LABÒ AT MDW 2025

Images courtesy of LABÒ

New Edition – Crafting Tomorrow, Rising Ideas

The curatorial duo The Design Blender introduces a new selection of companies and creatives: a tangible exploration of material, form, and innovation, transforming spaces into a shared laboratory of ideas and experimentation.

Now in its third edition, LABÒ continues its research in collectible design and art within the former industrial spaces of Fondazione Rodolfo Ferrari and SPA – Società Prodotti Antibiotici, located in the Barona District on the outskirts of Milan.

From Sunday, 6 April to Friday, 11 April 2025, the venue at via Biella 6 will host a fresh selection of international designers, artists, and companies, carefully curated by The Design Blender, the duo composed of Elsa Lemarignier and François Leblanc di Cicilia.

The Design Blender Portrait

Labò explores the role of design as a driving force of transformation and research, intertwining method and intuition, rigour and experimentation. The theme of the 2025 edition, “Crafting tomorrow, Rising ideas”, celebrates design’s ability to generate unexpected connections, offer new perspectives, and open up creative exploration.

Presented by Zipblind

“This third edition of LABÒ is a celebration of design as an act of transformation. We want to explore the power of creativity in generating impact and shaping a better future.”, explains The Design Blender.

This year’s vision is brought to life through a renewed collaboration with Paris-based studio Undo-Redo, led by Nicola Aguzzi, who translates the event’s concept into a site-specific installation at Labò.

Designed in partnership with Vimar1991 – an Italian company acquired by Chanel in 2020 as manufacturing excellence to be preserved and enhanced for the creation of the finest yarns used in the iconic tweeds – the installation, Perpetuum Mobile, reimagines textile machinery as a hypnotic artwork. By transforming the machines that wind yarn into hanks, the piece explores the fine line between industrial production and artistic expression.

The act of winding becomes both a visual and narrative element, with new graphic compositions playing with the shapes of the hanks, the textures of the yarns, and the vibrancy of their colors. The aesthetic of industrial devices is elevated through the use of

Vimar1991’s yarns, made from production leftovers, reinforcing themes of sustainability and innovation. Perpetuum Mobile captures the poetry of movement and mechanics, turning heritage craftsmanship into a contemporary, immersive experience.

Furthermore, the key partnership continues with EDIT Napoli curators Domitilla Dardi and Emilia Petruccelli. This collaboration unites two realities sharing the same mission: to promote contemporary design through an innovative and multidisciplinary vision. Within the LABÒ spaces, the winners of EDIT Napoli 2024 will be showcased: Parasite 2.0 x Bianco67 and Atelier Nuanda, which interpret design as an expression of research and material culture.

The selection of exhibitors for this project’s third edition stands out for its international scope, bringing together outstanding figures in the contemporary design landscape.

For the second consecutive year, leading international institutions that represent excellence in education, production, and the promotion of craftsmanship and design will take part in the exhibition. Among them, Ateliers de Paris (BDMMA) and Le JAD – Jardin des Métiers d’Art et du Design will contribute as incubators of creativity and innovation, supporting young designers, artisans, and artists.

Demonstrating the strong connection between design and French cultural heritage, Mobilier National, a historic institution of the French Republic dedicated to preserving and promoting artisanal savoir-faire, will participate in LABÒ with a selection of projects and collaborations that merge tradition and contemporary design.

Alongside these French institutions, the Royal Danish Academy – one of the most prestigious research and education institutes in the fields of design and architecture – will present the Star Homes Project, further reinforcing LABÒ’s role as an international hub for dialogue between institutions, creatives, and businesses.

The Star Homes Project explores ways of developing low-cost, comfortable, and durable insect-proof housing to enhance people’s health in rural areas. Led by an interdisciplinary team of architects, public health specialists, and entomologists, the house design combines a series of novel interventions on a single home that improves the family’s living conditions. The Star Homes Project has been in development for over a decade, led notably by Jakob Knudsen and Lorenz von Seidlein, Salum Mshamu.

With over 35 participants, LABÒ confirms itself as a hub of exchange and experimentation, where design thrives on cross-disciplinary influences and diverse perspectives. A living laboratory capable of connecting creatives, companies, and the public, offering new insights into the culture of design and its evolving narratives.

LABÒ
Crafting tomorrow, Rising ideas
6-11 April 2025
Fondazione Rodolfo Ferrari Via Biella 6, Milan
Press Preview: 6 April | 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM VIP Cocktail: 6 April | 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Opening hours:
6 April | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
7-11 April | 10.00 AM – 7.00 PM

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