SaloneSatellite &Rinascente: design (re)starts with young people

Text by Marilena Sobacchi

From theory to practice or, put another way, the incubator of talent proudly showcased atthe store. This exemplifies the spirit of the partnership between SaloneSatellite andRinascente, where some of the most promising projects selected at the 2023 edition of theevent will be on sale in the Design Supermarket.

The collaboration between SaloneSatellite and Rinascente, continues for the 9th yearrunning, in a bid to give space to and promote the most authentic expression of the skilland ability of 10 international design studios that distinguished themselves at the lastedition of the event by their ecological mindfulness and awareness in design, along with acertain fascination with the rough, the incomplete, the apparently casual, the raw and therecycled.

14 products are thus on display and for sale at the Design Supermarket, from 5th October to 6th November, chosen for the attention to materials and the environment, for the immediacy of their design and their great eclecticism. 

Experimentation, innovation, craftsmanship, sustainability and inclusion make up the common threads between these objects and furnishings, with their light often extremely light immediately striking design, which simplifies and softens the forms and cuts down on material, in tune with an increasingly keen environmental awareness. Products that demonstrate the fact that young designers are not afraid to chance their hand experimenting, taking risks and promoting a greener future.

SaloneSatellite, the forge of talent and ideas, is therefore putting young people and their creative power at the forefront, enabling them to familiarise themselves with the building, the marketing and the public of Milan’s Department Store par excellence.

The following is a list of the selected objects and their makers.

AHOKPE + CHATELIN 

(Belgium )

KU DO AZò 

Hammock 

A hanging bed designed and woven in Benin for European interiors. Conscious of their textile, craft and industrial heritage, the designer duo obtained the fabric for the hammock from unravelled yarn from the jumpers that end up on the African markets, and the shape depends on the available material.

ALEKSI REMSU

 (Finland )

éCLIPSE ATELIER 

Lamp Collection 

A limited range of sculptural wall-lights, playing on tensile structures and simplicity. The structure is made up of three pieces and a bulb, assembled exclusively by tensioning a brass sheet. The design process for the collection was informed by experiments with techniques for folding paper onto metal sheets, which made it possible to create three dimensional shapes that reflect the light in an interesting and evocative way. Each lamp is fashioned by hand.

ALLCA 

(Spain )

SUN RUG, ESPIRAL RUG, MINDSET RUG 

Rugs 

Rugs made from recycled and recyclable polyester, woven by hand, and digitally printed. The innovative production process – rooted in sustainable ethics, awareness and creation – obviates the need to dye the yarn, and broadens the expressive potential of the objects, while customised and co-created pieces can be produced on request. The rugs contain a number of different references: the abstract, minimalist landscapes evoke feelings bound up with nature and meditation. They are both peace and recall, energy and serenity. They explore the effects of colours on our emotions, creating a sacred and introspective space.

ANDREíNA RAVENTóS 

(Spain )

INFINIGHTY COLLECTION 

Lamp 

The Infinighty Collection represents the journey of life, with its ups and downs, its constant light showing us the way. Hand-made from natural materials, to highlight human imperfections.

DAVIDE APOLLONI 

(Italy)

LO-VE 

Table 

LO-VE was born from the collaboration between a young architect and an elderly entrepreneur, one in London and the other in Verona. The shape of the table was dictated by the attempt to freeze the sinuous movements of a ballerina draped in voile. The pirouettes of the base make up a structure that serves as both support and adornment, with its harmonious, gentle and decorative shapes. The high quality of the materials and the Italian workmanship elevate the product.

DEDàLEO 

(Italy)

SNAP 

Armchair 

This armchair is a tribute to Milan, the city in which its designer, Ntaiana Charalampous, studied and Cyprus, the island on which she was born. It comprises a steel structure, handsewn wool cushions and extra-fine fabrics originally destined for men’s suits (Loro Piana). The Snap armchair is an example of how design can lift a functional object into a work of art.

EGOUNDESIGN 

(Italy)

SIBI Seat, 

small table and container

SIBI is a multifunctional indoor and outdoor modular system comprising a seat, small table and a container, the upshot of an exploration of the concepts of adaptation and interaction with design in mind. Produced by 3D printing – it is empty on the inside – it is hard-wearing and light, easy to put to use according to the desired function and is modular and stackable with other elements.

JOAQUIN IVAN SANSONE 

(Spain )

JUNKI + LAMP 

Stool and Lamp 

This extremely lightweight yet robust stool, made entirely of cane, was informed by research into the material. Junki harnesses the combined force of each element and is completely devoid of industrial processes, demonstrating the resilient power of nature. Simple and expressive, this seat exudes nature and comfort, cosiness and fellowship. Lamp is an object made of high quality materials which, depending on the side from which it is observed, looks as though it is on or off, with the accent on volume or linearity, warmth or coolness.

XINSHI 

(China )

THE STORY OF THE LINE 

Chair 

The concept that inspired the project was the fascinating sinuosity of curls. The chair is full of elasticity and vitality. A mixture of humour and elegance. An attempt to blur cultural boundaries to shape a new integration.

ZARA ADLER

(Denmark )

COMA + HIELO 

Vases 

Coma is a 3D-printed translucent bowl that radiates a diffused light. The fruit bowl is soft to the touch and shaped like a halo cloud, condensing the smell of fresh fruit and vegetable inside it.

Hielo can be used as a translucent small table or vase, and reflects a soft light. The base takes the shape of a drop of water and when two shapes are merged they can form a new whole, adapting to different domestic situations. Both pieces are made with materials traditionally regarded as waste products which, through experimentation, demonstrate new potential and inform spectacular objects with the accent on colour, light and tactility.

Don’t miss the next edition of SaloneSatellite, from 16th to 21st April 2024.

Stay tuned！