The Sound of Design
Spiritual Echoes at Milan Design Week + Legacy Lessons from Bad Bunny’s Tiny Desk
This week, culture has been loud in the best way — here’s a look at the things we’ve been paying attention to.
Milan Design Week: More Than Just Aesthetic
This week the 63rd Edition of Milan Design Week began. The design festival features a week-long program of exhibitions, installations and showcases from world-leading designers.
Highsnobiety’s “Not in Milan” Collection features the return of their theme The Classic’s Reinvented - a bold celebration of design heritage viewed through the lens of contemporary culture.
The brand collaborated with Milan native brands The Attico and Bar Basso and international players like Fila and Ugg to produce a limited edition apparel and homeware collection, reflecting some of Milan’s iconic culture and heritage.
Highsnobiety describes the campaign, titled “Panoramic Vibes Only: Milan Rituals” , like this:
“the campaign captures everything we love about the fashion capital: from its legendary fashion stores and stylish aperitivo rituals, to cult bars like Bar Basso, and the new generation of creatives reshaping the city from the inside out.”
The campaign is centered around the theme of the Milanese Salotto; an intimate dining experience where “domestic nostalgia meets streetwear ease”.
‘Il Salotto’ directly translates to “The living room” but conceptually, it presents a picture of discourse, cultural exchange and social influence.
The newly released collection (now available to shop) features timeless silhouettes (think classic box tees, hoodies and 6-panel baseball caps) as well as reimagined Uggs and plant pots.
Bold typography blends with subtle iconography bearing reference to the neon signage and food culture synonymous with this Italian city.
“Blending heritage with contemporary culture, Classics Reinvented creates a dialogue between past and present – honoring the craftsmanship, materials, and stories that shape design legacies.”
Also at Milan Design Week, Vans partnered with designer Willo Perron to create an immersive frequency-focussed exhibition to unveil their Old Skool 36 FM release.
During the exhibition visitors were invited to witness “the physical manifestation of invisible elements like frequencies and waves”.
The score for the exhibition was created by experimental composer Tim Hecker, tasked with the job of “[turning] sonic energy into spatial rhythm.”
Perron isn’t a stranger to sonic stages having designed the set for Beyonce’s 2024 NFL Halftime show and Rihanna’s 2023 Superbowl Halftime show.
The exhibition used light, colour and sound to create a visual language via frequency, referencing Off The Wall’s iconic checkered design throughout the showcase.
This set up wouldn’t be out of place as the opening show at a certain creative church’s annual conference. Visitors lay on the metal structures observing the light and sound through a thin layer of smoke, creating a sense of anticipation and expectation.
We may debate the necessity of lights and stage in worship settings, but we can agree that sound and light create an atmosphere, with the power to move us both emotionally and spiritually. In a worship setting the Holy Spirit acts as the invisible element, turning sound into spiritual reality.
Their new release, the Old Skool 36 FM— is part of OTW’s latest offering and the first release in the upcoming Future Make platform.
Vans released a look at the new design via their Instagram. The shoe features a bubbly, exaggerated foam-like sole that moves away from their classic heritage sole towards modern high-fashion sneaker styles like Balenciaga Track, Yeezy 500s, or the Nike ISPA.
The layered upper and transparent overlays nod to performance-wear aesthetics, whilst the side stripe and low-top profile maintain the spirit of the original Old Skool shoe: a classic, re-invented.
Maintaining Heritage While Producing a New Sound
Earlier this week, Bad Bunny made an appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk accompanied by his band Los Sobrinos to perform 5 tracks from his latest album, ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’.
The album highlights traditional Puerto Rican genres like plena, bomba, décima, and salsa.
His set design was simple; a band set up in NPR’s classic backdrop featuring a light blue Puerto Rican flag. The flag in this specific colour-way is a political symbol associated with the island's independence movement.
Between songs, Bad Bunny shared reflections on Puerto Rico's colonial status and the resilience of its culture. He introduced "La Mudanza," as ‘more than a song’, encouraging listeners to interpret its meaning individually.
The song features a short retelling of his family history, as well as reflections on his pride in being from Puerto Rico.
“I don't sing reggae, but I'm culture
From Borinquen, Puerto Rico, the Perfect Archipelago
The whole world already knows my dialect, my slang
I don't give a damn about what doesn't matter to you
Here, people were killed for raising the flag
That's why I carry it everywhere, man, what's up?”
The track rhetorically emphasises the importance of not only remembering but honouring your roots, maintaining integrity and heritage while bringing an updated sound to a new generation — a common theme through culture this week.