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Our local designers take the stage in Milan.

After years of showing in amazing yet challenging venues such as decayed crypts and medieval churches, Sydney-based designer and curator Emma Elizabeth has learnt a few things about Milan Design Week. For her latest Local Design installation, she commandeered an exhibition space in Milan’s 5vie district and allowed the work of a posse of Australia and New Zealand’s leading designers to do the talking.

This year’s showcase was Elizabeth’s fourth outing at Milan Design Week, an annual event held in hundreds of locations around Italy each April in conjunction with the world’s most important design fair, Salone del Mobile.

The fast-working entrepreneur issued an open call-out to Australian and New Zealand designers, the latter for the first time. In previous years Elizabeth handpicked the exhibited designers, including established names such as Jon Goulder and Adam Goodrum alongside with up-and-comers Anna Varendorff and Kate Banazi, most of whom were back in Milan this time around. Elizabeth, who studied design at the European Institute of Design in Milan and speaks Italian fluently, then took on the mammoth task of organising the event, including location scouting, plus transportation and installation for the 42 Antipodean designers in the showcase.

With help from a large contingent of volunteers from the design college LCI Melbourne and sponsorship from longstanding supporter Brickworks and others, Local Design No. 4 was a roaring success.

The larger exhibition space, at a venue where designers were not hamstrung by restrictions around hanging lighting or painting of walls, resulted in a beautifully curated event. The attention to detail extended to a phenomenal central floral display by Berlin-based Australian floral designer Ruby Barber, music by Mason Mulholland and even volunteer uniforms, specially created for the event by Australian textile designer Shilo Engelbrecht and iconic fashion designer Lydia Pearson. With visual identity designed by Milan-based creative director Bradley Seymour, the entire event was carefully considered and meticulously delivered.

“Staging an exhibition of this sort can’t be all smoke and mirrors,” says Elizabeth. “The product remains the most important part, but to be noticed during Design Week, the show must also be beautifully presented. That’s where the hard work comes in – working with this number of designers to ensure everyone sticks to the show’s overall vision and creative direction has been no easy task but the response has been wonderful.”

For a full list of exhibited designers, go to localdesign.com.au.

‘I KEEP THE PARTICIPATION COST DOWN FOR DESIGNERS IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE I GET ENOUGH VARIETY OF TALENT .’ Emma Elizabeth