MILAN DESIGN WEEK | MARNI Mercado De Paloquemao | SPAZIO MARNI

During Milan Design Week the iconic Italian fashion brand MARNI housed a colourful fruit market inspired by the homonymous market of Bogota’, Colombia. Exaggerating the elements of the market place, MARNI used the bold colours and the exotic fruits to re work limited edition interior interpretations and forms, that were all available for purchase. MARNI Mercado de Paloquemao is linked to the theme of Milan’s up and coming EXPO this year which is predominantly food focused. The rich banquet style fruit trays that housed pineapples, guanabana, zapote and curuba were available to be whizzed up into a juice during their workshops held over the design week weekend, in a workshop style approach for both kids and adults.

The set-up of the installation invites conviviality, for life and feasting to take place around the main tables along side the silhouette shapes of exotic fruits and the decorated MARNI archive motif plates. The chairs scattered around the space were made of metal and colourful pvc weavings, creating a powerful expression of freedom. All the limited edition pieces were entirely handmade in Colombia, involving a group of women who have found their independence and emancipation through their work. All the proceeds from the sale of the limited edition pieces were donated directly to Anayibe Rincon’s Workshop, we were so lucky to get in early during the week and put our names down for one of their over sized fruit shopping bags. DESIGNER GOSSIP: MARNI won ‘Best Impact’ for this incredible market space in the Milan Design Week Awards 2015. Yay to MARNI!

We really pounded the designer pavements that day but managed to finish off the long day by attending the launch of Jasper Morrison’s new book , ‘A Book of Things’, thanks to FLOS for hosting in their great piazza space shared with Kvadrat on Corso Monforte. Then we headed to one of our go to late night pizza places in Milan during design week, right across the road from Bar Basso, Al Basilico Fresco. We call it the cheating pizza place as they are prepared with flour of bread wheat, of soya and wheat germ, without animal fat hence leaving the pizza bread thin, crisp and easy to digest. The perfect place to meet up with old friends and to not feel to full to face the hustle and bustle of the late night Bar Basso crowd that spills out of the old school Italian bar onto the surrounding streets.

Images by Emma Elizabeth
© LOCAL DESIGN