Every year, Milan Design Week transforms the city into a global playground of creativity, innovation, and design, fostering interactions and experiences. From April 8 to April 13, Milan Design Week 2025, elevates the game once again with a sharper emphasis on sustainability, cross-cultural storytelling, and emotion-led design.
One of the most exciting changes this year was the increasing visibility of Indian designers in many of the major exhibitions and independent showcases. Indian design is no longer confined to the periphery but rather enters the conversation with confidence and cultural grounding, celebrating the humanity of craft while embracing innovation, collaboration, and meanings that are relevant to a global audience.
With both heritage textile and artisan-rooted furniture, as well as digitally crafted hybrids and poetic material expressions, Indian voices were represented across important platforms, from the Isola Design Festival to Alcova and Villa Bagatti Valsecchi.
Let’s dive into the blog to explore 7 Indian Designers and their collectives setting a benchmark at Milan Design Week 2025!
The theme of the Year ~ ‘Design is Human‘
At Milan Design Week 2025, Jaipur Rugs distinguished themselves with “Playing with Tradition,” a lively collaboration with the Dutch designer Richard Hutten. Jaipur Rugs features carpets rooted in Indian craftsmanship blended with a spirit of playful modernity. It used bold splashy colors and patterns that took inspiration from Holi, demonstrating how tradition evolves through contemporary design narratives.
Vikram Goyal Studio impressed visitors at Nilufar Depot with their new curated capsule collection of limited edition items. All of these signify a beautiful connection between India’s rich tradition of artisanal craft and its colorful contemporary creative scene. Additionally, the studio actively revives traditional Indian metalworking practices. Each piece exhibited Vikram Goyal’s signature skill set in the contemporary design space while honoring aspects of Indian heritage.
Renowned Indian fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani collaborated with Chinese designer Duyi Han to present the “Celestial Manual” chandelier. The “Celestial Manual” chandelier also pays tribute to artisanal workers who make Tahiliani’s fashion. It transforms skilled handicrafts into a work of illumination. Moreover, this collaboration embodies a mix of design and fashion. Additionally, it emphasizes the artisanal work that lends significance to each discipline.
The Rasa Collective highlighted the evolving narrative of Indian design on the global stage. Exhibited by Isola Studio and curated by Nidhi Chandak and Varun E S, members of Isola Studio’s India-based crew, depicts design as a result of emotional storytelling through stories of artisans, cultural continuity, and innovation. The Sanskrit word Rasa or subtly experiencing emotional stories through creative expression, is referenced in the exhibition of over 15 Indian designers and design studios. These studios balance tradition and modernity which include hand-blown glass, marble, textiles, and terrazzo. Furthermore, they are made from construction waste, sandstone, woven bamboo, and woodwork.
Aya Kawabata’s “The Shadow of the Sun,” created in collaboration with the Chanakya School of Craft, was an expressive and poetic tribute to traditional Indian architecture. Presented as part of the Shakti Design Residency, the work referenced the exquisite dance of light and shadow in ancient stone carvings in India. Made of raffia woven together in various densities and thicknesses, the installation shifted light in subtle ways throughout the day and invited viewers to interact with it as a living, breathing part of the space. Beyond being a visual exploration, the work also paid tribute to the passage of time, materiality, and craft.
At Milan Design Week 2025, Klove Studio founded by Prateek Jain and Gautam Seth, introduced VISTA. It is a light installation exhibited at Alcova Milano as part of the Shakti Design Residency. This sculptural lighting collection was crafted with designer Kickie Chudikova in accordance with the residency philosophy. VISTA demonstrates Klove Studio’s alignment of Indian traditional craft with contemporary design. Moreover, it resonates with their unique artistry in handblown glass lighting installations.
A collaboration between Indo-Norwegian textile designer Helena Bajaj-Larsen and Jaipur Rugs exhibits a collection of exclusive handwoven textiles that combined Scandinavian minimalism with a burst of Indian textile history. This exhibition was at Villa Bagatti Valsecchi for the launching of Shakti Design Residency. It is an enterprise to connect artisanship in Indian heritage with the global design community.
Thus, Indian designers continue to make a strong impact at Milan Design Week 2025, celebrating heritage and reserving a space for a forward-thinking design perspective. Moreover, this global platform is only the starting point of a larger journey.
The contemporary style architecture house is located in the lively urban context of Thaltej, Ahmedabad nestled within a private cluster of four bungalows. Though the home enjoys the benefits of community, it also maintains a high degree of privacy and seclusion. This is achieved through a carefully considered spatial arrangement, despite the proximity of a […]
Situated in the bustling residential neighbourhood of Koorkenchery, Thrissur, Dr. Lakshmi’s residence stands as a refined architectural response to a narrow 15.53 cent plot. The 4214.07 sq ft home is a seamless blend of modern traditional kerala house, with an Indonesian inspired grey white exterior that exudes sophistication. The design strategically employs linear planning, integrating […]
Imagine a home that breathes with the breeze, where sunlight filters through lush foliage, and the vibrant hues of nature are an extension of your living space. Tropical houses are architectural marvels; a profound dialogue between human habitation and the natural world, born from centuries of adapting to warm, humid climates. Far from rigid structures, […]
In the heart of Bangalore’s expanding peripheries, amidst a landscape of dry earth and scattered industrial activity, Elements of Nature emerges not just as a marketing and sales office but as an orchestrated experience in office design architecture—an architectural dialogue between structure, materiality, and the senses. Designed by Sneha Ostawal, founder of Source Architecture, this […]
The way we design spaces that people inhabit goes beyond mere functionality. It requires an intentional sensitivity to how each detail shapes the overall experience and interaction with the surrounding ecological context. Nestled in the suburban periphery of Nashik, the project occupies a 3700 sq. ft. plot located at the dead-end of a street, adjacent […]
Kerala style homes have courtyards surrounded by rooms on each side. Traditional Kerala-style homes have a central courtyard known as Nadumuttam surrounded by rooms. These homes promote natural light and ventilation according to the region’s climate. These homes, due to the feature of courtyards as their core spaces, offer beautiful opportunities for social gatherings. This […]
This bungalow style house influences the site context and can be visualised in multiple facades of sharp edges & cuboidal form. Her,e salient features like U-Projection are an expression of the bench on a level one. The house divides itself into three bays. On the ground floor, where first bay acquire all public activities like […]
As cities continue to grow and evolve, there is a growing desire to incorporate elements of rural living into urban design. By embracing rural living principles, cities can create more eco-friendly and sustainable spaces. Rural living is not just about wide-open spaces and rolling hills. It’s also about community, sustainability, and a connection to nature. […]
Aangan is a modern residence that seamlessly integrates with the lush environment of Kerala, showcasing a tropical home design. Designed to embrace the region’s warm climate, the house features a striking sloped terracotta roof at varying levels, enhancing both its aesthetic appeal and functional efficiency. The structure is enveloped in a vibrant tropical landscape, adorned […]
This simple farmhouse design is a humble residence that responds to the climate and site. It is a fun fact that the house is both an inward and outward looking house at the same time. One of the USPs of the simple farmhouse design project would be that it connects well with the most playful […]