Though there are murmurs already of absentees and scaled down launches one of the most talked about events at this year's Salone is the unveiling of a new brand, Skitsch. The Italian company has bucked the trend entirely, not making a quiet entry at a small stand somewhere in the fair, but dazzling the crowds with a vast showroom around the corner from the Bvlgari Hotel and hosting a cocktail party every night of the week to boot.

The song and dance is more than justified, regardless of the more sombre mood elsewhere in Milan, because Skitsch have launched with a raft of interesting designs by a mix of stars of the scene and young names. Our favourite pieces are Todd Bracher's Zucca pouffes, shaped like courgette flowers, Diego Grandi and Manolo Bossi's Papaver ceramic low table, shaped like a poppy seed and Maarten Baas' oblique tea set.The entire collection is the right side of playful, not straying off the practical route either and the brand as a whole is a welcome injection of youthful character among the more serious Italian heritage brands for sure.

Return to our Interactive map, where there are more pictures from the Skitsch showroom