The Week in Fashion: Loewe Does Lamps
Welcome to The Week in Fashion, Bazaar’s at-a-glance guide to what the industry is talking about.
For this week, we’re focusing on Salone del Mobile Milano (AKA Milan Design Week), which takes place from April 16—April 21.
Bottega Won’t Be Put in a Box
At the Bottega Veneta Winter ’24 show, creative director Matthieu Blazy explained the runway’s set design in his show notes, saying, “I have been visiting and thinking about the South of Italy, of Calabria and the cactus. It is an idea of resilience – the cactus grows where nothing else can grow. I’d like the floor to be seen as this landscape; the show might have a sense of introspection, but one with resilience and a feeling of hope.”
In his effort to reflect resilience, Blazy filled the venue with LC14 Cabanon stools by Le Corbusier, a legendary piece of furniture that first came to be when Le Corbusier found a whiskey box and decided to repurpose it.
Now, months after attendees sat on special editions of these stools—which were a collaboration between Bottega Veneta and Cassina (the seller of the tabourets)—a few of the pieces became a hot commodity when they were displayed during Milan Design Week, where they were also available to purchase.
Moncler Goes Mobile
For the Salone del Mobile Milano, the Italian fashion house transformed the Milano Centrale train station into one of the world’s largest public galleries, where they hosted an immersive exhibition titled “An Invitation To Dream.”
“Dreams are what have been moving myself and Moncler forward since day one, because we never stop dreaming about what is possible, and how we can inspire and be inspired by others around the world,” CEO and Chairman Remo Ruffini said. “Always aiming to
not only do new, but to do better.”
Curated by Jefferson Hack and filmed and photographed by Jack Davison, the exhibit united creative forces like Daniel Arsham, Laila Gohar, Jeremy O. Harris, Francesca Hayward, Rina Sawayama, and more for an event that took over one of the buzziest hubs in the city.
As part of the display, all of the screen throughout the station were rewired to create a “dreamscape,” and visitors could also appreciate handprinted lithographic prints from Davison that were on display.
Loewe Lights Up Milan
Besides being known for artful fashion, Loewe has slowly been creeping into the design space, offering everything from eye-popping pillows to deliciously-crafted candles that spruce up any space. So, it was no surprise when the Spanish fashion house debuted an awe-inspiring collection at Milan Design Week, which explored a new facet of the home design world: lamps.
The brand commissioned 24 different artists to design lights for the presentation, including creators like Anne Low, Kazunori Hamana, and Alvaro Barrington. The collection ranged from glowing minimalist walnut boxes to suspended leather and paper designs.
“Light is the central medium in all works on view and its properties have been embraced and manipulated by each of the the 24 artists commissioned, guided by their own individual practice,” a press release explained.
Gucci Honors Design Icons
At the Gucci flagship store on Via Monte Napoleone, creative director Sabato De Sarno decided to honor “five icons of Italian design” with a special exhibit for Milan Design Week, called “Gucci Design Ancora.”
Michela Pelizzari, the co-founder of creative agency P:S (which co-curated the project), said, “Through Design Ancora, Gucci doesn’t simply celebrate old icons, it creates new ones. The aura emanating from the brand spotlights five pieces by Italian masters that are perfect from a design standpoint but less known to the general public.”
The through-line connecting all of these redesigns was the color: Rosso Ancora. De Sarno had all of the pieces done in this shade in order to mark Gucci’s next chapter as a brand, which added a rich, cohesive element to the entire exhibit.
Alaïa Wants to Open Up the “Dialogue”
At Maison Alaïa, creative director Pieter Mulier is introducing a new series of cultural projects, which he calls “Dialogues.”
“I have always wanted Alaïa to represent more than just clothes,” Mulier says. “And this is how Azzedine looked at Alaïa. He was such a visionary, that from the very start, he imagined Alaïa as a whole. As a space where fashion opens up to art and beauty. And this vision remains today. Because I believe that fashion only makes sense if it connects with its time. With the world.”
Dialogue 1 took place at Crazy Horse Paris, a cabaret where Azzedine Alaïa used to create stage costumes for dancers back in the late ’70s. On the stage of the venue, Sam Rock photographed eleven dancers wearing a rainbow of the iconic Alaïa dress with matching Teckel bags to complete the look. With this photography project, Mulier wanted to celebrate the fusion of fashion and dance, in this space that has significance for the history of the brand.
JW Anderson Finds Meaning in Materials
As part of a new collection, titled “DAYS,” JW Anderson used his namesake brand to explore “how one makes meaning out of materials.” Through this presentation, Anderson aimed to “thematize the labor of art and study,” exploring what it means when we learn from those who made art before us.
For the exhibition, Anderson collaborated with artist Patrick Carroll, who specializes in stretched textiles and uses scavenged yarn from remainder shops that liquidate the industry’s leftovers. Carroll’s works were framed and hung all over the space, with words like “shame,” “defeat,” and “minimalism,” on display, inviting viewers to dig into their feelings and process what it is that brings art to life.
Louis Vuitton Transforms a Townhouse
At a 7-floor townhouse off Park Avenue, the Louis Vuitton team has transformed the space into an “immersive savoir-faire experience,” where visitors can book a private appointment and celebrate the brand’s most extraordinary offerings.
Through May 5, the exhibition, titled “Crafting Dreams,” explores the best the brand has to offer, and it marks the most expansive display of savoir-faire ever presented by Louis Vuitton in New York City.
Everything from trunks to fine jewelry to watches will be on display, and visitors will also have the opportunity to create personalized pieces with on-site artisans. Meanwhile, guests will also be treated to the debut of several brand-new pieces, including the Millionaires Speedy 40 by men's creative director Pharrell Williams.
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