Milano Design Week | 7 to 13 April 2025

Selected by an international jury of industry experts, each project provides a tangible example of how collaboration shapes different stages of the design process. The collective exhibition is set to highlight the strength and depth of Switzerland’s contemporary design scene and its ability to add value when collaborating with international partners. To organise the last edition of the House of Switzerland Milano as part of the Milano Design Week 2025, Pro Helvetia and Presence Switzerland team up once again.

‘Collaboration nurtures innovation through the convergence of diverse expertise, backgrounds, and skills” the creative directors Marie Mayoly (Pro Helvetia) and Alexandre Edelmann (Presence Switzerland) explain. “This multi-layered topic has accompanied us daily on this journey. By fostering trust and open dialogue, collaboration transforms ideas into reality, bridging generations and disciplines to shape a future-focused design landscape. We believe that this is just as valid for the creative sector as it is for societies or institutions.’  

Emerging Talents 

The participating talents focus on the impact of collaboration at both the local and global levels, while exploring it as a vehicle for change and innovation. 

Cultural exchange, interconnections and cross-boundary partnerships play a key role in numerous projects. The Furikake Lantern by Flavia Brändle and Rio Koboyashi references the Japanese culinary tradition while exploring modular innovation within lighting design. Swiss designers Alix Arto and Emma Casella, in collaboration with Chinese designer Yihan Zhang, explore wool felting’s cultural and sustainable potential, blending local traditions and international techniques. Their project addresses the undervaluation of diverse wool breeds through collaboration with artisans and the creation of a felt database. Finnish designer Mari Koppanen joins forces with textile weaver Estelle Bourdet to create Interwoven Cultures – a handwoven bio-textile that combines traditional techniques with a material formed from bacterial cellulose. Antonio Severi, in partnership with the Beirut-based Exil Collective, creates home objects from recycled aluminium, merging traditional sand-casting techniques with contemporary design. Lena Bernasconi investigates the fashion industry’s gender bias presenting a new design for women’s work pants. dversa.studio introduces kwer – a tableware collection designed through a co-creative process with users from diverse backgrounds, abilities and ages resulting in inclusive homeware. 

Justus Hilfenhaus looks back at his experience as a student at ECAL by designing objects made within the school itself to draw attention to hyper-local production. Livia Lauber reinterprets the iconic USM shelving system into functional lamps while Salomon Elsler explores the use of pest-infested wood within furniture production. Yael Anders and Tymen Goetsch’s TechTact combines traditional clay craftsmanship with advanced digital tools. Their vases are scanned, digitally manipulated, and 3D-printed before being cast for production, offering a new take on contemporary craft by blending artisanal skills with cutting-edge technology. Raphael Kadid is present with a bookshelf crafted from hand-anodised aluminium in partnership with Raw Senses and BWB. 

Institutions and brands 

With the installation Rings of Collaboration, the Swiss Paraplegic Foundation showcases the power of inclusive design, highlighting cross-sector collaboration in medicine, technology, education, and more to promote independent and autonomous lifestyles. Istituto Svizzero explores the relationship between queer history and spatial design by speculatively imagining the home of ‘Dorothy’ (from the phrase ‘Friends of Dorothy’) and divulging the queer histories of Milan itself through architecture, artefacts and kinetic machineries. Commissioned by mudac, an interactive installation immerses visitors in THEBADWEEDS’ trans-species hip-hop world, using music, dance and humour to explore identity, resilience, and ecological interconnectedness. Swisswool’s MOÏRA rug collection by Claudia Caviezel reinvents ways of using wool from Valais Blacknose sheep through innovative deep dyeing techniques. The project revitalizes Swiss wool, showcasing its strength and potential while supporting local farmers and traditional craftsmanship. The Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship presents a collection of 23 objects created by international duos of emerging talents and master artisans as part of the Homo Faber Fellowship programme. By facilitating the transfer of craft skills between generations, the Fellowship highlights the power of collaboration and promotes craft as a viable career. 

Schools and Universities 

Designed in CH, Made in JP is a collaboration between ECAL’s MA Product Design programme, Karimoku New Standard, and Presence Switzerland, showcasing student-designed chairs that blend Swiss and Japanese heritage, craftsmanship, and innovation. The Basel Academy of Art and Design COLAB: ICDP Prospects Unfolded by FHNW showcases interdisciplinary projects from the Institute Contemporary Design Practices, inviting public participation while exploring fashion, interior architecture, and industrial design through collaboration and reflection. SUPSI’s SEMESTER Magazine highlights emerging Swiss design, fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration with six stories from recent graduates and HSLU’s Living Tent invites visitors to engage in a community-driven, sustainable project. 

Events

The House of Switzerland Milano will host talks, workshops, and discussions with designers, experts, and institutions, opportunities for exchange, inspiration, and collaboration through conversations and hands-on experiences. 

Scenography 

Swiss design duos Gini Moynier and Spectrodrama transport visitors to the golden era of workspaces with a seventies-inspired backdrop. The scenography, created in collaboration with Faust Linoleum and Forbo, uses a cohesive material palette across each floor of the House. Linoleum surfaces, seating, and displays installed in the space reflect both heritage and technological progress, inviting visitors to engage and encouraging human connection. The exhibition installation emphasises sustainable collaboration and global design unity. 

House of Switzerland Milano 

As part of a three-year collaborative project, the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and Presence Switzerland come together again to present a collective exhibition centred on the theme of collaboration. Returning to Casa degli Artisti in Brera, multiple projects translating the theme will be displayed across its three floors.