Once upon a time… and still today!
Actually, it’s more alive than ever—an event born without permission, without tickets, without badges.
I’m talking about Milan’s Fuorisalone.It started back in the glorious 1980s, not thanks to some royal decree, but because a few furniture brands were a bit bored with the “official” trade fairs (yes, in quotes—and imagine someone doing air quotes with their fingers).
Fuorisalone grew like all beautiful things, like trees pushing their trunks up toward the sky, no matter what gets in the way. A bit sideways, maybe.At first, it found space in galleries and shops in the city center, then in the streets, lofts, and the courtyards of old Milanese buildings.
In the beginning, it was all about chairs, lamps, and three-legged tables (with one leg made of carbon fiber and another from a rare wood, with only seven trees left in the world).
Actually, it’s more alive than ever—an event born without permission, without tickets, without badges.
I’m talking about Milan’s Fuorisalone.It started back in the glorious 1980s, not thanks to some royal decree, but because a few furniture brands were a bit bored with the “official” trade fairs (yes, in quotes—and imagine someone doing air quotes with their fingers).
Fuorisalone grew like all beautiful things, like trees pushing their trunks up toward the sky, no matter what gets in the way. A bit sideways, maybe.At first, it found space in galleries and shops in the city center, then in the streets, lofts, and the courtyards of old Milanese buildings.
In the beginning, it was all about chairs, lamps, and three-legged tables (with one leg made of carbon fiber and another from a rare wood, with only seven trees left in the world).
Pallucco al Mattatoio, 1988, foto Emilio Tremolada
Then—and here’s the fun part—the car brands arrived. At first, they were shy. A car here, a concept there, just to say, “We know what design is too.”
But all it took was one look at the displays to realize something was happening under the surface: someone was showing off an ergonomic spoon in a glowing LED cube, someone else parked an electric supercar in front of an installation made of feathers, moss, and bicycle bells.But one thing was clear from the beginning.
At Fuorisalone, the automotive world has always had a lot of fun.Over the years, we’ve seen everything.
A Mini Cooper placed in a pink room full of flamingos. A Toyota inviting you inside to meditate on your existence. An Audi turning into a real cultural hub, complete with DJs, exhibitions, and molecular cocktails. Hyundai presenting cars as mobile living rooms, where you can sip green tea while driving at 120 km/h. Škoda speaking through statues—literally. And Lexus syncing your heartbeat with the sounds of the forest. Barefoot. Inside a cube.In short, Fuorisalone has become the Burning Man of urban design, and cars—once simple transport tools—have turned into multisensory experiences. Real meditative spaces, poetic objects, and—of course—Instagrammable moments.But don’t get it wrong: it’s never been just glossy fluff.
Fuorisalone gave the automotive world a unique stage to reinvent itself.
No longer just about horsepower and engine sizes, but in sync with the heartbeat of global experience. At the center of new ideas, brought to life by the skilled hands of visionary brands, we began to see elements much closer to us humans behind the wheel—like ethics, sustainability, emotion, and interaction.Today, the real question isn’t “what car do you have?” but “how does it make you feel?”
And Milan, as always, with its talent for turning anything into creative content, answered: “You’re welcome—just make sure you have a story to tell.”And that’s how Fuorisalone became a place where an SUV is displayed like a piece of art, a city car becomes a sensory capsule, and electric mobility becomes spiritual. It might not change the world. But one thing’s for sure: when a car shows up at Fuorisalone, at least it knows how to dress.
But all it took was one look at the displays to realize something was happening under the surface: someone was showing off an ergonomic spoon in a glowing LED cube, someone else parked an electric supercar in front of an installation made of feathers, moss, and bicycle bells.But one thing was clear from the beginning.
At Fuorisalone, the automotive world has always had a lot of fun.Over the years, we’ve seen everything.
A Mini Cooper placed in a pink room full of flamingos. A Toyota inviting you inside to meditate on your existence. An Audi turning into a real cultural hub, complete with DJs, exhibitions, and molecular cocktails. Hyundai presenting cars as mobile living rooms, where you can sip green tea while driving at 120 km/h. Škoda speaking through statues—literally. And Lexus syncing your heartbeat with the sounds of the forest. Barefoot. Inside a cube.In short, Fuorisalone has become the Burning Man of urban design, and cars—once simple transport tools—have turned into multisensory experiences. Real meditative spaces, poetic objects, and—of course—Instagrammable moments.But don’t get it wrong: it’s never been just glossy fluff.
Fuorisalone gave the automotive world a unique stage to reinvent itself.
No longer just about horsepower and engine sizes, but in sync with the heartbeat of global experience. At the center of new ideas, brought to life by the skilled hands of visionary brands, we began to see elements much closer to us humans behind the wheel—like ethics, sustainability, emotion, and interaction.Today, the real question isn’t “what car do you have?” but “how does it make you feel?”
And Milan, as always, with its talent for turning anything into creative content, answered: “You’re welcome—just make sure you have a story to tell.”And that’s how Fuorisalone became a place where an SUV is displayed like a piece of art, a city car becomes a sensory capsule, and electric mobility becomes spiritual. It might not change the world. But one thing’s for sure: when a car shows up at Fuorisalone, at least it knows how to dress.
Humans, nature, and technology—since they first came together, they’ve always formed a complicated triangle.
Maybe.
But they’re also the beating heart that pumps creative energy through the veins of contemporary design. And Fuorisalone 2025 wants to bring them together—fully, passionately.
Just like what’s already happening out here, long before we even noticed.Fuorisalone 2025 is coming back to Milan, from April 7 to 13, with a theme that sounds like a campaign slogan for objects: Connected Worlds.
But we’re not just talking about software updates or a new app to make coffee. Here, we’re talking about real connections.
Between people, things, ideas, inside and outside, dream and reality, before and after.
Us and others. And then—us again.In a time where we’re connected to everything—and sometimes even a bit disconnected ourselves—the message is clear and simple: reconnect what we’ve separated, by designing (and rethinking) how we live, with lightness.
Is it possible?The Fuorisalone 2025 proposal for the automotive world (and more) reminds us of the famous line from Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein: “It can be done!”
But it can only be done if we first reconnect with ourselves—our imagination, our courage, and a touch of irony.The questions we need to ask are: What are we truly connected to today? And what could we connect better?
The answers will take shape through installations, concepts, objects, and immersive experiences.
Because design is not just about looks—it’s above all a way of thinking made real. And this year, at the center of that thinking is the relationship between humans, nature, and technology.Fuorisalone 2025 in Milan is set, as always, to be an unmissable event for design and mobility lovers, with many car brands ready to present their latest innovations.
Maybe.
But they’re also the beating heart that pumps creative energy through the veins of contemporary design. And Fuorisalone 2025 wants to bring them together—fully, passionately.
Just like what’s already happening out here, long before we even noticed.Fuorisalone 2025 is coming back to Milan, from April 7 to 13, with a theme that sounds like a campaign slogan for objects: Connected Worlds.
But we’re not just talking about software updates or a new app to make coffee. Here, we’re talking about real connections.
Between people, things, ideas, inside and outside, dream and reality, before and after.
Us and others. And then—us again.In a time where we’re connected to everything—and sometimes even a bit disconnected ourselves—the message is clear and simple: reconnect what we’ve separated, by designing (and rethinking) how we live, with lightness.
Is it possible?The Fuorisalone 2025 proposal for the automotive world (and more) reminds us of the famous line from Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein: “It can be done!”
But it can only be done if we first reconnect with ourselves—our imagination, our courage, and a touch of irony.The questions we need to ask are: What are we truly connected to today? And what could we connect better?
The answers will take shape through installations, concepts, objects, and immersive experiences.
Because design is not just about looks—it’s above all a way of thinking made real. And this year, at the center of that thinking is the relationship between humans, nature, and technology.Fuorisalone 2025 in Milan is set, as always, to be an unmissable event for design and mobility lovers, with many car brands ready to present their latest innovations.
Hyundai unveils the IONIQ 6 "Electrified Streamliner"
Hyundai introduces to the public its new IONIQ 6, dubbed the "Electrified Streamliner" for its aerodynamic and sculpted design.This electric vehicle is designed as a unique living space, redefining the boundaries of mobility with numerous advanced technologies and a range of more than 610 kilometers.
The IONIQ 6 represents a significant step in Hyundai's electric revolution, combining outstanding performance with cutting-edge design.
Škoda Auto and Marcantonio: “This Way”
Škoda Auto presents the installation "This Way" in collaboration with Italian artist Marcantonio.Marcantonio Raimondi Malerba, born in 1976, is an Italian artist and designer known for his ironic, dreamlike, and deeply evocative works, often inspired by the animal and plant world.
Between art and architecture, his style blends craftsmanship, sculpture, and functional design, with a fairy-tale touch and an aesthetic that almost never takes itself too seriously.
His name is linked to creations that have now entered the pantheon of contemporary design, such as the famous Monkey Lamp, the duck chandelier, gorilla bedside tables, and other creatures that are half furniture, half domestic totems.Marcantonio loves to play on the border between nature and artifice, creating objects that seem to come from a dream—part psychedelic, part poetic.
He often collaborates with international brands like Seletti, with whom he has created collections that went viral. Now, he brings his vision into the automotive world too, as shown by his partnership with Škoda for Fuorisalone 2025.What Marcantonio’s visionary mind and Škoda’s creative courage have created together is an immersive experience that blends sculpture and technology.
The event will take place in the courtyard of the Contemporary Art Pavilion (PAC), in the Porta Venezia district.In "This Way", visitors will enter a dreamlike landscape, interacting with statues inspired by animals and nature—inviting them to adopt a new way of experiencing mobility.
This installation is a reflection on the future of sustainable movement and the relationship between humans, nature, and technology."This Way" promises to be a journey through sculpture, imaginary ecosystems, and new forms of mobility, once again proving that with Marcantonio, nature is not just a theme—it’s a real character, a deep story, and a provocation all at once.
Lexus: Immersive Exhibition “A-Un” at Superstudio Più
When technology meets design and draws inspiration from the very rhythm of life, the result is experiences that feel like they come straight from the future.That’s the case with Black Butterfly, the revolutionary dual-interface control system created by Lexus for the LF-ZC concept car.But this isn’t just about automotive innovation—this technology has sparked the creativity of international artists and designers, who reimagined it in immersive ways to explore new visions of the relationship between humans, machines, and mobility.
Black Butterfly is not just a steering wheel or a touch screen. It’s a whole new philosophy of interaction between humans and vehicles, where technology, sensitivity, and design come together in an intuitive, almost “living” experience.The name suggests lightness, precise movement, and delicate responsiveness—like a black butterfly with a high-tech soul.
It’s a smart cockpit that adapts to the driver’s movements, offers personalized, dynamic controls, and creates an empathetic dialogue between human and machine.To understand this concept, you have to tap into your inner child and imagine a car that “listens” to you, that “feels” you, and shapes itself around your needs—before you even realize them.
Black Butterfly interprets our behavior, gestures, and intentions, and gives us an interface that changes in real time.
It’s a true fusion of AI, design, and sensory interaction.
At Fuorisalone 2025, Black Butterfly takes center stage in the immersive installation “A-Un”, where Lexus transforms this technology into art.
The human-machine connection becomes an immersive experience: the installation reacts to the visitor’s breath, heartbeat, and presence, creating a harmonious and almost spiritual space inspired by the Japanese concept of aun no kokyō—shared breathing.This is one of the most anticipated events in the world of creativity. From April 8 to 13, the public will be able to explore these cutting-edge installations at Superstudio Più, in the beating heart of Fuorisalone.Created in collaboration with Tokyo-based creative agency SIX Inc. and the STUDEO design studio, “A-Un” offers a completely new way of communicating between humans and mobility: an intuitive dialogue built on empathy, synchronization, and wonder.
The visitor’s heartbeat in sync with the universe around them—moving together as one.But that’s not all. Lexus also presents “Discover Together”.
This is a collective project by emerging talents from Japan (Bascule Inc. and Lexus Designer Team) and the United States (North Eastern University).
An initiative born from the Lexus Design Award, which for over ten years has promoted visionary creativity and social impact.In “Discover Together”, new generations explore co-creation by imagining future interfaces through surprising installations that reveal the special chemistry between humans and machines.
The cockpit is no longer a static space, but becomes a sensory environment—a true space for connection and meaning.Lexus has long been a bold presence at Fuorisalone, and this year confirms once again its mission to push beyond the limits of the luxury automotive world, with visions that connect innovation, aesthetics, and humanity.
Lexus continues to pioneer the redefinition of what it means to drive—or rather, to feel a car.
The human-machine connection becomes an immersive experience: the installation reacts to the visitor’s breath, heartbeat, and presence, creating a harmonious and almost spiritual space inspired by the Japanese concept of aun no kokyō—shared breathing.This is one of the most anticipated events in the world of creativity. From April 8 to 13, the public will be able to explore these cutting-edge installations at Superstudio Più, in the beating heart of Fuorisalone.Created in collaboration with Tokyo-based creative agency SIX Inc. and the STUDEO design studio, “A-Un” offers a completely new way of communicating between humans and mobility: an intuitive dialogue built on empathy, synchronization, and wonder.
The visitor’s heartbeat in sync with the universe around them—moving together as one.But that’s not all. Lexus also presents “Discover Together”.
This is a collective project by emerging talents from Japan (Bascule Inc. and Lexus Designer Team) and the United States (North Eastern University).
An initiative born from the Lexus Design Award, which for over ten years has promoted visionary creativity and social impact.In “Discover Together”, new generations explore co-creation by imagining future interfaces through surprising installations that reveal the special chemistry between humans and machines.
The cockpit is no longer a static space, but becomes a sensory environment—a true space for connection and meaning.Lexus has long been a bold presence at Fuorisalone, and this year confirms once again its mission to push beyond the limits of the luxury automotive world, with visions that connect innovation, aesthetics, and humanity.
Lexus continues to pioneer the redefinition of what it means to drive—or rather, to feel a car.
Because once again, Fuorisalone 2025 is the ultimate platform for car brands ready to show the future of mobility—offering the public a one-of-a-kind experience in the vibrant heart of Milanese design.
