While in Milan for our Under Armour x UNLESS project, we ventured around the city to find inspiration, community, and revitalize ourselves through the unlimited creative outputs seen in our field. We tasked Design Director, Karena Chan, with exploring the city and unpacking all that she saw as well as all that's to come.
Q. What sparked the most conversation or curiosity for you, visually or conceptually? Did any of the installations shift your perspective? From what to what?
A. There’s so much good design at Salone, but when you’re speed running it in 2 days, they can all start to blur into a fever dream. What stuck with me were the pieces where you could feel the person behind them. And weirdly enough, two of the places I felt that most were Loewe and Gucci. I’ll be honest, as a Salone newbie, I was skeptical of big fashion houses showing up at a furniture fair. I thought it would be branded plates and candles (Loewe did have candles, and yes, I did smell them, and yes, they were great). But instead, they invited artists to explore an object or material where individual stories unfolded across a singular medium.
The most moving piece here was by Palestinian architect Dima Srouji, who paired bamboo baskets sourced world wide with delicate glass baubles made with West Bank artisans. It was both familiar and fresh, local and global. It spoke to history, craftsmanship, and place.
I think that was the biggest shift for me. I’ve never cared much about history (it was my worst class!), and growing up in California where the built landscape is relatively new, historical context has never been a driving force in my process. But Salone made me realize how deeply stories and memories can live inside an object.
Q. What themes did you see emerging across multiple shows or galleries—intentional or otherwise?
A. Theatrics was everywhere. It wasn’t about showing objects but about tugging at feelings. Loro Piana and Dimorestudio created a full-blown cinematic sensory house, complete with smashed plates and a rainstorm soundtrack. (I didn’t get to go and it was my biggest FOMO of the MDW25). Georg Jensen made an ice cream shop. Cassina hosted live performances set amongst their furniture. In one shop window installation, passerbys could watch artists live and sleep among their designs.
It all pointed to the trajectory in brand storytelling. It’s not just “here’s our new lamp,” it’s “here’s how this lamp makes you feel if you were in a Sofia Coppola film.” It’s marketing, but it’s also kind of tender.
Q. The room you didn’t want to leave — and why.
A. There was a tiny room at L’apartamento by Artemest that I sat in for forever. I couldn’t even tell you why. I think maybe because the sun was shining perfectly right through the window, there were flowers on the table, the room was beautifully designed but also had art and books that we rifled through, the seat was actually comfy, and me and my friend were just yapping. It was also so small that people would just pop their heads in, scan, and leave.
Salone can be overwhelming – so many beautiful things to see in a short amount of time, so many people whose body language is giving “can you move, you’re in my shot.” So I think it was about having that sanctuary that didn’t feel like a showcase, that felt like one of the few places you could just be, not spectate. At Salone, that’s rare.
I think in a world where AI is able to design a chair in seconds, there’s something radical about slowness and human touch. That’s the ultimate luxury.
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