Second part of the story of what (and it’s really a lot) we have been admiring in Milan, between Salone and Fuorisalone. Common denominator: leather. Used by many, transformed in a thousand ways, chosen and valued as a tool in projects, often characterised by a deep crossover of productive specialisations and brand identities. One case, in this sense, is the one involving Santoni who collaborated with Cassina for a review of Mario Bellini’s Cab armchair proposed in three special editions. Behind the project is Patricia Urquiola, internationally renowned archi-star as well as creative director of Cassina and partner of Santoni in its retail projects. Connecting the two different worlds together, the mastery of Santoni artisans who hand-painted the sitting models “working on the glaze, Santoni’s flagship, which enhances the degradé effect conceived by Patricia Urquiola, creating unusual nuances” in shades of petroleum green, lobster and sage green. “It is a real honor for me to collaborate again with Patricia and to give birth to this special version of the iconic Cab armchair made in 1977 by Mario Bellini, an exceptional architect as well as a friend – says Giuseppe Santoni, CEO of the brand -: I think this is a tribute to great Italian design and our unparalleled savoir-faire”.
Hermès is also home at the Milan Design Week with its Maison line. At the Pelota space, the French label presented the Raw Material exhibition, a path between dry stone walls that house a balanced collection of household items (rugs, throws, fabrics, wallpapers, vases, small containers and, from this year, also lamps) “designed and finished so as never to cover the soul and appearance of the materials, whether it was leather, bamboo or paper”.
And then there is Loewe, Spanish luxury brand, which presented Loewe Baskets, an exhibition that involved eleven international artisans, called to reinterpret their art (wicker weaving, hand quilting and calligraphy) using, however, leather. Limited edition baskets, bags and containers were born, limited editions visible in the boutique in via Montenapoleone. Beautiful, there’s nothing more to be said.
In the picture, from left: Loewe, Hermès, Santoni/Cassina
