Building on its experience and in light of the central role that materials have assumed in design at various levels, at Milan Design Week 2024 Materially will focus on the present proposing Materially NOW, a multifaceted format that physically and symbolically places the focus on the study of materials and the work of those companies that, through research, investments, and production, are carrying out a small but great revolution: changing the present to build the future of design.

Materially NOW, hosted inside Superdesign Show, is an exhibition, a forum, an active workshop, and also a networking hub. The space will be animated by a calendar of workshops and presentations dedicated to each material on display and building up the exhibition design, conceived so that each element can be reused in a logic of complete circularity. Furthermore, through broad-ranging panel talks, space will be given to three trends that Materially identified as  significant in the world of materials today: Aim Net Zero, Nature in Lab, Impact by Industry.

The participants in the event are many and diverse. Alisea presents a preview of Upgraded Recycled Graphite, the second generation of a material born from a little-considered industrial waste, graphite, which is the basis of the Perpetua pencil and many other creative applications. Anemotech, a company born from the union of know-how in logistics and services for the automotive and textile industries, presents The Breath®, a textile material that, thanks to a patented technology, absorbs harmful fine dusts from the air and breaks it down. Casati Flock, a historic company in the field of flocking, applies its technology of pulverizing textile waste into a denim powder that colors a chair co-created with AI and 3D printed. Coffeefrom, an innovative social start-up specializing in the reuse of coffee grounds, presents its materials where the waste from industrial production is coupled with PLA, LDPE and HDPE.

The first material related to the Nature in Lab theme is silk from Cosetex, a family company from Bergamo that for over a hundred years has been working discontinuous silk fiber enhancing its value through innovative and unusual applications. Garzanti Specialties, a leading player in the Italian chemical industry, presents some materials from its portfolio and in particular OurCarbon, a ink and additive with multiple uses obtained from carbon sequestration from organic waste streams. Invernizzi SpA brings its solid experience in the processing of poplar to Materially NOW: certified plywoods and chipboards suitable, among others, for LEED and Well projects. The journey through unique materials from Italian territories continues in Sardinia, a land where Mariantonia Urru has developed techniques and products of great aesthetic refinement starting from the wool of Samugheo farms, here presented in functional applications for the furniture industry.

For the first time, two highly innovative Korean start-ups are bringing their materials, rooted in very different research approaches, to Milan Design Week. Mycel Project is enriching the range of uses of mycelium in many areas, from automotive to fashion accessories. Nanobrick, on the other hand, presents a patented E-paper that can change color at the level of individual microparticles, containing an EPD ink, also patented. Moving in a completely different application direction, the natural dyeing processes of Conceria Nuvolari make this sheepskin tannery one the most attentive to water conservation and the elimination of metals in this step of the leather supply chain. 

Sirmax, a leader in the processing and transformation of plastic materials, presents its certified and traced post-consumer raw materials coming from both packaging and durable goods. A selection of the thousands of powder coating finishes in polyester, epoxy-polyester, epoxy, polyurethane and silicone systems is what is proposed by ST Powder Coatings, a company that has been committed for years to reducing the environmental impact of a type of material that is fundamental for many everyday products.

The display design of Materially NOW, conceived with an aim to almost absolute circularity, is also an opportunity to present to the Design Week audience the use of various types of polyurethane foam in their bare form. This is a material that is undergoing a strong phase of innovation, well expressed by the manufacturing companies of the association Poliuretano è - Pelma, Orsa and Olmo. To complete the installation, some materials will be used that align with the Aim Net Zero trend: Madreperla Greencast, 100% recycled acrylic sheets; Plastiz elegant recycled plastic panels; Favini papers that integrate cocoa bean waste.

An exception that proves the rule, Lamberti, a giant of Italian chemistry, in an exclusively a-material way will tell the story of the research context that generated some of its materials, invisible but present in many products of everyday use. Friday, April 19th from 17:30, Paolo Lamberti, President and CEO, and R&D representatives of the group, will reveal some secrets of those ingredients, mostly born from principles of biomimetic chemistry.

Next to Materially NOW, Materially will showcase a selection of bio-based materials from the MCX material library at the Design Tech Co-factory in the Certosa District and moderates a panel dedicated to radically sustainable materials.

Please check out our schedule of presentations and panel talks below.