MILAN — The sort of collectors and designers found at Design Miami or Matter and Shape have found a reason to visit Milan Design Week. The 64th edition of Salone del Mobile.Milano cut the ribbon on the first edition of collectible design exhibition Salone Raritas, which drew an international crowd both in terms of visitors and exhibitors.
Milan-based designer and artist Conie Vallese, who most recently worked with Fendi for its Design Miami 2025 project Fonderia Fendi, admitted that it was her very first time to the fair and that this year, there was a real draw for her.
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“You see how Salone has been outside and everywhere in the city…so much to the point that this in a way is bringing the attention back to the main fair, bringing collectible design, unique pieces within the conversation of what is Salone,” she said, marveling as artisans sculpted wet clay within the booth of Officine Saffi Lab, showcasing a process developed by Milan-based designer Hannes Peer to create experimental landscapes.
Set within the heart of the six-day fair as a place to find rare objects of design, with traditional firms such as B&B Italia and Audo Copenhagen showcasing nearby, the vibe was heightened by designers like Sabine Marcelis talking to the collectible curious about her latest innovation. The Dutch-New Zealander designer, whose installation “Maze” was just showcased at Coachella, spoke to a crowd about Plume, a pink resin sculpture that hypnotizes with an ongoing flow of liquid and bubbles.
“We just came back from Coachella…there’s a good energy here and I am excited to be here,” she told WWD inside the space designed by Rotterdam-Milan-based studio Formafantasma.
In total, there were 28 exhibitors and an international lineup including galleries such as Nina Yashar’s Nilufar and Paris’ Galerie Mitterrand showcasing a selection of works by Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, as well as historic Murano-based glassmaker Salviati featuring the work of design-forward duo Draga & Aurel. Parasite 2.0, known for its poetically brutalist designs and vision for Milan hotspots like the restaurant Sandì, showcased alongside marble specialist Bianco67. Some of Vallese’s bronze pieces were shown within the Side Gallery booth, which explored famous figures of modern Japanese design.
“This is a super intense opportunity for Salone because the whole world is talking about collectible design and [looking to] create B2B contacts between gallery collectors,” said Eugenio Cosentino of Parasite 2.0.
The Appetite for Collectible Design
The trajectory of the collectible design market is fueling new events around the world. The Collectible design platform was founded in Brussels in 2018 and gained recognition for its finesse in linking pillars of design, art and fashion. It debuted its first New York City edition in 2024. New York City’s Salon Art + Design, which is produced by Sanford L. Smith + Associates, said it is eyeing new cities. Design Miami expanded to Paris in 2023 and has grown significantly in the past five years. In September, organizers hosted its first event in Seoul. In 2024, it launched the inaugural Los Angeles and Basel editions. And Paris-based Matter and Shape cut the ribbon on its third edition with an ever more intriguing mix of individuals from collectible design, as well as pillars of the fashion and media.
The Fair Versus the City
Formed in the 1960s, Salone del Mobile.Milano’s reputation began to rise in the early 2000s, when Giorgio Armani formed his interior design studio in 2004. Armani’s arrival on the scene contributed greatly to Milan’s reputation as a modern design capital, spurring the fashion industry toward the home sector.
At that time and during much of the early 2000s, the Salone del Mobile.Milano trade show, which is now held at the Fiera Milano, Rho trade grounds, remained the major showcase of Milan Design Week. In 1998 Gilda Bojardi, Interni magazine editor, had just organized the first Designer’s Week around the city, which became known as Fuorisalone — Italian for “outside Salone.”
Non-trade or B2B visitors to the fair began to dwindle. The 2025 edition of Salone del Mobile.Milano fair saw a decline in total visitors to 302,000 from 370,824 in 2024.
Bringing the Crowds Back
Salone del Mobile.Milano president Maria Porro has made an ardent effort to reverse this by embracing scenographic installations that blend design with related industries. In 2025, organizers tapped Academy Award-winning director Paolo Sorrentino to design a site-specific installation to greet visitors. Named “La Dolce Attesa [The Sweet Wait],” it was envisaged as a timeless “waiting” area created with set designer Margherita Palli and centered around the idea of “meeting one’s destiny.” In 2024, Salone del Mobile.Milano showcased the work of late film director David Lynch, who debuted “Interiors by David Lynch. A Thinking Room,” which was designed by Lynch and his team and incorporated a narration and reflection on the production of interiors.
This year, organizers tapped design firm Palomba Serafini Associati to curate an exhibit that placed objects of design and furniture alongside fashion.
Salone Raritas also introduced Milan to new talent from afar. Zaza Maizon, a contemporary Saudi-based furniture brand by A1 Architects, showcased impactful pieces fit for hospitality spaces.
One of them was Gem of the Peninsula, a metallic acqua-colored sculpture that conjures the mountains and valleys of the Arabian desert.
“We are the first Saudi company since the beginning of Salone to participate in the fair,” contended architect and designer Abdulaziz Khalid Al Tayyash, who said members of the royal family are among the clients for his pieces — which are produced in small runs of under six per year. “With Salone Raritas, it makes it more special to be among most amazing designers.”