9 fashion forward home collections from Milan Design Week 2024

German luxury fashion house MCM debuted at Milan Design Week with MCM Wearable Casa, a show-stopping exhibition at Palazzo Cusani conceptualised by Atelier Biagetti and Maria Cristina Didero. As its name suggests, the exhibition showcased seven installations centred around MCM furniture that imagined the way we’d live in the future.

These included the spherical Space Cabinet, a series of multifunctional spherical objects that comprise a handbag, storage and a giant inflatable exercise ball; wearable storage wall Magic Gilet; and East-meets-West daybed Tatamu. Realised in exaggerated scale, and juxtaposed against the palazzo’s 17th-century interiors and bathed in moody, futuristic neon lights of blue, red and purple, the collection certainly made a lasting impression.

Still extremely active at the age of 89, Giorgio Armani dressed Armani/Casa’s headquarters in Palazzo Orsini to present a cinematic journey through the cultures that have inspired him. The Echi dal Mondo—Echoes from the World—showcase comprised a series of thematic rooms, each featuring a narrative built using Armani/Casa’s new collections, the eponymous founding designer’s personal collection of decorative items obtained from around the world, and archival Armani Prive couture dresses, exquisitely blending the spheres of furniture and fashion.

The palazzo’s hall of mirrors, for example, was an homage to China, featuring furniture pieces such as the Vivace table, with sculptural legs like bamboo stalks and a top decorated in rosy-hued silver leaf, and the Venus console, with a lacquered glass top with gold-leaf embellishments, alongside various antique items Armani had acquired in the country, like a pair of horse sculptures and an antique embroidered imperial dress.

One of the most visited exhibitions in the city was Loewe Lamps, a showcase of lighting objects by 24 collaborating artists, some of whom had never previously designed a lighting fixture. Presented at the basement level of Palazzo Citterio, the 24 lamps were made of a wildly diverse range of materials, running the gamut from the Spanish brand’s signature leather and blown glass to paper, lacquer, bamboo, birch twigs, and even horsehair.

The exhibition reflected Loewe’s commitment to the support of arts and crafts. Among our favourite pieces were ceramicist Magdalene Odundo’s spiky folded leather and brass pendant lights, and Enrico David’s cast bronze and onyx Sleepwalker table lamp, which resembled a standing arched figure with its pensive face silhouetted against an illuminated disc.

Loro Piana marks its 100th anniversary this year, and Loro Piana Interiors collaborated with the estate of the late legendary Italian architect and furniture designer Cini Boeri, who also would have celebrated her centenary birthday this year, with a sprawling installation at its headquarters in Cortile della Seta titled A Tribute to Cini Boeri. The installation showcased Boeri’s most iconic furniture designs for Arflex in a deliciously architectural scenography featuring tiered platforms, real grass and, of course, exquisite textiles from Loro Piana Interiors.

The design of the installation was based on Boeri’s idea that a house comprises separate rooms with independent exits and a common area that inhabitants “share by choice, not by imposition”. Occupying the central space was the Strips seating system, which revolutionised the way people lived in the ’60s with its padding, removable duvet-like cover and low-slung proportions, which invite one to feel totally at ease in one’s own home.

Other highlights included the limited-edition Botolo chairs, clad in Loro Piana Interiors’ proprietary blend of cashmere and silk called Cashfur, presented here in a dusty pink shade. Also of particular interest was the plush Pecorelle armchair, which was upholstered in Pecora Nera, the fashion brand’s signature dark-coloured fleece that is sourced exclusively from New Zealand merino sheep.

Read more: 7 iconic mid-century chairs designed by modernist architects

Fans of Fendi’s iconic “FF” logo were in for a treat at Fendi Casa’s Milan showroom. From the wall partitions and rugs to the smallest tableware engravings, the logo was featured prominently and tastefully.

Highlights of the brand’s 2024 collection include the Fendi F-Affair modular sofa by Controvento, which sports a puzzle-like interlocking design, the timeless F-Stripes sofa by Ludovica Serafini and Roberto Palomba, and the informal Sohoft Sofa by Toan Nguyen, which features goose down filling and exquisite leather piping. A range of accessories complemented the sofa collection, including Junto, small side tables in glossy and opaque metal, also by Nguyen, that fit like silver bangles on the rounded contours of the Sandia sofa, instantly turning its armrest into a table surface.

Don't miss: Inside the glamorous grand opening of Fendi Casa’s Singapore flagship

Did you know that American fashion designer Ralph Lauren is an avid car collector who owns some of the world’s most exquisite automobiles? Among his prized pieces are a 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic coupe, a 1929 Blower Bentley, and a 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing coupe. This collection of vehicles inspired Ralph Lauren’s Fall 2024 home line, titled Modern Driver, which was previewed at the Palazzo Ralph Lauren.

At the heart of the collection was the RL-CF1 lounge chair, which draws inspiration from the designer’s McLaren F1 race car. The dramatic, cantilevered chair features the same high-tech fibre of the F1 car, with no less than 71 layers of carbon tissue laid by hand. Other pieces in the collection also recall automotive design details, including the Beckford Table Lamp, with a metal wire mesh inspired by the grille of the aforementioned Bentley, and carbon fibre dinnerware, which also includes a speedometer-inspired plate.

Hermès’s showcase at La Pelota presented its new collections as well as archival pieces from the vaults. “Take away the information card on each item, and can you tell which is new and which is old?” asked the exhibition docent.

We couldn’t—and that is precisely the point: that Hermès pieces are timeless.

The spatial experience to reach an elongated table displaying these old and new collections was grand, yet also deeply meditative. Visitors were welcomed into a cavernous space shrouded in darkness and invited to roam an X-shaped platform above the main exhibit, which was the floor of the space.

Titled The Topography of Material by Hermès, it featured various traditional materials used since ancient times, sourced from all over the country. These included cracked earth, limestone, pebbled Carrara marble, terracotta, and reclaimed wood. The installation invited one to “step out of time while keeping your feet on the ground”. An illuminated slit in the wall offered a tantalising glimpse at the old and new pieces, and also served to guide visitors to the discreet display area. 

In case you missed it: Hermès celebrates its savoir-faire and heritage with On the Wings of Hermès, a new exhibition debuting in Singapore in July

Versace’s iconic leitmotifs, the Medusa, Barocco and Greca, all featured prominently in the brand’s 2024 collection, which was presented at Palazzo Versace on Via Gesu through a bespoke audio experience titled Versace Home: If These Walls Could Talk.

Created in collaboration with Radio Raheem, Milan’s foremost independent radio station, the showcase’s soundscape featured voice snippets narrating notable moments within the palazzo walls, a place the brand has called home since the ’80s.

These included the meeting of Fendi and Versace for the Fendace fashion show, and the birth of the supermodel during the Versace Fall/Winter 1991 fashion show. The collection’s standout piece was the unapologetically lavish Medusa ’95 Conversation sofa, which boasts an exaggerated size and unparalleled comfort.

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