‘New Craftsmanship: A New World’ is the theme that 700 participants from 20 design schools and universities will be responding to at SaloneSatellite during Milan Design Week 2025. Now in its 26th edition, the exhibition, developed by Marva Griffin Wilshire, continues to provide a platform for emerging professional designers. ‘SaloneSatellite’s mission is to help young designers at the start of their careers and connect them with industry insiders who visit the show,’ she explains. Over the years, the platform has nurtured notable talents such as Nendo, Sebastian Herkner, Ini Archibong, David Pompa and Cristina Celestino. This year SaloneSatellite alumni – designers Rodolfo Agrella and Lani Adeoye – will be curating sections of the exhibition.
A woven hammock at SaloneSatellite, Milan Design Week 2025
Rodolfo Agrella, who first participated in 2011 after studying architecture at Politecnico di Milano, has developed an exhibit that combines Latin American ancestral textile crafts with contemporary design. ‘The show is shaped around the word trama, which in Spanish means both the pattern in fabric and a storyline,’ Agrella explains. ‘Each piece tells a story. We have traditional embroidery from Bolivia, objects made from traditional Mexican belts transformed into pouches, and pieces from Peru and Colombia.’ Agrella has also collaborated with the Milanese boutique Legado, which supports indigenous artisans in Latin America.
‘Kini’ chair by Lani Adeoye at SaloneSatellite, Milan Design Week 2025
SaloneSatellite 2022 Prize Winner Lani Adeoye curates ‘Craft West Africa’, which features five projects from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal. These works highlight the natural sustainability of indigenous crafts and their connection to circularity, a value she believes was integral to past societies. ‘Wisdom from the past is really important to me,’ Adeoye says. ‘We should draw from it as we move forward.’ The showcase includes products made using lost-wax casting techniques, hand-engraving and carving, plus mat weaving by female weavers in Ekiti, Nigeria. ‘There is something healing about witnessing or using crafts that is deeply connected to wellness,’ she says. ‘When I observed the female Ekiti weaving community, I saw a meditative process that kept them engaged for long periods, fostering presence, awareness, and calm energy.’
‘Talking Stools’ by Lani Adeoye at SaloneSatellite, Milan Design Week 2025
The focus on craftsmanship at this year's SaloneSatellite is not a new concept for Salone del Mobile, but rather a return to a theme previously explored in 2013 and 2014. This edition will be further enriched with craft's workshops. As the exhibition boasts a rich archive of products designed by past participants, the organisers created Artwood Academy as a permanent venue to showcase these works. Griffin Wilshire says, ‘This collection has travelled to Hong Kong and will be displayed in Osaka during the Expo. It reflects the impact of SaloneSatellite and the remarkable achievements of these emerging designers.’
SaloneSatellite in on view during Milan Design Week from 8 – 13 April 2025.
Read about more of the fair's must-sees in our Milan Design Week 2025 guide
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Bionic Labs builds precision next-level Apple accessories from aluminium and stainless steelFrom stands, chargers and keyboard trays to a set of accessories for the Vision Pro, Parisian design studio Bionic Labs offers only the best for your Apple gear
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Yuko Mohri’s living installations play on Marcel Duchamp’s surrealismThe artist’s seven new works on show at Milan’s Pirelli HangarBicocca explore the real and imaginary connections that run through society
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Dine within a rationalist design gem at the newly opened Cucina TriennaleCucina Triennale is the latest space to open at Triennale Milano, a restaurant and a café by Luca Cipelletti and Unifor, inspired by the building's 1930s design
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Delve into the Wallpaper* Design Directory 2025, on sale nowIn the July issue of Wallpaper*, find a photographic love letter to Milan Design Week, plus the best new furniture, lighting, kitchens, bathrooms and more
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2025 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize winner announced as Kunimasa AokiThe Japanese sculptor describes his work as ‘50 per cent tradition and 50 per cent innovation’
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