The biggest fashion moments at Milan Design Week 2024

Milan Design Week may be the biggest furniture fair in the world, but this year, there’s more attention on fashion houses than ever before. While Ralph Lauren became the first clothing designer to jump into homeware back in 1983, the last few years have seen a second wave of fashion brands dipping their toes into interiors. Bottega Venetta was one of the first to kick things off in 2006, followed by Hermès a steady five years later. In 2016, Dior joined the homeware club — then, Gucci and Loewe soon after that. This Milan Design Week, however, it’s been MCM Worldwide’s turn to make its foray into homeware (fitting since ‘MCM’ also stands for the ‘mid-century modern’ interiors movement). Meanwhile, other fashion houses have brought everything from bespoke lamps to sexy leather sofas to the table… Read on to see some HUNGER favourites. 

Gucci ‘Le Mura’ sofa

For the 2024 fair, Gucci’s creative director Sabato De Sarno worked with Michela Pelizzari, the founder of P:S (a consultancy agency for the creative world) to recreate five signature pieces of Italian furniture — all splashed in their new signature ‘Rosso Ancora’ colour. The collection was exhibited at Gucci’s flagship store in Milan alongside an eye-catching lime green installation by Spanish architect Guillermo Santomà. Inspired by the original design by Mario Bellini for Tacchini in 1972, the ‘Le Mura’ sofa is our favourite piece from this year’s limited-edition launch.

Hermès blanket basket 

Hermès really leant into their equestrian identity this year. The motif goes through their ‘Voltige d’Hermès’ lamps that use two-tone leather to give a riding-crop effect, as well as their sleek ‘Diapason d’Hermès’ armchair (think soft, tan leather on an aluminium frame). Our favourite, however, was their collection of blanket baskets and leather coffee-table trays. With their hand-stitched detailing, reminiscent of a saddle, they’re a slightly more subtle nod to the brand’s 2024 theme. 

FENDI Casa ‘Lunar’ coffee table 

This year, FENDI Casa’s creative director, Silvia Venturini, worked with several designers and studios for their homeware range, which centred itself around the brand’s signature double-F logo. While there were a few sofas in the mix (all super natural, traditional and sleek), the standout piece was the ‘Lunar’ coffee table, created by Jonas Van Put. With its cylindrical marble tabletop, it was designed to evoke the serenity of a full moon with a seductive spin. 

Loewe lamps 

Craft and leather brand Loewe commissioned 24 artists to create a whole host of lamps this year, ranging from floor to table and ceiling lights. The result was a stunningly eclectic combination of unique designs, featuring materials such as bamboo, twigs and even horse hair. Our favourite, however, were the spiked, leather hanging lights created by Dame Magdalene Odundo. Though she’s actually a potter by trade, you’d never know from the brilliance of these punky shades.

Saint Laurent ‘Ginori 1735 Gio Ponti’ plate 

Though new to Saint Laurent, this year’s offering from the brand is actually a renewal of a collection of plates from 1957. While stunning in their design, they also come with a bit of history. In 1953, a Venezuelan couple, Anala and Armando Planchart, commissioned interior designer Gio Ponti to design their hilltop villa. But as well as handling all the interiors, he got the porcelain designer Richard Ginori to design a set of tableware for them, incorporating elements of the villa’s design, such as motifs of the sun, moon, stars and the letter ‘A’, the couple’s shared first initial. 

MCM ‘Chatty’ sofa 

From the vintage, to the ultra-modern — MCM marked their first foray into interiors with their ‘Wearable Casa’ exhibition, complete with a futuristic twist. Made with Atelier Biagetti and curated by Maria Cristina Didero, they displayed their seven-piece furniture and accessories collection at the Palazzo Cusani. But if the grandeur of the Milanese building wasn’t enough, they also created digital versions of the pieces which can be viewed in the metaverse via a phone, computer or Meta headset. While the ‘Mind Teaser’ (a suitably-named piece of furniture that can fold into a chair, stool or coffee table) comes in at a close second, it’s the cloud-like ‘Chatty’ sofa that stole the show for us.