STEPEVI INTRODUCES “A SOFTER WORLD” AND THE CARESSE COLLECTION DURING MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2026

Images courtesy of STEPEVI

Textiles, Memory, and Softness

Offering an immersive reflection on comfort, memory, and materiality, luxury rug brand STEPEVI presents A Softer World, a tactile installation created with Swedish textile artist Alfhild Külper during Milan Design Week 2026. Marking the debut of the new Caresse rug collection, the project transforms STEPEVI’s Milan flagship showroom into a contemplative environment where visitors are invited to slow down, engage with texture, and experience softness through an evolving collective artwork.

Rather than evoking a landscape of geography, the installation unfolds as a forest of emotions—an intimate exploration of the personal spaces people retreat to for comfort and grounding. Through memory, tactility, and quiet reflection, the experience evokes subtle moments and sensations that offer warmth, familiarity, and a sense of belonging.

Presented by Coulisse | INK

Known for her tactile textile practice, Alfhild Külper translates these emotional landscapes into a living installation crafted from leftover yarns from the Caresse collection itself. Throughout the week, she gradually transforms wool offcuts into a communal felted wall, inviting visitors to select colours that reflect their personal “soft spots”—memories, emotions, or moments of comfort—and embed them into the artwork under her guidance. In doing so, the installation evolves into a shared tapestry of memory, where material, participation, and emotion gently intertwine.

“Each colour carries its own memory, its own feeling. Some are calm, some joyful, some quiet and reflective,” says Alfhild Külper. “By choosing colours that resonate with their personal soft spots, visitors bring their emotions into the space. Together, these threads of memory and colour form a living tapestry of human experience, where material and emotion are inseparable.”

Designed with support from Milan-based architect Carolina Nisivoccia, Retail Events Creative Director of STEPEVI, the immersive setting also introduces the Caresse collection—defined by sweeping, painterly textures, fluid tonal transitions, and richly layered tactile surfaces. Rather than dominating the experience, the rugs quietly shape the atmosphere, reinforcing the exhibition’s emotional language through colour, texture, and material depth while encouraging a more instinctive, sensory engagement with the space.

For STEPEVI, the collaboration reflects a broader philosophy of thoughtful design and intentional craftsmanship. Rooted in a shared respect for materiality and responsible making, the project also embraces upcycling, transforming leftover fibres into something meaningful and collective.

“This collaboration is rooted in a shared dedication to thoughtful design and the mindful use of materials,” says Ayşegül Yürekli Şengör, Co-Founder and President of STEPEVI. “We share a deep respect for craft, material, and the human experiences that design can shape. This installation embodies our belief that true luxury lies in intention, in honouring every fibre and in creating experiences that connect people more deeply to the spaces they inhabit.”

More than an exhibition, A Softer World offers a quiet pause amid Milan Design Week, inviting visitors to slow down, reconnect with softness and materiality, and leave a personal trace within an evolving tactile landscape shaped by shared memory.