Best of MILANTRACE — Live, Digital & Film. 2023 Archive Edition

Nearing the end of our annual archives on a high, today we share the best of MILANTRACE 2023 and wrap up all of its three streams—MILANTRACE Live, MILANTRACE Digital and MILANTRACE Film. This project has a special place in Yellowtrace’s and our design community’s hearts as our biggest undertaking of the year, dedicated to bringing you the most comprehensive breakdown of Milan Design Week and Salone Del Mobile out there, exploring the Past, Present and Future of Design.

This year was mammoth. We interviewed several design luminaries in Milan, including Michele de Lucchi, Andrea and Adelaide of Marcante Testa, Arianna and Chiara of Studiopepe, artist and designer Robert Stadler, curator Federica Sala, Google’s VP of Hardware Design, Ivy Ross, and artist Lachlan Turczan; visited the 2023 Furniture Fair and its all-important Satellite events, and recorded it all and made a Film for your viewing pleasure. We also hit the road around to Australia to bring you six massive Live talks around the country, and we created the Digital version of the project too—Part Multimedia Magazine, part Video Documentary, offering a 360-degree look at Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile.

Find MILANTRACE Digital here, watch MILANTRACE Film here, or stream the recording of MILANTRACE Live here. And enjoy a quick overview of the project below.

See All Yellowtrace 2023 Archives Here.

Explore our archives through the years: 2022 Archive / 2021 Archive / 2020 Archive / 2019 Archive / 2018 Archive / 2017 Archive / 2016 Archive / 2015 Archive / 2014 Archive / 2013 Archive / 2012 Archive / 2011 Archive / 2010 Archive.

Part Multimedia Magazine, part Video Documentary, MILANTRACE Digital 2023 has three major chapters—Past, Present and Future.

These chapters are less about chronology, although in some cases, they absolutely are. Ultimately, what I hope you will take away from this edition of MILANTRACE is that the best examples of design will always draw references from multiple eras—they will look back, push forward and stay rooted in the present.

I hope you enjoy my love letter to the city and the global design event that’s shaped my life and work for over a decade.

With all my love,

Dana Tomić Hughes,

aka Mama Yellowtrace xx

EXPLORE MILANTRACE DIGITAL 2023

Retrospectives.

MILAN HOSTED A SERIES OF RETROSPECTIVES DEDICATED TO DESIGN VISIONARIES OF THE PAST.

AMONG THEM WERE LIKES OF ALESSANDRO MENDINI, AUGUSTO BETTI, GIANFRANCO FRATTINI AND MORE.

Anniversaries.

NUMEROUS BRANDS MARKED SIGNIFICANT MILESTONES IN MILAN AND CELEBRATED THEM IN CREATIVE WAYS.

DIMORE CELEBRATE IT’S 20th ACROSS TWO VENUES, ETEL AND MOOOI REACHED DIRTY 30, BD BARCELONA’S 50th OFFERED A FRESH NEW PERSPECTIVE, AMONG MANY OTHERS.

Product Reissues.

DELVING INTO THE ARCHIVES FOR UNDISCOVERED GEMS, BRANDS BROUGHT BACK RETIRED PIECES ACROSS LIGHTING AND FURNITURE OR INTRODUCED DESIGNS THAT NEVER REACHED THE PROTOTYPE STAGE.

Design of The Moment.

ACROSS THE CITY OF MILAN, INNOVATIONS BY TODAY’S BRIGHTEST TALENT ENCAPSULATED THE ZEITGEIST OF DESIGN.

Immersive Spectacles.

TRANSFORMING THEIR DESIGNS INTO A COMPLETE EXPERIENCE, BRANDS AND CREATORS DREAM UP EXTRAORDINARY SCENES TO FULLY IMMERSE VIEWERS IN THEIR VISION.

Fashion & Lifestyle.

FASHION’S ENCROACHMENT INTO THE HOME SPHERE SHOWED NO SIGNS OF SLOWING DOWN, WITH INNOVATIONS A LA MODE.

New Products.

FROM COLOURFUL MAXIMALISM TO REFINED AND UNDERSTATED, THESE WERE THE HOTTEST RELEASES IN MILAN.

IN ADDITION TO FURNITURE RELEASES, BRANDS VENTURED EN PLEIN AIR WITH HOT NEW OUTDOOR COLLECTIONS, INCLUDING WEATHERPROOF VERSIONS OF CLASSIC INDOOR DESIGNS. BALANCING THE PLETHORA OF HARD MATERIALS ON DISPLAY, TEXTILES AND SOFT FURNISHINGS SHONE IN THEIR OWN RIGHT.

Light Entertainment.

A MEDIUM TO EXPERIMENT AND PLAY WITH, DESIGNERS AND BRANDS ARTFULLY PUSHED THE LIMITS OF WHAT LIGHTING CAN DO.

TAKING LIGHT BEYOND PURE FUNCTION, TRIUMPHS OF SET DESIGN MESMERISED WITH SPECTACULAR INSTALLATIONS THAT MAXMISED LIGHTING’S EMOTIVE POWERS.

The Age of Materiality.

MATERIALS TOOK CENTRE STAGE VIA IMMERSIVE SPECTACLES AND THOUGHTFUL INSTALLATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

INVENTIVE MATERIAL RESEARCH PROJECTS WERE ALSO OUT IN FULL FORCE, DESTINED TO PUSH DESIGN FORWARD.

Future for the Past.

MORE THAN AN EXERCISE IN NOSTALGIA, ANCIENT CRAFT AND WISDOM PROVE THAT LOOKING BACK IN ORDER TO MOVE FORWARD IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE FUTURE OF DESIGN.

AI + Tech.

DESIGNERS PREDICTED A HOPEFUL FUTURE FOR HUMANITY’S RELATIONSHIP WITH TECHNOLOGY, INVITING US TO QUESTION OUR PRECONCEPTIONS.

Design For Good.

FROM DESIGN FOR COMMUNITIES TO HIGHLIGHTING THE PRESSING ISSUES OF CLIMATE EMERGENCY, DESIGNERS OF ALL AGES OFFERED A COMPELLING TAKE ON OUR WORLD’S FUTURE.

EXPLORE MILANTRACE DIGITAL 2023

MILANTRACE 2023 FILM: EXPERIENCE MILAN DESIGN WEEK UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL THROUGH OUR LENS.

MILANTRACE FILM IS PRODUCED BY OUR TEAM ON THE GROUND IN MILAN AS WE NAVIGATE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK IN DESIGN LIKE NO OTHER.

WATCH MILANTRACE FILM 2023

PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LIVING EDGE, MORE THAN 1,200 DESIGNERS & DESIGN LOVERS ATTENDED MILANTRACE LIVE 2023 ACROSS 4 CITIES AND 6 SUPER-ENGAGING TALKS. NOWHERE CAN YOU GET THIS LEVEL OF IMMERSION UNLESS YOU GO TO MILAN YOURSELF. EVEN THEN, YOU COULDN’T POSSIBLY SEE OR DIGEST MORE THAN WHAT WE PRESENT AT MILANTRACE LIVE.

WISH YOU COULD’VE SEEN MILANTRACE LIVE YOURSELF? WELL… NOW YOU CAN! STREAM THE FULL RECORDING VIA THE LINK BELOW. IT’S THE NEXT BEST THING TO BEING IN MILAN… AFTER MILANTRACE LIVE.

STREAM MILANTRACE LIVE 2023

See All Yellowtrace 2023 Archives Here.

Explore our archives through the years: 2022 Archive / 2021 Archive / 2020 Archive / 2019 Archive / 2018 Archive / 2017 Archive / 2016 Archive / 2015 Archive / 2014 Archive / 2013 Archive / 2012 Archive / 2011 Archive / 2010 Archive.