Milan’s Salone del Mobile: Punk Rock

Like the name suggests, the Fendi-sponsored Craft Punk expo during Milan Design Week gave its participants a chance to get crafty and show the punk side behind the classic facade of the iconic design house. The ten young designers from around the world were given a slew of archival materials from Fendi -- a huge selection of textiles, leathers, and other odds and ends to construct a piece of art based on their individual talents. Each designer had to complete all construction as a live "performance" of sorts as attendees watched. As the artists went to work, all sorts of glitzy Fendi ephemera flew around the room, and after what seemed the ninetieth time around the place, I decided upon my top three.

Yuri Suzuki & Household presented “The Animatic” (pictured above), a three-dimensional music video comprising on an entire wall of contraptions that came to life in a chain reaction (think of those short films on Sesame Street), set to Silicon Teen’s version of the Chuck Berry classic “Memphis Tennessee.”

Nacho Carbonell showed “Beasts.” Using only a stapler and pure punk instinct, he fabricated grotesque creatures out of scraps of colorful leather and suede that would otherwise have fashioned a vibrant baguette.

Danish jewelry designer Sarah Becker was the last to catch my eye; her creations were various conglomerations of baubles, bangles, beads, and chains that took the form of necklaces, bracelets, and the occasional mini-bag, all looking like they were for sale at the Fendi boutique. (Hear that, Fendi?)

On that note, I think all ten participants have license to knock on Uncle Karl’s door seeking a little job.