Milan Design Week plans

Milan Design Week opens in Milan on Monday, April 20, with the city’s design calendar running through April 26 and Salone del Mobile at Fiera Milano Rho starting April 21. (salonemilano.it) Salone del Mobile, the trade fair that anchors the week, runs April 21–26 at the fairgrounds in Rho, while citywide Fuorisalone events spread across districts including Brera, Tortona and Porta Venezia. Visit Milano says the 2026 program includes more than 1,850 events across the city. (salonemilano.it) (visitmilano.org) The 2026 edition mixes furniture and interiors with fashion, publishing and food-coded installations. That crossover is visible in projects from Arket, Jil Sander and Sophie Lou Jacobsen, all timed to open as the week begins. (lofficielusa.com) (archdaily.com) Arket is using Milan Design Week to launch Laila Gohar’s first ready-to-wear collection on April 21. The brand and the New York-based artist are staging a fruit-and-vegetable carousel at Giardino delle Arti, and Fuorisalone lists the collaboration as a 27-piece Spring/Summer 2026 collection. (wallpaper.com) (fuorisalone.it) That installation is scheduled in Porta Venezia from April 21 through April 24, while the district’s own program says the public display tied to the launch begins April 20 and runs through April 24. Arket says the collection will also be sold in selected stores and on its website. (fuorisalone.it) (portaveneziadesigndistrict.com) (arket.com) Sophie Lou Jacobsen is presenting “Disco Aperitivo,” a homeware collection built around Milan’s pre-dinner drinks ritual and the look of 1970s and 1980s Italian nightlife. Wallpaper reports the installation is set in an apartment in Loreto, and design listings describe a 14-piece lineup including jeweled glassware, trays, placemats, an ash tray and a cigarette box. (wallpaper.com) (dezeen.com) (thedesignrelease.com) Jil Sander is taking a quieter route with “Reference Library,” an exhibition and book-club format developed with Apartamento magazine. Women’s Wear Daily reports the project brings together books selected by contributors including Hans Ulrich Obrist, Celine Song, Faye Toogood and Lykke Li. (wwd.com) The exhibition runs April 20–24 at the Jil Sander showroom and centers on 60 books chosen by international creatives. Other reports say visitors will consult the books in a reading-room setting rather than a conventional retail display. (wwd.com) (hypebeast.com) (casawi.eu) The week’s official and unofficial calendars overlap, which is part of the point: Salone handles the industry fair, while Fuorisalone turns storefronts, courtyards and apartments into temporary venues across Milan. By next weekend, April 25 and 26, the fair opens to the public as those city installations hit full traffic. (salonemilano.it) (visitmilano.org)