Prada Frames 2023: Milan programme announced
Programme announced for Prada Frames 2023 at Milan Design Week, the annual symposium curated by Formafantasma at Luigi Caccia Dominioni's Teatro Filodrammatici from 17 to 19 April

Discover the Wallpaper* guide to Salone del Mobile 2023 and Milan Design Week
Prada and Formafantasma announced Prada Frames 2023, the second edition of their successful collaborative symposium, which they debuted at Fuorisalone 2022. The multidisciplinary series of talks, hosted by Prada and curated by Formafantasma's Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, had a pit stop in Hong Kong (21 – 22 March) before returning to Milan during Milan Design Week 2023 (17 – 19 April).
Prada Frames 2023: Milan programme announced
Teatro Filodrammatici
Once again addressing the complex relationship between the environment and design, Prada Frames 2023 will follow a theme of ‘Materials in Flux’, based on the work of British anthropologist Tim Ingold, who views materials 'as interconnected, endlessly changing living entities'. The theme also links to Formafantasma's ongoing research into materials that are traditional to the design industry, analysing all aspects of their extraction, processing and use.
'Under a shared ecological lens and with a transdisciplinary approach, the symposium will investigate the dynamics that govern waste infrastructures and their value systems, aiming to unpack the complex relationship between matter and ecosystems,' reads a note introducing the two events.
The Hong Kong edition took place at the Herzog & de Meuron-designed M+ in West Kowloon. Curated by the museum, the two-day event was inaugurated with a lecture by architect Jacques Herzog, with further sessions led by Ute Meta Bauer, LAAB Architects, Lisa Reihana, Charles Lim and Formafantasma.
The Milan programme, meanwhile, will take place at Teatro Filodrammatici, an Art Nouveau building in the heart of the city, designed in 1904 by architects Laveni and Avati with distinctive 1960s interiors by Luigi Caccia Dominioni.
Teatro Filodrammatici
The event kicks off on 17 April with two sessions titled 'Conceptualizing' and 'Contextualizing', the former exploring waste as matter and the latter presented as a discussion on the 'relationships between ‘superabundance’, landfills and repurposing practices.'
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
On 18 April, two talks on 'Designing' and 'Valuating' will respectively involve design schools such as ECAL and Design Academy Eindhoven (where Trimarchi and Farresin lead the Geo Design programme) and look into material cycles. Finally, on 19 April, two sessions on 'Governing' and 'Re-Inhabiting' will look into e-waste geographies as well as wasteland and interspecies alliances.
The programme will include contributions by Tim Ingold, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Elizabeth Povinelli, Beatriz Colomina, Mark Wigley, Sophie Chao, Veena Sahajwalla and Justin McGuirk.
Andrea Trimarchi (left) and Simore Farresin (right) of Formafantasma at Teatro Filodrammatici
The project is part of Prada's ongoing mission to foster a reflection on the ethical and aesthetic implications of the design industry, themes that are central to the brand’s practice. Increasingly, Prada has been exploring the potential of of low-impact production paired with original creativity, by using innovative recycled materials among other innovations.
‘Education and culture are essential instruments that help us not only comprehend ourselves and the world we live in, but also urge us to explore the unknown,’ said Miuccia Prada on the occasion of the 2022 Prada Frames. ‘Conversations have always been at the core of Prada’s approach and investigation of the world, so Prada Frames with Formafantasma was a very natural step in this direction.’
Admission to Prada Frames is free, subject to registration at prada.com from 6 April.
Prada Frames Milan, 17 – 19 March 2023
Teatro Filodrammatici
Piazza Paolo Ferrari, 6
formafantasma.com
Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.
-
Thrilling, demanding, grotesque and theatrical: what to see at Berlin Gallery Weekend
Berlin Gallery Weekend is back for 2025, and with over 50 galleries taking part, there's lots to see
-
A first look inside the new Oxford Street Ikea. Spoiler: blue bags and meatballs are included
The new Oxford Street Ikea opens tomorrow (1 May), giving Londoners access to the Swedish furniture brand right in the heart of the city
-
For the 2025 Eurovision theme art, Swiss design principles get a glow-up
London-based branding agency NOT Wieden+Kennedy marries graphic design history and exuberance in its theme art for this year's song contest
-
Eight designers to know from Rossana Orlandi Gallery’s Milan Design Week 2025 exhibition
Wallpaper’s highlights from the mega-exhibition at Rossana Orlandi Gallery include some of the most compelling names in design today
-
Bentley’s new home collections bring the ‘potency’ of its cars to Milan Design Week
New furniture, accessories and picnic pieces from Bentley Home take cues from the bold lines and smooth curves of Bentley Motors
-
StoneX partners with Wallpaper* for material alchemy at Milan Design Week and beyond
The natural stone purveyor teams up with Wallpaper* for a three-year partnership of material adventures, starting with an exhibition at Triennale di Milano
-
David Rockwell’s Milan Design Week presentation is a love letter to cork
Rockwell Group’s Casa Cork installation showcases this under-appreciated material, which is infinitely recyclable and sequesters carbon for decades
-
Emerging galleries to discover during Milan Design Week
Wallpaper’s Milan editor has the inside track on the younger design galleries coming to town
-
Buccellati brings the forest and Furry Animals to Milan Design Week
The jewellery and silverware maison falls back on tradition for its Milan showcase, presenting its now-emblematic collection of intricately crafted creatures
-
Where next for Salone del Mobile? Maria Porro on the future of the world’s biggest furniture fair
Ahead of Salone del Mobile 2025 in Milan, we sit down with its president to talk design, data and forging the event’s future in a fast-changing world
-
What to see at Milan Design Week 2025
A guide to some of the events the Wallpaper* team is checking out at Milan Design Week (7–13 April) – from public installations and major launches to standout venues and must-see exhibitions