As more couture brands compete for their corner of the Milan Design Week spotlight, much has been said about the fair evolving into a second version of the city’s fashion week. But this year presented another possibility: Maybe it is actually evolving into the Edinburgh Fringe. Many of Milan’s buzziest destinations involved some sort of theatrical component, ranging from unexpected moments of creative bravura to full-blown performances put on by actors and musicians. Chef and artist Laila Gohar held a slumber party to launch Marimekko sheets, revealing during a cake-cutting ceremony that part of the sleepover’s giant bed was, in fact, pastry. At the Triennale, sneaker brand Vans tapped Björk to D.J. alongside a sci-fi setup by Willo Perron that captured some of the stage presence of his design for Rihanna’s 2023 Super Bowl concert. It didn’t stop there. Directors seemed to be Milan Design Week’s most desirable collaborators: Roche Bobois teamed up with Pedro Almodóvar for a cinematic collection (see page 22), while Salone enlisted Oscar winner Paolo Sorrentino and theatre impresario Robert Wilson to develop two memorable feature installations.

Drama and design have always been natural scene partners. But in Milan, their usual dynamic was reversed: Rather than serving as a backdrop to the main attraction, set dressing was cast in the leading role while characters and plot played second fiddle. So how did all this live showmanship alter our appreciation for a new chair or lamp? For one thing, it became a way to differentiate the in-person experience from the digital posts being consumed on social media.

Photo by Lucie Jansch

A more cynical perspective might be that some of these theatrics were actually just a way to keep up with Instagram’s evolution from static images to video reels and streaming broadcasts — but then again, the best performances demand that someone pocket their device out of respect. Indeed, Robert Wilson’s Mother (shown above) banned phones during its shows, which saw Michelangelo’s Rondanini Pietà marble sculpture illuminated by a series of colourful spotlights that synced up to a medieval prayer performed by a live orchestra. While powered by the latest lighting tech, the production underscored the enduring magic of a 16th-century masterpiece. In doing so, the ephemeral experience managed to counter some of the spirit of consumption that drives a fair largely concerned with the next big thing.

Theatre also added extra potency to another moment of commentary. Filled with archival Cassina furniture, Formafantasma’s three-act Staging Modernity play (seen above) cleverly used dance — as well as fox, deer and dog sculptures — to challenge modernist dogma, calling for a new chapter of design that doesn’t draw stark divides between mechanized production and wild nature. The message was strengthened by its medium, gaining an immediacy and emotional weight that can only be achieved through live performance. Rather than upstaging Milan’s launches, the week’s thoughtful spectacles encouraged visitors to see new products in the context of larger narratives. Here’s hoping for an encore.