Vogue: fashion floods Salone del Mobile
- Milan Design Week ended with fashion labels including Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Prada and Jil Sander using Salone del Mobile to launch furniture and installations. - Salone del Mobile said its 64th edition drew 316,342 visitors from 167 countries, with 1,900 exhibitors across 169,000 square metres at Rho Fiera. - The fair’s own data showed U.S. trade attendance rose 8.8% from 2025, underscoring luxury brands’ push beyond clothing. (salonemilano.it)
At Milan Design Week, fashion brands treated Salone del Mobile as a launchpad for furniture, interiors and immersive installations, not just clothes. (ourculturemag.com) (salonemilano.it) The 64th edition of Salone del Mobile ran from April 21 to April 26 at Rho Fiera Milano, with more than 1,900 exhibitors from 32 countries across more than 169,000 square metres. (salonemilano.it) After the fair closed, Salone del Mobile said the 2026 edition logged 316,342 visitors from 167 countries, with international trade visitors accounting for 68% of attendance. (salonemilano.it) That scale helps explain why luxury houses now use Milan’s design week as a calendar event alongside runway season. April in Milan has become a place to show objects, rooms and brand worlds to buyers, media and clients in one week. (ourculturemag.com) (salonemilano.it) Gucci used the week for “Gucci Memoria,” an exhibition built around 12 tapestries tracing the house’s 105-year history, from Guccio Gucci to Demna. (ourculturemag.com) Louis Vuitton showed “Pierre Legrain Hommage,” an Art Deco-leaning Objets Nomades presentation that revived archival designs alongside new pieces, including a red-and-black Omega-shaped vanity. (ourculturemag.com) Fendi used the week on several fronts: it named the first winner of a new design prize, rolled out another Fendi Casa chapter with outside designers, and reworked the Baguette as a design object. (ourculturemag.com) Prada staged its annual “In Sight” symposium with Formafantasma at Santa Maria delle Grazie, focusing this year on image-making through talks on photography, algorithms and politics. (ourculturemag.com) Jil Sander, under Simone Bellotti, worked with Milan studio Studioutte on an installation at the brand’s headquarters built around 60 books selected by 60 creatives in its orbit. (ourculturemag.com) The fair’s own numbers point to why brands keep investing. Salone said U.S. operator attendance rose 8.8% from 2025, while the United Kingdom rose 10.4% and Canada 28%. (salonemilano.it) Salone’s organizers still describe furniture as “the true star of the show,” but Milan’s 2026 edition showed how fashion labels now crowd that stage with homeware, archives and experiences. (salonemilano.it) (ourculturemag.com)
