The Monocle Minute

Salone del Mobile, the furniture trade fair that anchors Milan Design Week, is serious business. This year’s event, which wraps on Sunday, occupies a staggering footprint about the size of 24 football pitches – or significantly more chaise longues – and boasts impressive financials. The Italian exhibitors alone, which make up 62 per cent of the 2,000 brands and designers showcasing their wares at the Rho Fiera trade hall, represent a combined €9bn in turnover; about a third of the country’s annual furniture-market turnover.

The common refrain from the CEOs and key industry leaders that Monocle is speaking to in Milan is that clients are “coming from everywhere: especially Asia, the US and Australia”. This underscores the robust confidence in the sector, even against a backdrop of trade complexities and market volatility.

Despite these fluctuations, the host city will emerge from the week a winner. Milan Design (Eco) System, a recent study co-published by the trade fair and Politecnico di Milano, suggested that Milan Design Week generated €275m for the city in 2024, with a similar boost anticipated this year. This figure includes revenue generated by the countless city-wide events that complement the fair, from Capsule Plaza’s showcases to Prada-sponsored talks.

Even Salone del Mobile itself reaches beyond the trade hall. “We’re gifting the city the ‘Library of Light’ [pictured],” says Maria Porro, Salone del Mobile’s president. Artist Es Devlin’s installation, a revolving sculpture housing 3,200 books at Cortile d’Onore, was commissioned by the fair. “Having shaped Milan for more than 60 years, we want our cultural initiatives to leave a lasting legacy and spark conversations around good design.” For Salone del Mobile, the ambition is not confined to commercial success and industry buzz; it’s about the serious business of enriching its host city’s cultural fabric too.

Monisse is Monocle’s design editor. For more opinion, analysis and insight, pick up a copy of Monocle’s dedicated Salone del Mobile newspaper today.

I spent a lively Thursday morning at the Miu Miu Literary Club in Milan (writes Natalie Theodosi). The Italian brand, part of the Prada Group, celebrated Milan Design Week by gathering writers, designers and thinkers for poetry readings, music performances and lively literary discussions. The buzz in the air highlighted founder Miuccia Prada’s mastery when it comes to building luxury brands that are both culturally relevant and commercially successful; this year Miu Miu became a €1bn business. So, in that sense, it was little surprise that a few hours later its parent group announced its acquisition of fellow Italian label Versace from the Capri Group for €1.25bn – why not bring Prada’s branding magic to more businesses?

Both Prada and her partner, Prada Group chairman Patrizio Bertelli, have long been committed to investing in and safeguarding heritage Italian brands, including everything from a historic newsstand in Tuscany to beloved pâtisserie Marchesi 1884. Versace, which reported more than $1bn (€891m) in sales in the year ending March 2024, will be the Prada Group’s biggest challenge yet. Founded by Gianni Versace in 1978, the label has recently struggled to hit revenue targets and keep customers excited. Perhaps Prada Group’s logistical prowess and cultural cachet is Versace’s safest bet for recovery.

Qubad Talabani is the deputy prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq. Qubad is the son of former Iraqi president Jalal Talabani and has been in his position since 2014. His party, the PUK, has been working towards the formation of a new governing coalition with long-time rivals the KDP. Since October’s inconclusive election, Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria has fallen and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has declared a ceasefire with Turkey. Kurds are aware that the winds of change are blowing across the region. Monocle meets Talabani at the Delphi Economic Forum to discuss the state of play.

How have recent events in the Middle East, especially in Syria, changed the dynamics within the KRG?
It’s a reminder that we’re living in a volatile region. Syria has changed significantly in the past six months and it could change again. Obviously, we’re concerned for the Kurdish community in Syria and the country as a whole. As our neighbour, we’d like Syria to be stable, not a bastion for terrorist organisations that could then hurt us in Iraqi Kurdistan, or Iraq proper.

Is it clear whether Kurds in Syria are better off now than they were?
Under Assad, [most] Kurds didn’t even have citizenship. Now at least they’re citizens of a country, which is progress. The men and women of the [Kurdish] Syrian Democratic Forces were on the front lines in the war against Isis, so that needs to be respected. The country needs to incorporate them into the state-security apparatus if Syria is to be a healthy, functioning country.

In a referendum held almost a decade ago, almost 93 per cent of Iraqi Kurds voted for an independent Kurdistan. Is that off the table for now?
We are trying to focus on developing as a functioning constitutional region within a federal Iraq. The people of Kurdistan made their voice clear during the referendum but countries around the world also made their opinions known. So we’ve moved on and our priority must be doing what’s best for our public services, economy, infrastructure and education.

Three blockbuster exhibitions are on show in European capitals this spring – here’s a rundown.

‘David Hockney 25’ at the Louis Vuitton Foundation, Paris This David Hockney retrospective is taking over the whole of the Frank Gehry-designed Louis Vuitton Foundation in the Bois de Boulogne. Hockney, now 87, travelled to Paris this week to witness the reunion of more than 400 of his works that are on loan from 40-plus private and public collections. It’s a work of art.
‘David Hockney 25’ opened on Wednesday and runs until 31 August.
fondationlouisvuitton.fr/en

Villa Aurora public opening, Rome
Villa Aurora (also known as Casino di Villa Boncompagni) houses Caravaggio’s only known ceiling mural – and now its doors are opening to the public for the first time. After getting caught in the middle of an inheritance battle between a princess and her stepsons, the villa is taking centre stage during Rome’s Catholic Jubilee year. Visits are part of a major Caravaggio exhibition at Palazzo Barberini, featuring 24 works, from iconic masterpieces to newly discovered paintings.
Villa Aurora is open now.
casino-di-villa-boncompagni-ludovisi.com

‘Cartier’ exhibition at the V&A, London
A major exhibition dedicated to the designs of the historic French jeweller features more than 350 objects, including jewels, rare gemstones, iconic watches and tiaras that chart the evolution of Cartier from family business to global luxury giant. Among the highlights are a rose-clip brooch worn by Princess Margaret and Grace Kelly’s 10.48-carat engagement ring.
‘Cartier’ opens tomorrow.
vam.ac.uk

What are some of the ways that heating the air and water in our buildings can be made greener? We consider innovative solutions from the capture and redistribution of a building’s warmth to a solar project in London that is decarbonising The British Library’s water-heating process. Plus: we visit one of India’s historic stepwells to see how these ancient structures could provide an answer to the country’s water-supply woes.