Cover photo: Gucci Design Ancora. Parola, design Gae Aulenti and Piero Castiglioni for FontanaArte
Fashion and design have always inspired and influenced each other. Clothing styles and collections shape interior trends, while fashion brands increasingly engage with designers, architects, and artists to explore new creative dimensions through events, custom interiors, and curated product lines. Sometimes the synergy happens “au contraire,” with design brands partnering with iconic fashion maisons to merge craftsmanship, style, and identity into collectible reissues and limited editions. These five case studies explore the encounter between fashion and light.
1. GUCCI x FontanaArte
In 2024, Gucci showcased Design Ancora at Milan Design Week, a project conceived by Creative Director Sabato De Sarno and co-curated by communication consultant Michela Pelizzari. It reinterprets iconic objects of Italian design that reflect the bond between craftsmanship and industrial production, using Gucci’s signature Rosso Ancora shade. Among them, the Parola lamp—originally designed in 1980 by Gae Aulenti and Piero Castiglioni for FontanaArte—was reissued. This table lamp features three distinct glass-making techniques: an opaline diffuser sphere, customized for this edition in Rosso Ancora, a concave transparent stem as support, and a polished natural crystal base.
2. La Calypso Light by Frederik Fialin for Marsèll
Designed by Danish designer Frederik Fialin and unveiled at the 2024 Berlin Art Week, Calypso Light is a minimalist floor lamp in steel where strict geometry meets dramatic lighting. Marsèll selected the piece to reflect its hybrid language between fashion and design. For the first anniversary of its monobrand store, Marsèll and Fialin created site-specific iterations: Marsèll’s signature leather, usually used in footwear, becomes the lampshade. Two oversized versions were also created and suspended inside the flagship store.
3. Atelier Biagetti for Louis Vuitton
Since 2012, Louis Vuitton has invited designers to contribute functional yet experimental pieces to its Objets Nomades collection—celebrating contemporary style while honoring the maison’s bespoke tradition, like the 1874 Malle-Lit trunk for explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza.
Atelier Biagetti joined the roster in 2019 and in 2023 created Flower Tower, a unique handmade lamp in blown glass. The sculptural column is made of flower-shaped glass bubbles—reminiscent of the Louis Vuitton Monogram—separated by opaline rings that capture and diffuse top-mounted LED light. An additional spotlight and independent dimmers allow precise light control.
4. Diesel Living with Lodes
Launched in 2023 and expanded annually, the Lighting Assortment is the product of the Diesel Living with Lodes partnership—offering versatile solutions for both residential and contract spaces. For Milan Design Week 2025, the lineup grew with D-Burned, a suspension lamp developed under Glenn Martens’ creative direction in collaboration with Controvento.
Its unique feature is the devoré denim—a fabric treatment often used in Diesel’s runway shows—now repurposed for lighting. Draped to diffuse light into shadows and transparencies, D-Burned is available in two standard sizes (60 and 120 cm).
5. The Bridge x Poldina, Zafferano
The The Bridge x Poldina limited-edition lamp blends Zafferano’s iconic portable LED lamp with The Bridge’s timeless Tuscan leather. Known for its handcrafted leather accessories, The Bridge brings its artisanal touch to Poldina’s clean form.
The lampshade is made of vegetable-tanned leather, hand-finished with waxed-thread stitching, gold foil logo, and hand-dyed edging. Available in three colors: sage green, white, and gold leaf.
