, and presentations scattered in every corner of the city. It is a highly anticipated return not only because of all the related activities associated with the event, which celebrates its 60th edition this year, but also because the long isolation has forced us all to think about a new way of living the home not only as a domestic environment, but also as a space in which to spend all of our time. Moreover, the lockdown and smartworking, which has become increasingly widespread, have shifted attention and investments to the domestic sphere. Even the fashion world seems to be paying more and more attention to the home to expand business and create new forms of visual identity. This attitude began several years ago, and sees Italy and the city of Milan in particular, as its nerve centre. In the beginning it was Giorgio Armani, who as early as 2000 launched a “home” line, effectively opening a market to which other fashion houses have adapted. Today it is a widespread trend and no longer a niche one, as demonstrated by the very recent opening of flagship stores dedicated to the home collections of big names in the luxury sector who are increasingly focusing on lifestyle and design. If the fashion sector has, in fact, suffered greatly in the last two years, the “home” segment has instead kept pace, recording remarkable growth and still ample room for development. The widespread trend is to no longer settle for anonymous spaces in which to live but to make one’s home comfortable and visually attractive by following the canons of exclusivity.
Fashion, therefore, focuses on design and the upcoming home collections are multiplying. From clothing to accessories to sofas and furnishings, major fashion houses are coming to market with their own identity mix of styles, patterns and materials, for a total branding that touches every aspect of life. Fashion’s attention to design is also manifested in the choice to open large stores dedicated exclusively to furnishing accessories. Fendi, for example, recently entered into an agreement with Design Holding, the largest group in the high-end design sector, creating FF Design, Fashion Furniture Design, a new company aimed at developing the Fendi Casa world. From beds to sofas to coffee tables, the new exclusive Fendi Casa line will be presented in conjunction with the Salone del Mobile 2022 in the new super-flagship store opened in Piazza Della Scala. Dolce&Gabbana has also opened a new store, also in Milan, dedicated to home collections inspired by the iconic motifs that have made the fashion label famous throughout the world. The same goes for Versace, Diesel and Missoni, which have been in the home furnishings market for years now.
Not only big names, but also young fashion brands are looking to the home to expand their business and find new fields of creativity, where design experiments by collaborating with brands closer to youth culture in a crossover of languages that is already trending. During the last Fashion Week, Arthur Arbesser launched the Arthur Arbesser Casa line: a mix of table textiles in four prints taken from his fashion collections. Not content with that, the Austrian designer, who has lived in Italy for many years, presented his first furniture design project called “In a Box” at the last Fashion week. This project translates the geometries and patterns that have always characterised his creative language into a series of unique pieces: a chair, a coffee table and a set of three modular containers. The pieces, produced by De Rosso with design coordination by Mario Scairato, are upholstered in laminates from the WHIMSY collection by Arthur Arbesser x Abet Laminati. The idea is to cover an object with the same elegance and sartorial care as a dress with the difference, however, that a piece of furniture has a longer lifespan than a fashion item. A piece, therefore, that becomes an iconic element, and that can be kept over time. This attention to detail also extends to Colville, the brand created by Molly Molloy, designer of Marni and Lucinda Chambers, former fashion director of British Vogue, which offers a range of rugs, handmade in Turkey, that reproduce the vibrant colours, clean cuts, and textures of clothes. Creativity takes centre stage, and for the two founders of the brand, fashion is nothing more than a privileged gateway to the world of art and design. And, vice versa, to a continuous crossover that leaves a lot of room for imagination.
From catwalk to tile, the step is short. Phillippe Plein knows this well and has inaugurated the Philipp Plein Italian Luxury Wallpaper in partnership with Zambaiti Parati, a historic Italian wallpaper company. The new collection is inspired by the fabrics and materials that Philipp Plein uses in his clothing and accessories collections, transferred to wallpaper with animal prints and textural effects. There is also a tropical line with floral elements and a more geometric line that incorporates the logo of the fashion house. The wallpapers are presented to the public for the first time during the Salone del Mobile, together with a line of furnishings, candles and objects, all strictly branded by Plein.
Instead, the home collection of Elie Saab, again in collaboration with Zambaiti Parati, is dominated by refined luxury and exceptional quality. Sumptuous interiors dominated by gold, silver, and precious materials, rich in colours and nuances that include wallpapers from the classic to oriental designs in perfect line with the fashion label’s style.
The attraction between fashion and design is fatal, and on closer inspection has more than one advantage. First and foremost, the ability to reinforce a brand’s image through products that can stand the test of time longer than clothing and, at the same time, approach a consumer audience that constantly looks for unique products.
