Altagamma Summit Highlights Bio Design and Next Design Perspectives

The Altagamma summit in Milan, titled Next Design Perspectives, focused on bio design as a key trend, featuring designers like Natsai Audrey Chieza, Suzanne Lee, Maurizio Montalti, and Koert Van Mensvoort. Chieza's Faber Future develops bio-dyes from bacteria for textiles, reducing environmental impact. Lee, creative director at Modern Meadow, creates bio-couture using living organisms and produced Zoa, a 3D-printed bio-leather T-shirt for MoMA's 'Items: Is Fashion Modern?' Montalti pioneers mycelium use as a sustainable alternative to rubber and polystyrene. Van Mensvoort explores 'Next Nature' through design fiction. The summit also previewed Paola Antonelli's 'Broken Nature,' the 22nd Milan Triennial opening March 2019, which will further explore 'reconstitutive' design. WSGN identified nine other trends: Luxe of less, New consumer voices (Muslim consumers expected to spend $327 million on clothing by 2019), Common ground, All-inclusive design, The future is emotion, Positive discomfort, Clean consuming, Improbable collaborations, and In touch (phygital design).