Isola Design Festival 2025

"Design is Human" is the theme of the 9th edition of the Isola Design Festival, which this year highlights the fusion between traditional craftsmanship and digital innovation, reaffirming that human creativity remains at the heart of authentic design. Bringing together international designers, studios, creators, and manufacturers, the festival explores themes such as social impact, environmental responsibility, and locally sourced materials, while also involving neighborhood workshops.

With the expansion and evolution of the Isola district in recent years, a new location has been added to the area: BasicVillage (via dell'Aprica 12), bringing a renewed creative energy to the neighborhood. The spaces of this early 20th-century former rubber factory will host three exhibitions dedicated to new approaches to contemporary design—Conscious Objects, Isola Design Gallery, and Openspace—curated by the Isola Design Group team, led by creative director Elif Resitoglu.


Courtesy of Zihua-Wang

Conscious Objects stimulates the senses with "playful" objects that combine flexibility, experience, and technology, while reducing environmental impact through the use of innovative materials and ethical production. Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the creative and technical processes through interactive screens, featuring product insights, production phase videos, and engaging digital experiences. Designed with a human-centric approach, each piece combines flexibility, experience, and technology, reducing environmental impact through innovative materials and ethical production.


Courtesy of Yosuke-Shimano

Isola Design Gallery celebrates the uniqueness of collectible design with one-of-a-kind objects that tell a story or offer a customizable experience. Through a selection of works, Isola will transform the space into an immersive showcase of creative visions and identities. Bringing together designers from diverse backgrounds, the exhibition will feature a variety of setups, from futuristic living concepts to contemporary interiors, with each piece interacting with the others. The dynamic display will highlight how spaces can be designed to reflect different ways of living.

Openspace will be a dynamic hub dedicated to companies, brands, and startups in the fields of technology, eco-technology, material research, and digital fabrication. Exhibitors will present cutting-edge solutions, offering visitors a glimpse into the future of design. The space will also serve as a networking platform, allowing enthusiasts and emerging talents to connect with industry leaders, explore collaborations, and discover innovations in materials and manufacturing processes. An area dedicated to talks and workshops will be part of the exhibition, enriched with design seating provided by HeFlies srl.


Courtesy of Roee-Tepper

To further enrich the event, key partners will join forces to expand the dynamism of BasicVillage:

The second edition of ENHANCE, curated by Juan Torres for DesignWanted; After the awards ceremony last November in Dubai, the Isola Design Awards Winners’ Showcase brings the 10 winners of the 2024 edition to Milan; IAAD, Accademia Italiana, and SAE Institute present Bravery Bar, a cultural and educational event created through a joint project of 21 design schools. At its showroom within BasicVillage, Very Simple: Kitchen will present the collaboration with Studio Proba: a new reinterpretation of the iconic steel modular kitchens designed by artist and designer Alex Proba; SuperForma's additive manufacturing personalizes the BasicVillage bar counter with 3D-printed elements in recycled PLA.

The streets and squares of Isola will host special events: the Rasa collective dedicated to research Indian design (via Farini 35), Deus Ex Machina by Arno Hoogland pushes the limits of CNC machinery and MDF (via Luigi Porro Lambertenghi 3); THE PINK CLOUD: Coffee, Cookies & Debate by Social Label with pink walls and an installation by Studio Boot (via Confalonieri 11). The spectacular installation "La vie en Gloss" by Kérastase, featuring Gloss Absolu, is a greenhouse at BAM that "blooms" thanks to a filter and augmented reality. Isola Design Festival will also highlight local workshops and artisan businesses in the heart of the neighborhood, such as Ceramica Ostile (via Borsieri 41), artetica (via Guglielmo Pepe 20), and Algranti Lab (via Pastrengo 23), where Pietro Algranti invites visitors to discover the reuse of wood, iron, and copper to create furniture live.


Courtesy of Nilesh-Panchal