” You can dress furniture the same way you dress people. » This prophecy was pronounced by businesswoman Carla Fendi in 1987, during the very first presentation at the Milan Furniture Fair of the Fendi Casa brand. The latter inaugurated its first main store of 700 square meters opposite the La Scala opera house in April and launched a new collection on the occasion of a complete change of strategy.
Also a pioneer in the field, the Hermès label released its first in-house collection in 1985, under the aegis of interior designer Rena Dumas – the wife of Jean-Louis Dumas, former president of Hermès –, author of the furniture Pipa. Accustomed to the Milanese fair, which was held from June 7 to 12, the French house this year presented furniture and accessories in leather and wool, two key materials in its fashion wardrobe.
Sofa inspired by a tailor
It is also its emblematic fabric, cashmere, as well as silk or linen, that the Loro Piana brand has chosen to decline in a spectacular and immersive scenography signed Raphael Navot for Loro Piana Interiors. Inspired by the vinyl suit from its last spring-summer show, Versace imagined a padded sofa in the same shiny black material, discreetly stamped with its famous head of jellyfish, for the Versace Home installation presented at the Palazzo della Permanente.
A newcomer to the sector, Dolce & Gabbana has adorned exuberant collections of furniture and accessories designed by nine of the most exciting designers of the moment with its emblematic leopard, zebra, azulejo or Sicilian motifs. With the inauguration of two huge emblematic points of sale (one of which is 1,200 square meters), Via Durini and Corso Venezia, mythical arteries of Milan, the label of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana has joined the battalion of fashion brands that invade the Milan Furniture Fair every year, originally dedicated to furniture brands.
“Brands understand the interest of building a global universe where the customer can draw for all the moments of his day (and his night). And the Furniture Fair serves as a showcase for them to attract design enthusiasts…” Gilles Massé, curator at Frankbros
A few weeks after their tour of Milan, the collections of these houses found themselves installed in majesty in boutiques around the world. “Our clientele now extends over one hundred and twenty countries”, explains Gilles Massé, curator of the online sales site for Frankbros objects and furniture, based in Milan and a connoisseur of the field. “At the moment, overall, the percentage of furniture on the total volume of sales of these brands is around 5% of turnover. We are talking about millions, and in fashion, billions… However, the furniture sector is no longer neglected by these brands. »
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