SALONE DEL MOBILE 2021 alias #SUPERSALONE: THE MILESTONE YEAR (A PREVIEW OF THE PHYSICAL AND VIRTUAL EVENT).

In image above: a rendered view of the communal areas (resting & chilling), in the new #supersalone exhibition design plan for the September Edition of the fair this year, (as presented for the first time at the Press Conference of 26.5.2021 in Milan, Italy).

 “…Being a Leader is not about Kickstarting, is about Twisting , Disrupting & Eventually Continuing.” ,Claudio Feltrin, President of Federlegno  Arredo Events. 

The die is cast, the Salone del Mobile will finally take place on the 5th-10th of September 2021. All different ends, organizers, designers and the local authorities came back with a a master plan, in order to re-create practically everything from scratch in order to deliver the magnanimous design fair in a viable, safe and entirely groundbreaking format for the exhibitors and the operators-visitors. On the 30th of June 2021 the digital portal of the #supersalone, as it is called now, will be presented as an integral part of an hybrid event, both virtual and physical. 

That will also allow a full, yearly, ongoing review of the evolutionary process of the fair and not just a glimpse of it under a constraint 5-day attendance. Provided an extremely complicated year for production and logistics due to the pandemic-putting many design studios and manufacturers in peril- listening, sharing and supporting are for the #supersalone participating companies and operators network key factors for cultural and commercial success. Architect Stefano Boeri gathered a multi-disciplinary dream team of designers in order to create a unique navigational system of access, exhibition, curation and recreation, never done before in a commercial fair of that scale (the basic map of it in photo bellow). 

We break down bellow the bullet points or key characteristics of the project design, set up to accommodate all the demands of the exhibitors, following all the necessary health and safety protocols for the attendees inside the space but most importantly establishing a new dialogue about design in business and society, that will affect all future similar fairs but also the way we interact and exchange knowledge regarding industrial production, also on an academic level.

 -A Waste-less Event: the whole construction is designed to be completely upcycled after the end of the event. Reusing and upcycling the materials of the whole project is the X Factor of the #supersalone, done in a superb way in terms of assembling and dismantling the elements of the construction skeleton for further After-Life use (in photos bellow).  

 -Booth Era is Over (“Square-Meter Logic”): Linear Meter Planning is adopted. The end of the booth is a fact in this year’s edition of #supersalone. The fantastic yet simple idea to make the fair an ever ending sequence of consecutive walls without beginning or end (like the Internet!), will guarantee better ventilation & spatiality, energy  economy (physical and electrical) and fluidity between areas. Exhibiting companies will occupy linear space, according to their needs, one after the other and there will be green areas between walls for relaxation and contemplation. A flexible Town, the  #supersalone navigation configuration provides a unique exhibitional /recreational, business environment organically inter-connected 4 All. (in photos bellow).

  -The Lost Graduation Show 2020-21: Every design student in the world graduating the “annus horribilis 2020” did not have the chance to curate his/her Final Show, therefore showcasing their work and get introduced to the design world as new professionals. #supersalone is taking charge of this by tossing the coin and making 2021 an “annus mirabilis” for so many final-year design students around the globe: it started an open call to all international design schools for them to submit their best graduation works from the past 18 months. The final exhibition out of these works, will give schools a much-needed chance to support and promote their graduates.  #supersalone will be producing this very significant exhibition at its own expense, also by establishing an Instagram account of all selected works (@thelostgraduationshow) for mass audiences and investors-recruiters all over the world. Furthermore a jury of international design experts will review all works and award the best ones, very much in the likes of the Salone Satellite legacy the past decades. 

-In & Out #supersalone, Triennale and more: besides the lectures, talks and conversations consisting the framework of the public programme, the Triennale will be contributing as the pivotal cultural organization of the city with collateral and complimentary events and exhibitions (i.e. the legendary  Enzo Mari retrospective), increasing the audience’s engagement and participation.  

Stay tuned for More #supersalone exclusive info the following months. A super-innovative and emotional edition that marks the end of an era but most importantly the beginning of a new One. 

#InSupersaloneWeTrust 

Peace and Perseverance  

A4D-D4A💙💚🙌   

The Future of Fashion is Circular: The Sustainability Clause (materials, textiles, methods, policies, standards and norms for a New Era in Fashion and beyond– powered by Fashion Revolution: The New Fabrics and Materials workshop).

In photo above: Secret Paradise Mark II, a backpack made from used and decommissioned sail in the island of Corfu, GR. Learn more about Salty Bag philosophy and mission here. 

The current climate crisis reinforced by the pandemic, accentuate all essential talks about sustainability, primarily in the fashion industry. Noble intentions and no-harm intended sweet-talks are long passed behind us, as we all need to fully understand and incorporate new standards in our shopping regime, as fashion needs to step further ahead, establishing fresh rules in textile science, supply chain regulations/end-of-life cycle reform, anti-greenwashing* transparency and methodology. (*Greenwashing is the process of conveying a false impression or providing misleading information about how a company's products are more environmentally sound.) 

There is no excuse for not trying, no matter where you come from - an independent small house or a mighty fashion group - to adopt at least to some extend, a business eco-practice by certification regarding either production renewable energy blends, ethical supply and anti-sweatshop logistics, upcycled yarns/eco-engineered materials, or natural materials from sustainable plantations and organic soils.The so-called “Green Identity” is a costant design process and not just an end-to-a-means sole principal. The design of the 80% of the energy footprint of a garment is defined during the design stages and not at final production. The road to Net-Zero or Zero Waste energy footprint is a long one and it is undoubtedly linked not only to consumers habits but predominantly to necessary governmental policies imposed onto all stages of fashion production. 

Mandatory regulation for textile wastes from industrial units are already implemented in France and Sweden, with the EU members common law coming up, (active from 1.1.2025) for non-interring or burring clothes, including the collection obligation and compulsory upcycling of remaining garments, for the latter not ending up inside the soil and eventually as micro-plastics into the waters. That’s just not enough though: common policies for public procurements of every type of textile end product (hospital sheets, airplane seat covers, public services or schools soft furnishings et al.) should be controlled all the same inside the continent for certificates that reassure their green footprint and origin. 

As the consumer culture changes, awareness about climate change and post-disaster scenarios is raised through social media but also there is a generational and social re-mapping, regarding our notions and useful practices as fashion professionals and consumers/citizens. 

What to Do (a condensed Bible for Fashion buyers and makers:

 - Ensure responsible material sourcing

 - Think of alternative raw materials and where they come from ( mushroom-based textiles, or coffee-based textiles, plant-based leather and their plantations) 

- Opt for 100% unblended or recycled fabrics - Recycled fibers (seaqual® yarn: recycled polyester) and biodegradable ones 

- Close-looped design process until production

- Production certifications- non chemical usage certification 

- Prefer natural dyers 

- Traceability of facilities- ensuring proper water management and proper disposal 

- Opt for Fair Labour Cerificates 

- Ensure Supply Chain Transparency 

- Support local production- go for local yarn and materials as much as possible 

- Encourage adequacy, care labeling, informative content and responsible marketing

- Renovating and reusing scraps of fabric, adopt new business models of upcycling collections and made to order/ custom made models

- Intergrate new technologies through the creation of apps and intelligent systems, promoting scalable models in order to reduce more waste through circularity/customisation

Follow those useful links to associations, organizations, schools, standards, certifications, legislations, exhibitions:

Fashion Revolution, Athens Fashion Club, Fabric Republic, Eunomia Research & Consulting, Christiana Vardakou Hand Crafted Textiles, Fairtrade International, Cotton Made In Africa, Fair Wear Foundation, Fair For Life, SA8000Ⓡ, Global Recycled Standard (CRS) , Recycled Claim Standard (RCS 100), STeP OEKO TEX, REACH, C2C, Première Vision, Modtissimo.

Special thanks to:

Victoria Dipla, EU Qualified Lawyer/MSc, LL.M Candidate UC Berkeley, Fashion Revolution Greece. 

Maria Vytinidou, B.Sc, M.Sc., MBA, Chemical Engineer, Fashion Designer, Entrepreneur, Founder Athens Fashion Club Fashion School & The Fashion Gate.

Stratis Andreadis, Co-founder, Salty Bag.

Evaggelos Dimitrakopoulos, Τextile Engineer B.Sc., M.Sc., General Director, Athens Fashion Club Fashion School.

Hara Xirou, Head of South-East Europe, Eunomia Research & Consulting. 

Dimitris Mathioudakis, Trainee Consultant, Eunomia Research & Consulting.

Christiana Vardakou, Designer-Founder, C.Vardakou Hand Crafted Textiles.

Vassiliki & Christina Gerothodorou, Founders - Commercial Directors, Fabric Republic.

Time 4 Action💨

A4D-D4A💙💚🙌

Time 4 Action: The Future of Fashion is Circular (a real-time, step-by-step workshop in partnership with Maison Faliakos, Athens, GR - powered by Fashion Revolution Week).

In photo above: Before and After - A 70's "Deux-Pieces" lives a second life, by Maison Faliakos, Fashion Open Studio workshop, Fashion Revolution Week, Ath, GR.

Fashion is a holistic system, incorporating several disciplines such as art, design, craft, business, science, education, technology. As a vital pillar of the economy, fashion as a growth generator is heavily criticized for its practices the last decades, those last having a catastrophic effect on the planet and on human capital. Climate change and social change, accelerated recent developments and shook profoundly the fashion ecosystem, this time for good. Nothing will stay the same: from big groups to independent entities, from large industrial units to local, creative fashion studios. The need for a U-turn is imperative with first and foremost new textile technology (econyl et al.) at the stirring wheel of production worldwide but also a fresh strategy when it comes to resources: no more new fabric, new plastic (Everlane) or (new) waste. Houses, studios, brands and companies are going circular by re-using old stock from scraps to yarns (Queen of Raw), establishing fabric banks (Raeburn) and offering a new type of service, the one of re-designing from scratch your old garments. The design process is pivotal in this new type of assignment: it involves the 100% of the designers with all their relevant tools and knowledge but also requires the engagement of the individual, of the client or wearer as an essential part of a successful, final product. 

This business model can and will be scalable the next couple of years and it is already adopted and exploited by different platforms as a check-in  into a novel, entrepreneurial cycle. The Fashion Revolution organization local branch in Athens, GR teamed up this year with one of the oldest couture houses of the hellenic capital: Maison Faliakos celebrates 40 years in the field, lately becoming the refuge of a new generation of thinking class, the hype downtown Muses of the old city, who opt for an intellectual kick inside the beauty of those couture garments', elaborate stitches. In a 3-day fashion exercise of high caliber, the team of the house Chief Creative Officer Christos Petridis and Creative Director Venediktos Antipas receive a 70’s two-pieces (dress and jacket) by the owner, international female actor Youla Boudali and transform it with the invaluable help of their head-seamstress Mrs Smaragda and sewing technician Mr Hassan, a Bangladeshi tailor living in Greece-into a new-wave bomber jacket, a bustier top and a pair of sweatpants ( from top to bottom, all stages in the photos bellow: 1.Receiving  2.Sketching 3.Dismantling 4.Ironing 5.Pattern cutting 6.Pattern cutting, re-assembling, print handpainting 7,8. Re-composing 9.Fitting 10. Delivering ( to Happy Customer😊).  

In this upcycling journey of “thrifting couture” the notions of sustainability, circularity, zero waste, inclusivity, aesthetics as an ethical set of values, heritage, responsibility, anti-sweatshop conditions, diversity, representation and eventually quality are illustrated and explored live, together with the ever-ending evolving question on the fashion condition in general. Its impact on mental health, the necessity for adaptation, innovation, cross-platform disciplines, hybrids, copyright protection and archi-vism, designer collectives but also policies to facilitate transparency and lifelong learning. 

In days when venture capitalism is becoming something like instant coffee where every new aspect of everyday use –from masks to loungewear and hand sanitizers to apps for post-disaster scenarios like tsunami warning-is considered to be a profitable equity of relative permanence – clothes continue to be an essential commodity. Fashion is not for the faint-hearted after all and the urge to consume more of it in an irresponsible manner is coming to an end. The end of an era of fashion as we know it and  the re-birth of it as a clear and distinctive design process, without blurring lines and obscure places. It is going to cost the fall of some of the industry's Pompeii(s) but we can hope for our dream designer to come in our premises some day by 2030 and revamp our closet by using our existing pieces at a yearly rate. The tectonic plates of the industry, one of the most prolific in design, are moving, almost violently. 

To be continued: New Textiles and Textile Technology for the 21st century: Eco-Sustainable, Recycled, (Re)-engineered. Coming up next as an annex?-))

#NothingMoreModThanGoodMode

#whomademyclothes

A4D-D4A💙💚🙌

QUANTUM COMPUTING: THE NEW FRONTIER FOR RE-DESIGNING JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING.

 

The emerging 5G is one of the latest developments about to revolutionize the world, yet the Quantum Computing technology is the next tectonic shift in times the human race faces current challenges like agricultural production and climate change. The potential for all types of businesses is huge but despite the immense possibilities of QC surveys are showing that companies are still hesitating to invest and engage the specific technology. Today QC is still limited in volume and breath and very few organizations are scaling and piloting the technology within their core infrastructures, due to limited funding and support to this function. 

Taking into account technology advances, greater partner engagement and more funding, QC will continue its shift from the Research & Development (R & D) lab to the real world. By 2032, one-fifth of respondents expect their organizations will have identified or launched a use case or pilot, and 15% expect to be conducting at least one pilot. However live deployments and scaling of QC will remain limited. 

Governments across the world have announced an approx 22 billion dollars of funding over the coming years, with China in the lead of course with an investment of 10 million in the technology, (: in the EU, Germany and France alone are topping up with almost 4 billion dollars in QC education an research), a thing that sparks huge optimism in the venture capital world about the launch of new markets. In addition private investment in quantum technologies is ramping up rapidly, with companies like IonQ and blue-chip giants like IBM, Google, Daimler and J.P. Morgan among others. 

Applications are varied:  from materials to batteries, further up to machine learning, the development of new drugs and molecules, including financial applications as well. Drug discovery and materials design in particular can have a huge impact by the implementation of QC enabling a 20% saving in R & D (:reducing trial and error lab processes by accurately stimulating  strongly correlated electron systems e.g. for high temperature superconductors or multiferroics for high absorbency solar panels. This is a tremendous development impacting on new building technology and 3-D printing construction for public housing in the era of recession and extreme climate change).

 

Like every other tech r-evolution, QC raises some eyebrows in terms of several repercussions in the areas of ethical competition and corporate behavior in regards to the diffusion of the tool and the exploitation of the sector. Risks such as access to QC by the Big-Tech conglomerates triggering inequality issues or computation power for nations that can even end up to encryption break eventually, global arms race, future monopolies, non-accessibility of those tools by all and for all, (:there is ongoing intention for inclusivity by the QPC tight community). States and companies need to re-think and re-design their strategies and they need to reflect on their computational usage resources. Which of their operational areas can benefit from QC technologies? 

Autonomous vehicles, advertising- optimization-data mining, drug design, logistics, machine learning, algorithm innovation- hybrid algorithms- AI: by 2040 the Quantum Computing will be present at its full capacity, ready for work within the multiple state-of-the-art capabilities it can offer to humanity. How it will affect Creativity? All it is left, is wait and see. 

Visit the QC Summits and News around the globe here for explicit info. 

Come back to us for more;-)

All the best

A4D-D4A 💙💚🙌

DESIGN + SUSTAIN: THE FUTURE OF HABITAT.

It's pretty clear: Covid-19 was the last drop in an quite full glass, accentuating the need to re-direct our everyday routine and re-think our home design. Things are getting interesting and complicating enough while climate change is hammering cities and rural areas and the pandemic redefines our ordinary life cycle: our habits, work, recreation, mental and physical health - plus wealth and assets.

Smart design and technology are meant to be the key players to tackle climate change in multi-populated urban centers with a multitude of systems, devices and apps but the adoption of a new set of values in terms of aesthetics inside the home space is rising, as new social standards are making their way after Covid-19 forced the implementation of new patterns. A innovative philosophy in home interiors is evolving right as we speak, breaking the news and the "different rules" in creating a living space.

Urban areas are home to more than half the people on earth - a proportion that will rise in the years ahead - and they are responsible for more than three-quarters of the world’s economy. As they expand, many of the world’s fast-growing cities end up building over floodplains, forests, and wetlands that could absorb rising waters during a storm or hold reservoirs of water during a drought.

“All cities will be affected by Climate Change, but coastal cities will have the worst problems. Hundreds of millions of people could be forced from their homes as sea levels rise and storm surges get worse. By the middle of this century, the cost of Climate Change to all coastal cities could exceed $1 trillion…each year.”announced recently Bill Gates, far from being the first or the only one pinpointing the emergency of the situation. Decarbonization experts around the world,  believe that the evolution in digital technologies and common standards are vital to protect urban areas from rising sea levels and rapidly changing weather conditions. Smart building design being one of these solutions, it holds the key putting its considerable weight behind a global zero emission economy.

(*Cities and their buildings are expected to be the primary target here as the biggest polluters on the planet, collectively responsible for more than 70% of the world’s greenhouse gases*, which puts pressure on companies and building asset owners to go carbon neutral.)

Hundreds of design companies, architectural studios and home decor manufacturers have already pledged to zero carbon emissions strategy behind their planning solutions for their private or corporate clients- including whole nations- now legally bound to meet the 2050 net-zero carbon emission target through the 2015 Paris Agreement, (such as the United Kingdom, France, New Zealand, and China).

Where does all this leave us, common people leading (un)common lives in our apartment blocks, country houses or residential resorts?  The decision to change our everyday space comes somewhat second in pace to our reactivity adopting a Survival Kit, imposed by the need to control and realize our consumption, use, expense, choice and eventually trace the path of fulfillment. The next step towards happiness might start from our very living room. Literally and essentialy this time.   

*UN-Habitat: https://unhabitat.org/topic/climate-change

All the Best + More

A4D-D4A 💧💨🙆

2021: FIRST NEWS, FIRST THOUGHTS ABOUT A RATHER TRANSITIONAL YEAR.

In photo above: layered five coat trench by pioneer garment & apparel designer DURAN LANTINK, New Season, available in Farfetch.

Here we go with what we would gather from a first selection of the most defining discoveries in design and technology for the upcoming year. We will focus on those more than anything, plus our usual dedicated posts on important international events, fairs, cool brands and creators throughout 2021. 

- Glam (Means) also Circular: finally refining sustainability in its real space, time and sense. No more superficial uses of the term, what is sustainable is made fully circular (: a new sneaker is made by parts of old sneakers), imprinting a Net Zero Model. Thus said, becoming terribly expensive as an end product, it is also alien to the Sustainability clause and cause. 

- Partnerships (that Count for Something): in the likes of Raeburn teaming up with Tokyo-based Onward Advanced System, innovation means merging in collaborative research and production. Anything less than that is mere marketing for seasonal or temporary profit, far away from a meaningful design process for 2021.

- The Future of Work: indepth awareness around Future EdTech, the Future of Work and Mental Health in the workplace. Is remote work here to stay? What is best practice to empower the workforce? What cultural shifts are we likely to see emerge post-pandemic in the workplace? This year countless organisations worldwide have been forced to temporarily shut down, instruct employees to work from home, or struggle to find a new way of operating in which staff members are kept a safe distance from each other. The impact of the pandemic led to digital transformation initiatives, such as AI, automation, cloud, CX, data, and help in the self-discovery of organisations not only in terms of Survival but eventually of Success.

- Clean Cities = New Cities: Dominique Bonte, Vice President, End Markets at ABI Research, said: “In the need to increase resilience and optimise resource management in light of COVID-19, Real-time 3D models of cities-built environment allow scenario analysis through the simulation of the potential impact of natural disasters like flooding, [adoption of] generative design principles for new city developments [which optimise] energy savings and solar capacity, and saving costs by operating cities more efficiently and effectively.”Open access to key metrics and dashboards to the citizens themselves, increases their overall involvement and helping gain approval of city government decisions and policies.

- Fashion 4 Change: Toxic mega-profits for fashion mogul powerhouses, modern slavery sweatshop conditions - a fuel to the catastrophic consequences of climate change- fashion remains the multi-sectoral business ecosystem about to be transformed first. The time was yesterday and the transition is happening fast(er) today with more new movements and organizations in the Air acting 4 Change.

- Blockchain 4 All: With more and more companies, organizations even countries like  Sweden (e-krona) announcing heavy implementation of the technology in more than one sector or disciplines and joining like AP13 the *Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA), the de facto standards organization for enterprise blockchain- Blockchain seems like THE Plan to adopt for so many functions in the near future.

(*EEA is backed by the largest developer community in the world. The EEA membership base represents companies from every region of the world across a wide variety of business sectors, including technology, banking, legal, government, healthcare, energy, culture, pharmaceuticals, marketing, and insurance.)

- 5G -AI 4 Design et al: More to come from the AI community, where you will find the insight, expertise, training, and connections you need to elevate your business in 2021 and beyond. UK Government invests in 5G ideas, with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport managing to put together a £28 million contribution to some test projects focusing on consumer applications of 5G. One of them is an AR app accompanying the latest BBC Natural History series.

It is a brave, new year. Let's embrace it and learn from it!

All the Best

A4D-D4A💙💚🙌

2020 IS WAITING TO DEPART: A “THANK YOU” CARD TO ALL OF YOU!

In image above: the spatial feel to infinite traveling at the VIP Lounge of the new Gagarin airport, Russia, brought by the Asadov architectural bureau, Moscow, RU. 

After 6 years around – a Covid-19-one included in the bill- we remain grateful enough still being able to provide our readership meaningful, design-related reports, news, articles, insights, events, that do matter.  Guess what: we are so incredibly determined to continue our journey in and out design, all over the continent and beyond, providing you with excellent quality, interesting, life-changing design content.  

Special thanks to media partners and PR Officers, who facilitated us a great deal by reaching out this intriguing year and provided us with continuous updates/access to their manifestations, based at: Kartell Press, G&G Magazine, Migliore + Servetto, ADP Comunicazione, Pedrali Press, Smart Planet, Klimt02, International Fair of Lisbon, Triennale Milano, Ritzwell & Co., Fondation Le Corbusier, Salone Del Mobile.Milano Press, GlobalData, ACPV (Antonio Citterio Patrizia Viel), BlockCroup PR, LG Hausys PR, Portugal Smart Cities Summit, Web Summit Media Success Team, BWF (Broadband World Forum) Press, Athens Jewelry Week, Kamp C Press Office, CoS (Church of Scientology) Public Affairs, The European Center/Contemporary Space Athens, CRA (Carlo Ratti Asssociati) Press, MIT Dalai Lama Centre for Ethics, Vogue Business. 

A huge round of applause and tons of gratitude to all of our guest interviewees who took the time to answer those 5 (or more) essential questions and get published in our design blog particularly this complicated year as well. Our love and care to our readers from the EU, USA, Asia, Russia, Middle East, Australia and South America: we are honoured to have you for one more year and we constantly intensify our efforts to bring you the most exciting and noteworthy developments in the design-at-large, multidiverse areas.

Disclaimer: Hope (and Design) are the very Last two elements into that Pandora Box😉. 

Keep Up the Work - Love 4 All - Happy New 2021

A4D-D4A 💙💚🙏