The Salone del Mobile.Milano returns to Shanghai and Red Night takes off

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The Red Night 2023

The Salone celebrates a new Red Night with the Chinese design community, an evening designed to support the Made in Italy companies present in China, giving a taste of what the 62nd edition of the trade fair in Milan has in store, and discussing the future of the Salone del Mobile.Milano Shanghai

After the pandemic-enforced almost three-year border closures, the Salone del Mobile.Milano is back in China to reassert the importance of this particular market, identify new opportunities for Made in Italy and help the furnishing companies to grasp them, assisting them through the processes of development, growth and marketing.

A keenly-awaited return, marked by a packed Red Night – held at SYSTEM, an iconic and innovative multipurpose space in the heart of the French Concession – that lit up the night sky in red and celebrated the quality, originality and creativity of Italian design. There, a community of more than 300 companies, architects, interior designers, creatives, buyers and communication professionals were presented with an opportunity to immerse themselves in the multiplicity of languages of the design world.

Putting the spotlight on the 62nd edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano was an evocative series of sketches and design drawings by Lombardini22, a leading firm on the Italian architectural and engineering scene, which has been working with the Salone over the last year on reworking the layouts, itineraries and the visitor experience, giving shape to the concept of a trade fair in constant evolution.

Along with light and music shows, guests were able to “experience” two site-specific installations. The first, designed by the Italian-Danish GamFratesi studio, reconfigured an entire floor, creating a path of islands and seating, characterised by compositional rigour, experimental approach and poetry. The second, Prism, curated by VAVE Studio, used a kaleidoscopic landscape of lights, shadows and large mirrored surfaces to set up a metaphysical dialogue between close / distant generations and geographies: the pioneering spirit of three great masters of Italian design - Franco Albini, Achille Castiglioni and Vico Magistretti on one hand; and on the other the vision of three young Chinese talents that have won over the international scene – Frank Chou, Zhang Lei and Steven Ma and their respective design studios – launched by the SaloneSatellite springboard.

the red night, salonemilano, shanghai, maria porro — Maria Porro, Presidente del Salone del Mobile.Milano

Maria Porro, President of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, had this to say: “Thanks to the Salone, our companies have built up a widespread distribution network and China continues to be an important market for Made in Italy as a whole. That is why we are here. To re-establish relationships after the lengthy hiatus caused by the pandemic which was, however, an opportunity for us to redesign new relationship and business systems and new business strategies. Over the last three years, the Salone has redesigned the trade fair concept, putting visitors at the centre and maintaining close relations with all the markets with which it could not have direct contact. With China especially. It was a two-way operation: it required trust, understanding and commitment from both sides. It is absolutely crucial and responsible to pause and analyse data and information, putting them into the right perspective, and broadening our outlook so as not to miss out on the many opportunities that this country has to offer Made in Italy. The People’s Republic of China is still our main client for extremely high quality, creative and innovative products. The Chinese upper class is sensitive, curious, informed, and loves the craftsmanship, the quality and the know-how of our country. It is also still keen to embrace Italian living. . This Red Night truly marks a new point of departure for the Salone del Mobile: so many people took part and the joy of being able to re-establish relationships and contacts, with the focus on designing together, was plain to see. All that is proof of our long-term commitment to involving the entire Chinese design community in an increasingly fertile and valuable relationship for both sides.”

Maria Porro also reiterated her keenness and commitment to returning to China in person for the event, announcing the international promotional tour for the 62nd edition of the Salone del Mobile, which will take in seven large European and US cities after Shanghai. She also talked about how the Milan trade fair is taking shape, with an increasingly human-centred layout, with the focus on visitors, along with EuroCucina and the International Bathroom Exhibition, the SaloneSatellite25th anniversary celebrations, and the packed programme of cultural events and talks, that will again be held in the trade fair pavilions to stoke open discussion between business and design culture.

The Consul General of Italy in the People’s Republic of China, Tiziana D’Angelo, also reiterated the importance of the Salone del Mobile.Milano Shanghai as a commercial and cultural bridge between Italy and China, and said she was confident of its renewed success, observing that China’s furnishing and design market was facing enormous changes in the name of quality, innovation, responsibility and beauty, and that the Italian brands were the ideal partners during this transformational phase.