A Fair to Remember
Milan once again played host to one of the biggest design fairs in the world. The good news is that India saw plenty of representation. Here’s a look at the key highlights.
It has undoubtedly been exciting to see the Salone del Mobile in Milan again. Over 2,62,000 people from 173 Countries and 2,175 brands were a part of the 60th edition of the design fair. There were 4,000 Indian buyers and designers at Salone, ranking India as the seventh country in terms of turnout. “After a three-year hiatus, it was invigorating to watch creatives from the world over celebrating the power of one,” says Amit Gupta, Founder, and Editor-inChief, STIR.
SHOWCASING TALENT
A prominent Indian brand on display at Salone this year was Jaipur Rugs. “The response that we received from visitors at our stall exceeded our expectations and will keep us motivated for the rest of the year,” says Yogesh Chaudhury, director, Jaipur Rugs. The brand also launched the first look of their latest collaborative collection, Brahmaand by architect and designer Ashiesh Shah.
Another interesting display was that of handmade surfaces and home decor brand from Jaipur, called Orvi. They showcased bespoke and timeless surfaces created using varied craft techniques from across the world— including stone carving, hand sculpting, intricate metal inlay, stone-instone inlay, and raku firing to name a few—using exquisite materials such as natural stone, wood, metal, liquid metal, ceramics, and glass. “We got an opportunity to collaborate with extremely talented product designers, architects and interior designer,” says Sanjeev Agrawal, founder, Orvi.
INDUSTRY INSIDERS
Most of the Indian attendees at the fair this year comprised architects and designers. “I have been coming to this fair since the mid-1970s when the only two Indians at Salone used to be Shyam Ahuja and me. This year every Indian man and woman seems to be here,” says Sunita Kohli, architect and co-founder K2 India. Gautam Baid, founder and managing director, Sunday Design couldn’t agree more. “This edition of the Salone del Mobile has certainly shown how much manufacturers, designers and architects wanted to get together again. It was heart-warming to see that the subject of sustainability was at the forefront and every brand made a conscious effort to move towards it,” he says.
GOING GREEN
This year’s edition of the Salone was based on the key topic of sustainability. The attention to the sustainable component was devoted at the level the organisation and management of the event as well as in research and the proposal of value and concrete and feasible solutions. Among them, for instance, the project ‘Design with Nature’ explored themes of circular economy and reuse. It starts with the idea that cities could be possible “reserves” of the future, where most of the raw materials used in construction could be sourced. That’s not all, the exhibition Salone Satellite was designed to bolster the ties between research, design, and industry and to facilitate the relationship between businesses and young designers preparing to enter the profession and the market, post-study. The good news is that not just these projects, several exhibitors also focused their presence at Salone on the concept of sustainability.
Over the decades, Italy has always been a point of reference for design. There is a natural sense for aesthetics permeating our artistic culture. Nowadays, Indian design is developing impressively at the halfway between
tradition, with appreciable craftsmanship and innovation, with a particular look at sustainability.
We are only at the starting point for deepening bilateral partnership even in the field of design, as the remarkable Indian participation at the Salone this year showcased. It is a performance that can only improve at the next edition.