The festival celebrates ten years of independent design and returns with more than 250 international designers, studios, and brands
From April 20 to 26, 2026, during the Milan Design Week, Isola Design Festival returns to celebrate its tenth edition with the theme “TEN: The Evolving Now.” Organized by Isola Design Group, a Milan- and Dubai-based organization, the festival marks an important milestone by retracing the evolution of one of Milan’s most dynamic districts, now established as an international platform dedicated to independent design. The 2026 edition will feature over 250 international designers, studios, and brands and will symbolically return to the roots of the Isola district by reopening historical venues and introducing new exhibition spaces. The heart of the festival will be Fabbrica Sassetti, an industrial building from the 1930s originally built for wool spinning and now reopened to the public as the main venue of the event. Alongside this location, the program will unfold across several key sites in the district, including Fondazione Catella, Stecca3, and Zona K, reinforcing the strong connection between the festival and the urban fabric of the neighborhood.
Isola Space in Dubai © Creative Frame Story
The program includes ten main initiatives, co-curated with designers, brands, and cultural partners under the direction of creative director Elif Resitoglu. Established formats returning this year include Isola Design Gallery, Isola Design Awards Winners’ Showcase, No Space for Waste, Rasa - The Indian Collective, Rising Talents, and The Dutch Atelier, projects that continue to focus on material research, sustainability, and new narratives in contemporary design.
Alongside these initiatives, Archivi Futuri will debut, a research project exploring the future of objects beyond 2050 curated with Pietro Petrillo, while a collective exhibition promoted by Ithra will explore the creative scene of the MENA region. Among the new installations, there will also be a project by .mdd rethinking contemporary workspaces, and Shape of Belonging, curated by Oliwia Maria Studio, which investigates the influence of ancestral gestures on the forms of contemporary design.
Urban Collective Project © Designtech
One of the key collaborations of this edition is with Designtech, presenting Urban Collective Project, a series of pavilions spread throughout the neighborhood designed to reflect on new ways of inhabiting and transforming urban space. The project explores the relationship between designers and production through innovation and digital fabrication. At CoFactory, in the Certosa District, Designtech will also host panels, networking moments, and a four-month creative residency developed together with POLI.design and students from Karnavati University. At Stecca3, Materially will present The New State of Materials, a curated selection dedicated to the latest innovations in material culture: from advanced plastics to bio-based materials, as well as nanotechnologies and high-performance coatings. The exhibition will offer an overview of some of the most interesting developments in material research, accompanied by talks and panel discussions with industry experts.
The New State of Materials_Materially_2026
Throughout the week, the entire Isola district will transform into a widespread laboratory of design with exhibitions, installations, workshops, live demonstrations, and public talks. Among the projects featured in the program are SOLIDIFIED: from matter to form, The Collector’s Room, Tête Dans Les Nuages, and Amy Tidmarsh, alongside contributions from artisans, makers, and creative realities such as Brussels House, Ernesto Shop, Galleria Angelo Della Pergola, Green Island, Fondazione TOG, and RivaViva.
Ten years after its founding, Isola Design Festival continues to be a place where emerging designers, material research, and design experimentation meet, transforming the neighborhood into an open space for contemporary creativity.
Tag: Fuorisalone 2026 Milano Design Week Milan Design Isola Design District
© Fuorisalone.it — All rights reserved. — Published on 19 March 2026
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