Milan in Focus

Milan, considered by many as a locus for creativity, is also always in motion. Artists, designers and frazzled PR teams rush through metros and trams, racing to make the next glamorous show. Costume designers from La Scala tote sketches across the city. Friends grab Moka pots as last-minute gifts. And, if you’re lucky, you might see a well-dressed Italian man at Bar Basso and wonder, “Wait, was that really Maurizio Cattelan?” To truly grasp the city’s design legacy, you can’t just read about it – you have to throw yourself into it, much as a local would throw up their hands and mutter “Che palle” as they realise that Fashion Week is in full swing and they’re about to fight a sea of celebrity visitors just to get a post-work aperitivo.

Bob Dylan’s song ‘Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again’ is the unlikely inspiration for the title of the era-defining Memphis movement, founded in Milan in the early 1980s by Ettore Sottsass and a radical group of designers. To experience this iconic design era first hand, wander through the basement of La Rinascente in Piazza Duomo, home to its ‘Design Supermarket’. Here, original works from the Memphis movement are available for purchase, wrapped in packaging that feels like a time capsule from the era. For those drawn to an aesthetic different to the bold neons of the 1980s, dedicated shops for Alessi, Kartell and Flos offer timeless pieces from other chapters in Italy’s rich product design history. For something more contemporary, the Nilufar Depot is worth the trip outside the city centre. Housed in a former silverware factory, this three-level space was opened in 2015 by Nina Yashar. Its layout – tiered like Teatro alla Scala – hosts exhibits exploring the intersections of contemporary and historical design (pictured). If La Rinascente offers a snapshot of Italy’s design past, Nilufar Depot is its living, breathing present.