Brera Design District’s highlight installations

Brera Design District returns for its 16th edition during the simmering Milan Design Week 2025, reaffirming its position as the heart of Fuorisalone. Embracing the theme Connected Worlds, the district and the participating showcases present a potpourri of tradition, innovation, design, art, fashion, food and culture in a dynamic design fair. 300 initiatives and 170 exhibitors conquer the cobbled streets of the district, transforming them into a breathing canvas of creativity. From thought-provoking design experiments and speculations of the future to serene escapes from the event’s uproar, STIR collates highlights from a spectrum of imposing installations that echo the spirit of Brera Design Week.

Library of Light by Es Devlin

For Euroluce, the Salone del Mobile.Milano commissioned British artist Es Devlin—deemed as a ‘poet of light’—to create a gigantic kinetic installation at Milan’s historic Pinacoteca di Brera. Inspired by Umberto Eco’s quote, “Books are the compass of the mind…,” the 18-metre rotating cylindrical sculpture reveals over 2,000 illuminated bookshelves. Positioned in the 17th century Cortile d’Onore, the installation reflects sunlight by day and exudes dynamic shadows by night, interweaving light, literature and architecture. “I have always experienced libraries as silently intensely vibrant places where minds and imaginations soar, while clutched like kites by their seated bodies. This kinetic sculpture reflects the synaptic connections being forged, the resonances and associations at play within the minds of a temporary community of readers,” says Devlin in an official statement.

HYPER PORTAL by glo for art

At Brera Design Week 2025, glo unveils the glo for art project, inviting Michela Picchi to craft an immersive experience at Fuorisalone. HYPER PORTAL, hosted at Palazzo Moscova 18, morphs into a creative hub during the design week and becomes a vibrant centre of engaging events and activities. Interpreting the theme Connected Worlds, the installation reiterates glo’s philosophy of fostering positivity and connection. Pop and surrealism come together in Picchi’s interactive installation, guiding visitors on a sensory journey in an iridescent space where art and technology intertwine.

In collaboration by the House of Switzerland Milano

The House of Switzerland Milano, a collective exhibition by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and Presence Switzerland, highlights the theme of collaboration as a driving force in Swiss design. Featuring work from designers, studios, universities, brands and galleries, it celebrates how partnerships across borders and sectors foster creativity and innovation. By uniting diverse perspectives, collaboration generates impactful solutions and broader reach. This year’s edition underlines the role of teamwork in shaping a better future for the world and showcasing Switzerland’s creative spirit on a global stage.

Materia 2.0

During the design festival, Materia 2.0 stages Italy’s most comprehensive material encyclopaedia in Porta Nuova—a 500-square-metre hub that serves as both an archive and a lab for designers and universities. Showcasing 5,000 pieces and over 15,000 catalogued products, the space blends modernity and tradition through Italian craftsmanship and industrial excellence. With a stunning 30-metre gallery exhibiting 1,200 material samples, Materia 2.0 offers a fully immersive design experience, promoting sustainability, advanced research and fast, unified access to materials in line with the theme Connected Worlds.

TOKUJIN YOSHIOKA – Frozen by Grand Seiko

This year, Grand Seiko presents TOKUJIN YOSHIOKA – Frozen, a singular project in collaboration with renowned Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka. For this project, Yoshioka emphasises the concept of water, breathing life into an installation featuring a transparent light sculpture that transforms with time. Visitors are also provided the opportunity to experience Yoshioka’s latest installation and artwork, Aqua Chair, alongside Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive creations and watch designs that capture the flow of time through the motion of the seconds hand.

Portanuova Vertical Connection

Portanuova Vertical Connection is a site-specific, zero-impact installation for Fuorisalone 2025, in line with the theme Connected Worlds. Merging architecture, technology and nature, it offers an immersive journey where artificial intelligence transforms visitor input into visual and soundscapes. Created in collaboration with Prof. Mancuso, the project explores urban greenery and future cities, with plants later returned to nature or adopted. Partner brand Ecoalf presents its From Earth to T-Shirt campaign, showcasing soil regeneration in India, involving 4,000 farmers and restoring over 50,000 square metres of land through sustainable cotton farming.

Gucci | Bamboo Encounters

At the bustling design event, Gucci brings Bamboo Encounters, a design exhibition celebrating the legacy of bamboo in the luxury house’s design history, identity and the brand’s pioneering use of the material. Against the backdrop of Milan’s 16th century Chiostri di San Simpliciano, the event is curated and designed by 2050+ and its founder, Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli. The exhibition stages seven unique contributions from diverse contemporary designers, each invited to reimagine the material in unpredictable ways.

MUJI MUJI 5.5

Designers of Studio 5∙5 create a unique installation within a secret garden: a ‘manifesto house’ for MUJI, drawing inspiration from Japanese architecture. This solution delves into the importance of serenity in the haste and commotion of the city. Each element of the modular design structure—from biosourced materials, rainwater recuperation system, recycled textile insulation and a white roof to reduce heat islands—expresses comfort, ingenuity and environmental responsibility. Ensconced in the Pippa Bacca public garden, this immersive installation nudges visitors to reconnect with the essential, away from the relentless unrest of the city.

Keep up with STIR’s coverage of Milan Design Week 2025, where we spotlight the most compelling exhibitions, presentations and installations from top studios, designers and brands. Dive into the highlights of Euroluce 2025 and explore all the design districts—Fuorisalone, 5Vie, Brera, Isola, Durini, and beyond—alongside the faceted programme of Salone del Mobile.Milano this year.