Monocle Weekend
Edition: Saturday

The spring/summer edition of Milan Fashion Week, which began on Wednesday and runs through this weekend, was up against it from the get-go. It followed a rejuvenated London Fashion Week, which was buoyed by Riccardo Tisci’s Burberry debut. And it will be missing Gucci, one of its leading lights (which this season is showing in Paris). Nonetheless, Milan’s luxury houses know how to put on a memorable show. On Thursday night, following a dynamic Prada event held inside a new concrete-clad space at Fondazione Prada, Emporio Armani took guests to a hangar at Milan’s Linate Airport. Models walked as Alitalia planes took off from an altogether less-sparkly runway, and the show was followed by a Robbie Williams performance. It’s not over yet for Milan: look out for this weekend’s Missoni and Giorgio Armani shows.

North Londoners may think that heading south of the River Thames is a thankless transport mission but the opening of the South London Gallery’s annexe will encourage them to make an entirely worthwhile trip. Taking over a former fire station on busy Peckham Road, the gallery’s extension opens its doors today to reveal a sensitive refit courtesy of 6a Architects – as well as an exhibition on humour in contemporary art, titled Knock Knock. Other than providing four new gallery spaces, the Fire Station also features a studio for artists in residence, an education room used by the school across the road and a kitchen that can be hired by artists and the public: proof that any gallery opening in this rapidly gentrifying area needs to keep connected to the neighbourhood that surrounds it.

The 4th Istanbul Design Biennial, themed around the interplay between design and learning, opens today. With it comes a much-needed gust of optimism for the country. Following the financial crisis – during which the Turkish lira took a historic 40 per cent plunge – and the unresolved spat with the US, the festival offers a way to bring the international community together in the capital. Over the next six weeks, talks, screenings, workshops and exhibitions will take on the topic of education and sustainable urbanisation. Highlights will include panels featuring designers and artists such as Finnish-born Jenna Sutela, New York and Seoul-based Taeyoon Choi and Italian Martina Muzi.

The NY Art Book Fair takes place this weekend at Moma PS1 in Queens. Brought together by Printed Matter (a non-profit tasked with championing art literature), the free-to-the-public fair brings together 365 exhibitors from across the world for two days of book launches, live music and debates. Among the publishing houses on show are the likes of Kurimanzutto libros (the publishing arm of Mexico City’s art gallery Kurimanzuto). Although the fair focuses on art-related literature, events such as these are crucial to promoting publishing houses and encouraging reading in the US. Nearly a quarter of Americans didn’t read a single book last year but that number has been slowly dropping since 2015 and is sure to keep doing so if the popularity of the NY fair is anything to go by.

Adel Zakout is an architect-turned-entrepreneur and the co-founder of Clippings, a digital platform for interior designers that allows them to easily source products, from furniture to light fittings. Adel launched the company with Tom Mallory back in 2014 and it has since expanded fast. Earlier this month the company announced that it had closed a $15m (€12.7m) Series B investment round – led by Farfetch, Moda Operandi and Rent the Runway.

We find out how the world of mobility is changing and what challenges lay ahead for car-sharing, single-pilot planes and slow travel.