FuoriSalone means 3 things: DESIGN, PEOPLE and FUN.
The parties are countless, many of them accessible only with invitation, others only with registration via e-mail invitations.
Milan’s Design Week features two main fairs: the Salone del Mobile, a fair with over two thousand exhibitions held at Rho Fiera, and the Fuorisalone.
The Fuorisalone is not an organised function or Fair, but rather a set of events distributed around Milan during the dates of the Salone Internazionale del Mobile
The main aim of the Fuorisalone is to portray design exhibitions as dynamic by integrating them in stores, boutiques homes and the city in general, this allows people to see design from a different, perhaps more personable, light.
The Fuorisalone, with parties around the city, music, entertainment, exhibitions, longer opening hours for stores and most design districts introducing their new collections; is the most exciting part of Design Week!
Milan has, as far as reputations go, long been considered staid and provincial — a business town that empties on weekends.
Apart from the influxes for Fashion Week in March and April’s Salone del Mobile design fair, visitors passed it by.
But now, the city is on the edge of something of a renaissance, with new designers taking over at leading fashion houses, independent designers gaining more recognition and a host of new restaurants, bars and cultural activities on offer.
Milan is coming alive at night – but especially during the Salone
Here are our highlights from the 2018 Milan Design Week Festival of Fun ( After Hours )
The Minotti 70th Anniversary Party
On the 18th April, Minotti celebrated its 70th anniversary at the Villa Reale di Monza.an evocative expression of the high quality of Italian creativity
The Villa Reale di Monza has hosted the first Biennale of Decorative Arts in 1923, and 43 editions of the International Furnishing Exhibition, and currently hosts the Triennale Design Museum, as well as various fashion, art and design exhibitions,.
Approx 700 guests were honored to attend to help the Minotti Family celebrate their family milestone in grand style – a fun, prosecco fueled evening in the spirit of Milanese hospitality and the brand’s customary elegance
Triennale Opening and Closing Parties
From 17 to 22 the Triennale garden, in the heart of the Sempione Park, hosts the disc, house and electronic selections by Uabos, Bottin and Franz Scala.
The Triennale Fuorisalone closed on Sunday 22nd April with an afternoon party organized by Le Cannibale.
Yoox, Toiletpaper & Wallpaper Party – Caution Disco in Progress
A building site with construction work in progress was the setting for the exclusive party hosted by YOOX, the world’s leading online lifestyle store, together with TOILETPAPER, the image-only magazine created by Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari, and Wallpaper*.
One of the most anticipated events of Milan Design Week took place at the Garage Traversi, a historic multi-story car park, symbol of the Milanese Rationalism of the thirties era.
The invitation also specified a dress code of “men and women at work,” which was interpreted marvelously by many of the guests
On the ground floor of the garage where, to a background of a themed dinner – featuring beers in wheelbarrows, bread cut with a saw and cheese served with a spatula – eighties and nineties tunes from Stryxia, vocalist and historic DJ from Club Plastic in Milan, enveloped the space.
As the clock neared single digits, guests made their way to the basement, for a disco-themed musical performance – a live performance from Tom Dixon’s band ” The Rough ” awaited
The Rough was led by Barbara Comi on vocals, Wallpaper Magazine editor and chief Tony Chambers on guitar, designer Tom Dixon on bass guitar.
Tom Dixon
Tony Chambers
A disco ball twinkled overhead as guests swayed to Bee Gees and Blondie covers.
The guests then went wild until late into the night dancing amongst trowels and sounds from the DJ set of Nicola Guiducci.
Base at Ansaldo
BLOCK. BLOCK. BLOCK. – Yes, the notorious block party was back !
This year they moved to the landmark Tortona district where the crew of Base hosted a party in the incredible Ansaldo building ( where train engines, train carriages and tramways were produced back in the day.)
For the Design Week 2018, BASE goes beyond the confines of interior design and deals with urban regeneration design themes, with the exhibition Trouble Making.
So the musical evenings, which celebrate the impact that music has in urban transformation: block parties that bring their sound system to the streets of cities, industrial warehouses that host raves: music animates abandoned spaces, gives an identity to liminal territories, opens the way to regeneration processes.
Base parties are also inspired by the 80s Bronx neighborhood parties.
Disco Gufram
A 70s themed design discotheque in the middle of Milan.
The Disco Gufram exhibition revisits ad renews classic disco furniture; every piece of furniture here is meant to invoke a person that influenced disco culture in the 70s.
Cartier – Thrill Party
On Monday, April 16th, Cartier celebrated the launch of the Santos de Cartier watch to convey the bold and fearless spirit of the Maison at its Cartier Legendary Thrill party
Guests were entertained by International DJ Martin Solveig and support DJ FredericaMonti
Dj Federica Monti performs during the Cartier Legendary Thrill, Cocktail Party on April 16
Guests were entertained by International DJ Martin Solveig
Diesel Living Party
In the heart of Milan’s historic 5Vie neighborhood, at Via Cesare Correnti 14, a former thirties-era goldsmith’s atelier and its industrial artisan workshop spaces were re-imagined by Diesel Living as apartments in Diesel’s palazzo.
Torre Opening Party at Prada Fondazione
Designed with a majestic yet sleek, elegant gesture by archistar Rem Koolhaas ( together with Chris van Duijn and Federico Pompignoli from OMA architects Rotterdam ) Torre rises above the expansive Fondazione’s compound, an architectural assemblage which encompasses seven old warehouses recovered from a 1916 distillery and three newly built structures.
Within its six sprawling exhibition levels, flooded with streaming natural light, Torre will be a feast even for the most demanding and fastidious art connoisseur
Torre was unveiled on Thursday 19th April with a cocktail reception and a celebratory party, where DJ Ricardo Villalobos had people dancing until the wee hours.
Interni – House in Motion Party
At the Statale, open every day of the Fuorisalone until the 24th with “House in Motion” of Interni, Friday, April 20 from 21 to dance in the courtyard with the DJ sets of Aggness (Radio Monte Carlo) and Gerry Pulci (R101) with “R101 Dual Digital Dj Set”.
Design Pride Party
Since its success in 2016 Design Week has been featuring ‘Design Pride’, organised by Seletti.
This is perhaps one of the craziest parties of the week and was held on the 18th of April from 6 to 12 pm going from Piazza Castello to Piazza Affari
Potalove Party
The Salone’s award for most bizzare party event this year went to Potalove
Staged in a former industrial area – a real Funeral party for Potalove with music a background of Bach and several musicians lying in colored and essential coffins readjustment to chests that have sung some pieces of Depeche Mode followed by Rosalba Piccinini (the creator of the ‘event) that sang ‘Let me cry’ by Handel.
Design beyond death.
With over 400,000 visitors coming to the Salone, it was inevitable that eventually the world’s music scene would try to capitalise on the Festival so this year ……….. Ibiza came to Milan
Design Diffusion INHABITS event, a design village set up during the Fuorisalone in the spaces around the Castello Sforzesco in Milan.
Fatboy Slim was in Milan
In collaboration with Amnesia, for Milan Design Week 2018 Fabrique Milano offers a very special guest: Fatboy Slim.
This year the DJ celebrates the 20th anniversary of the publication of “You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby”, an album that contains hits like “Right Here, Right Now” and “Praise You” and which has just come out a special reprint.
Other Activities happening around town during the Salone
So who needs Furniture part of the Salone these days ?
The Salone is Fun, Fun, Fun without the Furniture
