Design Anatomy
Welcome to Design Anatomy, where we examine the world of interiors and design. With a shared passion for joyful, colour-filled, and lived-in spaces, Bree Banfield and Lauren Li are excited to share their insights and inspiration with you.
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Design Anatomy
Milan in review: The Beautiful Chaos of Milan Design Week with Alvin Wu
The beautiful chaos of Milan Design Week comes alive through the fresh eyes of first-time attendee Alvin Wu, brand manager at Niche Media. What began as a career in interior design evolved into finding his true passion within the design community—organizing events like the "30 Under 30" program that recognizes emerging design talent through mentorship and a creativity retreat in Bali.
Drawn to Milan with the hope of experiencing a quieter edition during a non-Euroluce year, Alvin quickly discovered the reality: design week has surpassed fashion week in popularity, with half a million visitors descending upon a city not quite built for such numbers. The notorious three-hour queues for installations like L' Appartamento by Artemest contrast sharply with the magical moments found in unexpected places—like sitting beneath trees at Alcova, a welcome respite from the urban intensity.
For Australian designers on the global stage, Milan represents both challenge and triumph. Ross Gardam and Articolo showcased lighting innovations that drew gasps of appreciation, proving the calibre of design talent from down under. These moments of national pride punctuated Alvin's evolving appreciation for lighting design, which has now become his "top category" of interest. Standing in the Molteni showroom, witnessing how strategic lighting transformed entire spaces, revealed how transformative thoughtful illumination can be.
The true value of Milan, Alvin discovered, transcends products and installations. "My biggest takeaway is definitely the networking experience," he reflects. "At the end of the day, no matter what role you play in this industry, we are all one community." While products change annually, the connections formed during these intense, inspiration-filled days create lifelong relationships that ultimately shape the design world more profoundly than any single object ever could.
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Hi everyone. We are with Alvin Wu today and both of us know Alvin pretty well, particularly because we actually were traveling with him in April and got to spend some time with him. But before that I had met you before last year's Saturday, indesign, I can't remember where, just probably. Oh, it was Michael's house, a friend, friend of ours. His birthday, he had a house party and that's when I first met Alvin and I think you were wearing like the sequin outfit, was it.
Speaker 1:Anyway, I was very taken by him in this fashion sense and we didn't spend a lot of time together then and then we really got to know each other a bit better. Last year at Saturday in Design in Sydney I ran into you at Colt and I was with my dear friend Ming and she was driving and we were going to the next thing and I just said, do you want to come? And you went, oh, would that be okay? And then you spent the day with us and it was absolutely lovely. So, yeah, and more times have been had since. But that's how I know, alvin, what about you, lauren?
Speaker 3:Yeah, Alvin, it's so good to talk because we were in Milan the last time we were hanging out, right? Oh, I'm going to be dropping that into conversations until 2026.
Speaker 1:Just dropping that in. We were just in Milan hanging out.
Speaker 3:I think I sort of got to know you a little bit, got to know your face, at least from Instagram and then we caught up for drinks one time and I was like, oh, this is Alvin. I'm like, oh my God, he has the best hair I've ever seen. And then it was just so fun to hang out together. I think that you know to introduce you properly a little bit, so it's really interesting that you know, when you study interior design, there's like all these different pathways that you can take, which is, yeah, pretty cool. And now so you started as a designer, working in design, and I remember we had a chat about working in retail design and both of us saying, well, that was interesting, but not for me. And then you moved into media and you're a brand manager for niche. So I guess it's like, really interesting. How did that happen? How did you evolve from interior design you know retail into becoming a brand manager for niche?
Speaker 2:so, yeah, um, so I did study interior design and I did a internship for a retail group and to do their store design. And then that's when I realized that maybe this is not for me. So I did another internship for a media company, which is the same company that I work for now Niche Media and then, yeah, realized that is something that I'm really passionate about, that I love being a part of this community, but I just don't have to be the person that's actually designing it. So yeah, no, I found my niche.
Speaker 1:No pun intended, I found my niche. No pun intended. That's really cool, though, too, I feel like the fact that you were able to do an internship and I sort of did a similar thing. I started with a company as like a you know work experience thing and then, you know, got a job. It's such a great way to sort of get into a place at that level. And so when you so you had the internship, what role did you first go into? Was it straight into it? Wasn't straight into brand manager, was it?
Speaker 2:No, so I started as a event coordinator and obviously that's a very big part of our company that we do lots of industry activations and obviously the idea awards and 30 under 30. And when I first started, 30 under 30 was just starting. So you know, I was very heavily involved with the first initial setup and which is still one of the most incredible thing that I think for my career, that I am very proud of. And yeah, and then just slowly moved my way up.
Speaker 3:Well, we were just talking about your experience because you've just come back from Bali, right? So how was it? And what is 30 under 30?
Speaker 2:You've just come back from Bali, right? So how was it? And what is 30 Under 30? So 30 Under 30 is a recognition program for designers, architects or innovators age 30 and under and for them to have a platform to hear their voice. So what they do is they submit their portfolio with the projects they've done or involved in before, and then we'll have a panel of judges and mentors that will review them and then, yeah, so like the final 30, and then they're invited to come to Bali with us for a creativity retreat.
Speaker 3:I just missed out by a few years. Yeah, I was pretty close to one year, for sure. So who was the? Who was the mentor? Who were the people that came this year?
Speaker 2:So this year we had Kirsten Stanisic from Richard Stanisic.
Speaker 3:Oh, I love her.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and Mim Fanning, from Mim Design.
Speaker 3:Oh, I love Mim. What a star.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and Eva Su from Woods Packard in Perth, and then Sophia Leopardi from Williams Leopardi from Adelaide, amazing and then, who was the last person?
Speaker 2:Chris Hardy, who unfortunately couldn't make it. But you know, um, we just love having a mix of technologies, um, designers, and to come along, because, like I said, I've even my personal, you know, experience. There's all these pivotal moments in your career and we just want to be able to provide that same thing mentorship, um, for we'll call them the kids, the final 30, to have have, like you know, different mentors. They can, you know, align with themselves, with what an incredible event to organise.
Speaker 3:So that's your baby. Basically, that's one of your projects.
Speaker 1:Only your baby, because you've been there from the beginning, right?
Speaker 2:Yes, and it's just very rewarding to see grow as well. And every time when we come back from Bali, everyone just you know, the bus is still happening. Like everyone in the cohort in the past, they're still, you know, friends. If they're interstate, they will try to catch up dinners together, like that. And then for them to also have those mentors as well and that connection.
Speaker 1:I think you know we've seen other years 30 under 30, people really do like so well. So I think it is a real little kind of boost for the start of their career and so it's a brilliant initiative and, yeah, you should be really proud of that. That's amazing. Thank you, sorry. I was going to say when you're talking about the energy, it's sort of a little segue into it's when we do Milan Design Week and you're there and you're with lots of like-minded people because we're going to talk about Milan, right. It's kind of that, yeah, when you come back, you've still got the buzz right. You're still kind of thinking about all the things, and it's not just being there and seeing things, it's the people around you. I think that make the difference and how it sort of I don't know makes you feel more connected to the industry too. But I was going to say so you're in Milan this year. Had you been before, what was your, I guess? Why did you decide this was the year if you haven't been, or what was your experience with it previously?
Speaker 2:So this is actually my first time in Milan, for Design Week, also first time in Milan. So I had no idea what you know what I was expecting to see. But I just thought I just said to myself just keep it an open mind, go with the flow. Anything happens happens. The only reason I chose this year because I was thinking maybe this year might be quieter because it's not, it's Yoluchi. So I thought, you know, as a first time, I'll just go ahead and do something that's not as crazy. Yeah, but when I got there I was like I was wrong.
Speaker 2:I wouldn't describe it as quiet no. But my first initial thought was like wow, like an event to bring half a million people around the world to go to one city is just absolutely incredible and my experience has been really positive. Obviously with you guys. It was, you know, definitely better.
Speaker 2:Um, we make everything better I think the most part of it um that I enjoyed the most was um the people, like I mean the people, the people I get to hang out with, the people that's interstate or overseas, that you work with before, but you never get to see them.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's so true.
Speaker 2:So incredible to bring all these people together and have a good time.
Speaker 3:I agree, and it's kind of rare and you feel the energy that you're with your people. Like, for instance, you know, when you're at Saloni, or even if you're at a restaurant, you're there and you're just looking at the details, you're looking at the furniture, you're taking photos of the cool bathrooms, like that's completely normal during design week. We all get it, we're all like doing the same things and you just have that feeling of like I don't know, just like-minded people. So, and it is true, like you're catching up with people that you might've talked to on Instagram or whatever. You're bumping into people. But, to be fair, we were just so busy the whole time, weren't we? We were like literally sometimes running through the streets of Milan to get to the things.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. It was so fun, I know, but it is. It is that funny thing that it's not. You're often catching up with people from Australia in Milan and that always sort of like baffles me and blows my mind that sometimes I'll say I'll see someone and go. When was the last time I saw you? Oh, it was here last year and we both live in the same country. But we've caught up Two days travel away just because you're all sort of in there and then you just sort of run into people on the street, like it's, there are a lot of Australians there, I think, and it's interesting, like I don't know why there's such a, such an attraction. I think a lot of Australians go and I think if you spoke to you know people over there they'd say, yeah, we see a lot of Australians here. What do you think? It is, alvin? That's like the attraction of Australians to Milan Design Week. Well, I think.
Speaker 2:Australia is just such an isolated country, Like we're so far away from everything, and I think if you grew up in Australia, it's like you know, going to Europe is like a nice holiday thing. So I feel like they have a significant impact. You know you get to go to Milan for a bit of work, a bit of lecture. Why not why?
Speaker 1:not? Indeed, coffee pastries, negronis espresso.
Speaker 3:Pizza, pasta, pizza, I mean what?
Speaker 1:is bad. There's no bad.
Speaker 3:Gelato.
Speaker 1:Although I think probably the only bad thing people would talk about is the busyness of it, and I think that there's pros and cons to that. It is buzzing and so the busyness adds to the energy. I think sometimes it can get a bit frustrating, particularly with the amount of like QR code scanning and filling things out just to kind of get in a line or get in the door. Did you like find it didn't bother you that it was that busy, or do you think it's become a bit of an?
Speaker 2:issue, I think. I mean there's a few things you definitely need appointments to get in, which I was fine doing it, I think, if you are well-organized, sort of you know with all your meetings and everything. It was fine. But the one thing that I for any newcomers probably don't overbook yourself as well, I think there was one night in Milan. I actually booked myself seven events.
Speaker 3:You did.
Speaker 2:And actually I ended up going to five of them which I was quite proud of myself. That's pretty good. And actually I ended up going to five of them which I was quite proud of myself.
Speaker 3:That's pretty good.
Speaker 2:But I overdone it and then the next morning I was having to get up and go to do other things. There was a bit much, but that's the only negative things I'll say, and I definitely won't be doing the same thing next year.
Speaker 3:And, to be fair, because you are working in media, you have a press pass so you get to kind of skip a lot of those cues, but it's for you working within the media. Is there something that you are looking for in particular to see in Malone?
Speaker 2:I was, because it was the first time, so I kind of just wanted to see everything and but I was looking for new inspiration as well, like you know, for things how we can sort of like take home to share with our colleagues and potentially not improving, but, like you know, to sort of make some relevance in terms of content and all the things we're doing and the way we sort of think. And obviously, the upcoming years there's going to be all these new innovations and technology coming.
Speaker 2:so I feel, like it's important for us to stay informed and and then how we can sort of continue to grow.
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely yeah. There's nothing quite like having your feet on the ground, being there, experiencing it and taking in some of those. Sometimes it's talking about an innovative material and it's not like a real Instagramable, photographable thing. It's the story behind it that you really learn when you're there too.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is one thing, I guess, to watch it, you know, from an Instagram perspective.
Speaker 1:But I've learned over the years too that you can kind of get a bit sucked in by that when I'm over there.
Speaker 1:I, you know, as you both know, I have a ridiculous itinerary and I revise it pretty much every night because I sort of go okay, no, I get feedback from other people that's probably not worth going to, or actually we missed this, so let's add that. But if you just look at socials, sometimes there'll be just this one great photo of an, of an installation, and then you'll be like we have to see that, we have to see that, and you go out of your way and you go there and it's literally that one great photo and it's like every like it's just that one spot, and so you kind of go, okay, that it, I got the photo that everyone else has got. So you do have to kind of, I guess, be a little bit careful about the FOMO sometimes and not like let that override what your agenda should sort of be. And, like you know, yeah, I find that can be hard, the amount of like socials you see, definitely.
Speaker 3:Alvin, I'm curious to know, did you get to go to like the main exhibition at row I?
Speaker 2:actually did um, so, um, like, I had my media pass and then, so I was invited to go.
Speaker 2:um, it was my first time and all the people that has been in the past from the company, they were like, oh, make sure you just select, you know, only a couple of holes, that what you wanted to do and then going straight away have a target, don't wander around because you end up getting really exhausted, which I did, and the way I sort of look at things was that obviously we my agenda was pretty much to visit the brands we've worked in now and sort of in the past, to sort of visit them and see how different from their marketing strategy is in Milan with their stand and you know what they do in Australia, and it was actually pretty amazing to see how some of the installations were just incredible in there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's a lot of investment in those stands and the space at Rowan. It has shrunk a lot over the years but it's still absolutely huge. And you're so right, you can't just sort of wander in there and wander around or you'll spend five days wandering around and you'll miss all the good stuff and you'll see a lot of maybe not so good stuff with a few good moments. So you have to have a plan, there has to be a strategy for the fair. And how long were you out at the fair for? Did you spend a day out there or just half a day? Just half?
Speaker 2:a day, really. Yeah. So you really nailed it. Yeah, and I think you guys must feel the same way as well. When you sort of got to there and when you're doing the lap a couple of times, you're like you know what. This is enough, it's just got to go, yeah.
Speaker 3:Well, we were just talking about it the other day, weren't we Bree? Because it's one of those things that I mean I wish I had more time. Of course, everyone says that we were there for half the day and I thought, oh, I wish I was there for a bit longer. Because it's a balance of planning what you want to see. You know, we hit up Cartel and we hit up Mini Forms and BD Barcelona and heaps of brands that we already know. But you also want to stumble across brands that we already know, but you also want to stumble across brands that you don't know. But you can't just do as you said. You'd be there for five days if you saw the whole thing.
Speaker 3:So it's just trying to get that balance, because I could just look at furniture and lighting all day long, like I think we are probably the three of us are pretty hardcore, like it is quite fatiguing, but you just, you know, again, it's talking about that buzz. You just have to keep pushing on. And I'm curious, alvin, did you have any like furniture pieces or brands or anything that kind of popped out to you?
Speaker 2:So I really enjoyed going to see Null. Like Null has always been one of my favorite sort of furniture, but this time they're sort of like I feel like I know their brand better.
Speaker 2:It's kind of like they've got a nod up there. It was more about how they it's about the storytelling of their brand, and I really enjoy it. And I was really amazed how they sort of combined the whole biofilipped sort of design into that stand as well. That was quite incredible from what I saw, yeah, but I definitely, because I in the past I've always just been loving, you know, kitchen design and furniture, but I never realized that I actually really really enjoy lighting as well, and I think I discovered that when we got there and it was just like everything was so incredible.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, I think lighting has now become my top category.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is interesting with the. I found this year's lighting year was better than the previous one. Like Uraluchi last time, it was kind of a bit of a letdown for me. I remember walking through because I usually get a bit excited about new lighting. I kind of have a bit of a weird lamp obsession. I like lamps and I love lamps, that's not a weird obsession.
Speaker 3:It's normal.
Speaker 1:I could have so many, and so I love the lighting year, but last time I was just really like I walked through and it was very it wasn't really anything super like. You know there were a couple of moments but it just wasn't like what it was the previous and you know when you do that comparison but I felt like this year there was just a lot more sort of innovation and nice kind of directional movement in lighting that we kind of hadn't seen before, like a little bit of a bigger shift which was just so much nicer to see. Was there a particular brand that you loved?
Speaker 2:well with lighting brands um. I mean we certainly do see some movements that um lots of designers in australia. Now we're all cross promoting um local design, local manufacturing. I think that has gotten to me from a lighting perspective, because I should really enjoy going to see ross gardam's new collection and I thought that was very innovative and um, it was just really really beautiful, very clever. How you know, his thought process is I'm designing those um lights, um yeah I agree.
Speaker 3:Seeing ross, it was like a moment of pride being an australian and seeing, like you know, such an incredible exhibition in milan and the quality, like the what you were saying, his ideas behind the pieces that I can't, I can't explain. It's like how two sort of puffy discs merge together. He knows the name of the shape Puffy discs.
Speaker 1:He's going to love that description.
Speaker 3:I know, like at 90 degrees they turn on each other. I can't just, you know, we'll put something in the show notes about it. It was incredible that geometry and then the fabrication to be pulling something like that off in such a refined way. And you know, his glass lamp, that, oh, it's just absolutely beautiful, isn't it? So yeah, I think Australians in a way I mean Articolo were there as well at Solano, and that light, that vanity light that pivots.
Speaker 1:We were just gasping Like, oh, that's so clever. We were very excited on the articular stand weren't we?
Speaker 3:yeah, it was really clever.
Speaker 1:I love seeing that and I love seeing like Australian brands there and it might seem weird to be all the way over there and then go and I always make an effort to try and see the brands because it's such a big deal and such a huge effort to go there in the first place to exhibit and there's it's usually new things obviously too.
Speaker 2:So you get to sort of just support that and be excited for them as well, like I get really excited for people it is and because, like you know, like we sort of talked about, like everyone goes to Milan to sort of look for inspiration.
Speaker 3:So seeing like Aussies there, you know, presenting their work, it's actually quite incredible and I think it comes back to what you were saying, alvin, that we are so far away that we don't have access to, you know, visiting Europe so quickly. Or I mean we do with, obviously, social media and the internet, but we design in our own way here and I think a bit off topic, but Melbourne Design Week is happening as we're recording this, and the 100 Lights exhibition. That was incredible to see all of that.
Speaker 3:Australian talent and the caliber is pretty high, I think. So, yeah, and it is very. You feel very proud to be able to see, you know, the Articulos, rosgarden and Rukumba like a handful of amazing designers on that world stage and their pieces are so gorgeous, so very cool.
Speaker 1:That is. I love that you're now a big lighting fan, alvin to be hunting down the new things.
Speaker 2:Because where did we go? We went to Martini, that apartment, and I was just amazed with you know how lighting sort of just changed the entire look and feels and everything. It doesn't matter what finishes you've got in there, what greenery you've got in there, With the right lighting, it's like you don't have to do much. It was just so beautiful.
Speaker 1:Well that, maltini, I feel like we say that all the time, don't we? Lauren Lighting is to do much. It was just so beautiful.
Speaker 3:Well, that's like we say that all the time, don't we? Lauren, lighting is everything. Yeah, that maltini showroom was incredible. So that had just been um refurbished, was it? Oh, who was the designer again? Was it axel?
Speaker 1:was probably, I'm not sure. Uh, I thought it might have been there in-house, is it vincent?
Speaker 3:vincent van dyson. Maybe we'll have to check that, vincent van dyson, but some vincenti or something.
Speaker 1:Oh, it was just incredible.
Speaker 3:But um, and the pieces there, um, for me that was a highlight the christophe delcourt pieces, the first collaboration with malteni. The sofas were just incredible. They were beautiful, weren't they? And that was just such a great experience. We went up was it seven floors or something? Right to the rooftop. We went through kitchens, furniture and we were just, and then we'd bumped into Jackie there. So Jackie, she, you know, has their showroom in Melbourne. So it was just again you're bumping into people there. I'm in big shock to bump into Jackie at Molteni because she has the Molteni.
Speaker 3:It's not like the biggest coincidence in the world, but it was so fun to experience that together, wasn't it, alvin?
Speaker 2:It was just, yeah, very incredible.
Speaker 3:Yeah, did you have any like takeaways? You know, broadly speaking, about Malone.
Speaker 2:So I think you sort of like my biggest takeaway is definitely the, not the connections, but sort of like the networking experience. Like you know, at the end of the day, we it doesn't matter what role you play in this industry we are all one community and I think being in Milan or any sort of world fair is that, that opportunity to bring everyone together, and I think to me that's gold because obviously, products wise every year there's going to be a new product, but I think um connections and networking and those lifelong friends are, um something that's way more valuable oh, that's really lovely.
Speaker 3:I'm spot on too right, we're lifelong friends now, so you can't get rid of me that's right, you're, you're in the inner circle and it's, you know, it is true, there's that sense of community and there's a lot of people. And I think we sort of touched on the busyness before and you know you having a press pass maybe not the most best person to speak to about waiting in a three hour long queue, that was probably not your experience, but you know it is an issue. People are, I don't know it's, it's just the way it is. There's fashion brands exhibiting. I have to say I don't think we really. I didn't attend any of the fashion brands, did you, alvin?
Speaker 2:Me neither. No, I think definitely, like you know, there is definitely some solutions that maybe we can. They can put out a design competition, how to sort of move up, do a better way on not wayfinding, but just like how to sort of like solve that problem. Because I think the queue, definitely it changes your experience quite significantly, like because one of the worst ones it was um three hours, um for one of the apartment woods and I just thought you know if you have to wait for three hours for to see an apartment by the time you're ready, was that?
Speaker 3:al decor was our decor I think it might have been. Oh, I heard it was three hours again for the um apartmento with artemist oh, that's what it was.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, which has grown here. So sort of what happens is so I would say, not, not 2024, but 2023. That was sort of. It might have been the first year that they did it with collaborations with designers, and then people sort of catch on. So then the next year it's busier and this was the peak year, I think, where everyone had caught on to it and it was like a you know, have to see it. And then that sort of happens and it's a massive line and then it'll kind of like roll on to the next thing. So I feel like it's just evolutions of what's the hottest thing, and it's not always at the show the first time that it gets as busy.
Speaker 1:It takes like one or two years for it to end up kind of in that situation, because I've been there the last couple of years and it's never been, and I often don't also wait in the lines because I'll make appointments and things, but I've seen the lines and it wasn't like that. That was like huge. But I think it's just recognition over a period of time where it gets to that point. It's the same thing with the Morde, where they used to have they didn't do it in their apartment upstairs this year. But that started, as you know.
Speaker 1:You'd wait in a line a little bit, but it wasn't. It would keep moving and it wasn't crazy and it didn't feel like it was an issue to the point where people were getting there, you know, early in the morning and down the street kind of thing, and that was again. That was just a buildup of years of people going. This is incredible, you have to see it. So it sort of becomes a word of mouth situation and I think that was what happened with Artemis. But three hours is a long wait. It's not just that. I think it's that you miss out on other things if you have to dedicate that much time to standing in a line for that one thing and there's just so much to see that I would find that quite stressful.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and I think I sort of see both ways as well, because I think it was getting to the point where the staff was like all right, you've been waiting for a long time just going. But it gets to the point where inside was really crowded as well, and I think in my line everything was about experience and queuing is definitely not the most glamorous one.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and also, if you've come all the way from Australia, think about how much money you've spent to be standing in that line. Accommodation and it's the best half of a day three hours the time.
Speaker 3:I don't know what the answer is, but it could be. You know, as you say, making appointments, brie. You know, in the past you've been able to make appointments. Maybe there is time slots like the NGV. The exhibitions there are huge. Everybody makes an appointment. I don't think having an exclusive invites only list is the way to go. That's just not my vibe. I like it that it's inclusive. If you want to wait for three hours, everybody deserves to go and have a look at it. In my opinion, and with Demore, I know there was perhaps a bit of criticism about the four-minute window that you got to go and view Demore, but if that's what it takes to get as many people through as possible, then that's what it takes and I'm all for it. Yeah, I actually thought they did it quite.
Speaker 1:I thought they did it really well compared to other years where they do just have a long line of people. This year you did have to book a slot and it was easy because you didn't have to stand in line for a ridiculous amount of time. They kept people moving through. It was an experience, so it had a start and an end. It wasn't this just go in and you've got four minutes, hurry, hurry. You walked in and it was like a little moment where it had audio and visual and then the space, and then they had like maybe a short moment at the end to be able to take some photos, because you couldn't take photos while the experience was on. I thought it was actually quite brilliant because if you didn't get to make an appointment you might miss out, but then I'd rather do that than stand in a line for three hours.
Speaker 1:The problem with you know it's funny talking to a couple of people this week and everyone always goes how is Milan? Like? They always want to know. And I was talking to someone it was actually Jordan, jordan Fleming, and she was saying you know what do they do about? You know the amount? Is there too many installations? I said there probably is.
Speaker 1:But it's not like here for Design Week, where you have to submit something and then it kind of gets approved and it's part of an official thing. Anyone can kind of be involved. So it would be amazing if they did kind of decide to try, and I don't know, make it a little bit more curated. But knowing Italy, it's a beautiful mess and I don't think that will happen. And they have had apps before, for instance, that you're supposed to like when I first used to go get the app and it never worked. It never ever worked properly. You'd be like trying to use it and you'd just give up or it was just sort of that sort of stuff. They're just not super great at Other stuff. Amazing, we will forgive them for that um, but yeah.
Speaker 1:So I don't know, I think it's just, it's just an evolution of any kind of show or design or any kind of, I guess, event not just in design has an evolution of sorts and and it peters off and then it might come back again and we're just I think we're just in peak milan design week at the moment and in terms of popularity and it'll probably drop off yeah, and I think probably Milan itself is not built for that many people either.
Speaker 2:Like you know, speaking to some of the taxi drivers I was like, oh, is there no?
Speaker 3:no.
Speaker 2:Texas, because it was actually quite hard.
Speaker 1:Yeah and oh, it's just this one week, normally we're fine yeah, well, it's overtaken fashion week, so fashion week is also in Milan, and I think now design week has overtaken Fashion Week, so Fashion Week is also in Milan and I think now Design Week has overtaken it for popularity of the amount of people that are there. I think because it has been very inclusive. Exactly like Lauren says, it's open to kind of everyone. It's a public event. You don't have to be a designer to attend, and when you do Fashion Week it is a little bit more exclusive. So it's more about media and fashion industry.
Speaker 1:I think Design Week has become people will go just because they kind of just think it's cool and that will be great and it's Instagrammable, right. So if you can get there, you go there and you, you know, you're an influencer, just kind of adjacent to that world, right, you want to kind of like jump in and do it. So I think that's why it's kind of picked up and yeah, right, you want to kind of like jump in and do it. So I think that's why it's kind of picked up and yeah, but I think you just I love it.
Speaker 3:I'll go again. Oh, totally, and you're right, you know it is inclusive. But at the same time, salone, going to the actual fair itself, you need to have a trade. Oh, yes, you need to be within the trade.
Speaker 1:They have a public day on the Saturday. On the Saturday oh right, Cool.
Speaker 3:Isn't it funny that what it started as, which was the Salone, is now almost like a bit of an afterthought compared to what actually goes on into the city itself.
Speaker 1:The satellite events have definitely taken over and Salone has sort of shrunk a little bit. At the fair it's definitely. Yeah, it's evolved, it's shifted, and I think they'll struggle to get some of the brands that have left there and have showrooms in the city. I think they'll struggle to get them back unless there's some massive change. So you know and we're seeing that everywhere, really not just in Milan, you go, look at Australia the exhibition kind of caliber has really dropped and I don't know what they're going to do to kind of pick that back up again. I love the shows we have in Australia, but they haven't been awesome and I feel like there's a lot of room for improvement to kind of get them to be people to stay interested in attending. So yeah, that's my take.
Speaker 3:So, alvin, would there be anything that you would do differently next time in Milan, and do you plan to go next year, or are we going to take a break?
Speaker 2:Well, I'm definitely going next year. I just want just new innovations because you know, my favorite category kitchen and bathroom is just going to be incredible, and with that I just feel like there is all, not just new products, but, like you know, kitchen to me is the heart of the house and I think it's the most important thing when it comes to design, and so would love to see what sort of clever things that brands or, you know, participants sort of come up with in terms of the installations and everything.
Speaker 2:Next year I would definitely be more realistic in terms of my appointments. No seven parties tonight anymore, just five then, because it becomes a mass production sort of. You know you just go there, there you don't actually enjoy being there because you're always on the clock, whereas like if you have one event or two, then you just go and you actually enjoy yourself and you know, enjoy the conversation, don't feel like you're always on the clock.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a hard one, because you do. You definitely do try to squeeze in as much as you can while you're there, but I tend to end up kind of going I just can't. I can't do this, this and this, even though I intended to. Right, you can only do so much, otherwise it does become not very enjoyable.
Speaker 3:Well, wasn't there a day that you came back to the apartment to have a na-na-na?
Speaker 2:There was a day I had my seven events the previous day. Yeah, yeah, I had my seven events the previous day.
Speaker 3:Yes, yeah.
Speaker 2:And I just think you know talking about well-being. In the current climate, it's like you just need to be true to yourself, like, don't worry, because you end up being, you know, tired or, you know, sometimes sick as well, and just you know, I had the mindset at the end, just kind of like you know, you can only see what you can see. Yeah, so yeah.
Speaker 1:You do have to do that Absolutely, and Lauren and I have kind of talked about that, like what can you do? You can't see everything, so you've just got to accept that you'll miss some things. I did get a bit of a bone about seeing Demore, because I've seen it every year and I really wanted to see it and I did. I got there at the very end but um but other, there's things that I know I just have to let go. I didn't get to see it, but I saw amazing things and I filled every day.
Speaker 2:So what you can't do more than that right and I'm very glad we actually went um, went to um Alcova. That was actually quite incredible. It was amazing actually.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was really good. A lot we're talking about how that was kind of nice. So Alcova is sort of just outside of Milan, in another little town which I'm forgetting the name of starts with L, so it sort of feels like you're having a little break from the city when you go out there and it's still busy but it's quite spread out. You get on the train, get off, you walk through kind of little the little village and it was spread out over four or three different locations. I think it was four this year, wasn't it? And yeah, so that was just. It was kind of a little break from being like in the. It was just a completely different sort of setting, I suppose.
Speaker 1:So I hope they do that again and have it outside of the city that's. They only did that the first time last year. It's normally somewhere kind of a bit more industrial and in, but apparently some of the sites are getting really hard to get because they're being redeveloped, because they need more houses and homes and apartments generally. So a lot of those venues or locations that were sort of abandoned, warehouse or vacant places aren't that anymore because they've been sold and being developed. So apparently those spaces are getting hard to come by how dare they how?
Speaker 3:dare they Don't, they know, we just need that for that one week a year? Yeah, like that authentic abandoned yeah. But I agree, brie, I think at that stage it was exactly. What I needed was just to see some like grass trees like.
Speaker 2:not that Milan is not a beautiful city. It was like a little brook, but just spaciousness.
Speaker 3:It was trees, like not that Milan. There was like a little brook, just spaciousness that's right.
Speaker 1:And then when we went to that amazing um palazzo, I can't remember yeah yeah, and then we sat underneath the trees and we got a drink.
Speaker 3:Like remember how we stayed there for like just we did.
Speaker 1:We didn't really want to leave, yeah yeah, it was just what we needed.
Speaker 3:so, yeah, it so magic, and I'm so happy we got to share that experience together.
Speaker 2:Yeah, how good was the weather. It was good.
Speaker 1:Blessed. We were quite blessed. Yes, it was good, it was a good, it was a great year, it was great people. Yeah, I'm glad you were around, alvin.
Speaker 2:No, it was so good. It was such a good experience, you know, with you guys together. It was just yeah magical.
Speaker 3:Thank you Unforgettable Next year, yeah we'll do it again, yeah. I think that you know, alvin, when I think about what it was like to spend time with you, I just remember just like giggling, like you're so funny and you're so much fun to be around and it was just such a great vibe. So thank you for bringing the good vibes always. Um, and yeah, when you back down in melbourne, let's, let's reminisce again yes, we'll have a reunion dinner or something actually oh yes, that's a great idea. Should we have italian?
Speaker 1:have to. Oh, thanks so much for joining us, alvin. Thank you From the other side of the world. Well, not quite the other side of the world, not quite in Australia yet either. But yeah, thanks for making the effort. It was such a great kind of recap and chat. Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 3:Thanks, Alvin.