Milano, Autumn 2025 : Before the Show
After the short trip to Verona, our Milan trip has officially started - with an Italian breakfast.
We went back to our favourite bar from our previous trip, 'Luca e Andrea’.
Every time we went to Milan, we stayed at the same area where the show is being held.
People working in fashion industry call it ‘Tortona Fashion District’.
It’s also close to Via Savona, where many independent showrooms take place, and also ‘Fuorisalone’ (off-site) events are usually happening in this area during Salone del Mobile, Milan Design Week.
Last time we stayed right in the middle of Navigli, and this time we were just off Via Tortona.
It was nice to experience different parts of the lovely town.
I was so sick that I could not wake up, but it was supposed to be almost the only sunny day during our stay, so I swallowed my pills and got out of the door.
Before beginning with our schedule, we went on a gift shopping.
Kyu loves to buy things for his parents, colleagues and friends.
He also loves to buy Italian food and sweets, he said it never lasts long enough that he had to buy enough.
Oh well, good for me!
The sky was so blue and clear, the view of Duomo Milano is always so beautiful :)
We decided to walk along our favourite streets.
From Duomo through Brera to Corso Garibaldi, until we reach 10 Corso Como.
We spent some time in the lovely garden until our dinner appointment at a pizza restaurant.
I almost forgot how sick I was, I walked almost 20,000 steps on this day and had so much fun :)
After the beautiful before-sunset time in Milan, we arrived in the restaurant which Kyu booked for us.
They served a 5-course pizza meal, and it was a one-of-a-kind experience!
I thought the chef must be a pizza genius, he became a master of regular pizza and now he’s playing with it.
Since I am a pesco vegetarian, they served tuna tartar for me as a starter, instead of the usual meat option.
It was very good. All of the menu was so original, I didn’t know what to expect until I tried.
I’m always grateful for Kyu, who’s taking me to all these places -
The next day, it rained hard.
We had a meeting appointment with a heel manufacturer outside of Milan, so we went on another train trip.
It was fun to visit a suburban town, the local people were so helpful whenever we got lost.
And the following day, we went on a materials hunt, to pick the best of the materials around the world - in the heart of Italy, the country of craftsmanship.
Sharing just a few pictures from the trip, you will see the outcomes when our next collections are released.
There was an exhibition going on about Signor Armani, and we could easily find messages to commemorate Mr. Armani and to show gratitude.
For the rest of the day, we visited our favourite gallery in Milan, Fondazione Prada.
I am so glad that we managed to visit the gallery.
There was a special exhibition going on by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, whom I was not familiar with but Kyu already knew about.
He told me that he doesn’t like to watch films, but whenever I ask him if he watched something, he’s already seen them all.
The exhibition was a collection of footages from the film, ‘Amores Perros’ (2000).
The director went back to the endless rolls of films he put aside within an archive, for 25 years.
Once abandoned on the floor of editing room, the unselected scenes were kept at the National Autonomous University of Mexico for a quarter century.
The scenes were played again and again on the screen, each time slightly different.
It did not seem unnatural or boring, it felt like different perspectives, different possibilities, or even memories of different people who sensed the details in their own ways.
Although the story was not in line, I could sense the powerful emotions and the entangled relationships between the characters.
I must watch the film in full, very soon.
We closed our day with a dinner at our favourite trattoria.
It’s one of our greatest pleasures of coming to Milan.
The people, the dish, the wine - everything was perfect.
We came here the night before our set-up for the show, and after the third day at the show.
To boost our morale before the show, and to celebrate our success :)
Finally, we set up our booth.
We always get there in the morning, with all of our samples in the luggage.
We were allocated the same spot as the last time.
So here we are, with the beautiful collection as always!
When the display was almost ready, we went out for flowers and stationery shopping.
Gentle rain was coming down, but it was not too bad.
We restored our energy with un caffè, and walked around the area while waiting for the flower centre piece to be made.
It is one of my favourite times during our show trips, the flower shopping :)
The flowers are ready, the posters are ready, and we are ready!
It started to rain very hard, but we were already done with the preparation.
Rest up tight, for the best show ever -
