Inter Milan, Milan and the Design Week derby

In a month in which there are already two direct encounters between Inter and Milan, the first leg (1-1) and the second leg (23 April) of the Coppa Italia semi-final, the “Derby della Madonnina” will also be played off the pitch during Design Week 2025. It has actually been taking place during the week of the Salone del Mobile for several years now, when the Lombardy capital becomes the global epicentre of design. This event has a strong international appeal and gives the two clubs the opportunity to tell their stories in new languages and with new ambassadors. And not only that, but also to inhabit the urban space, intertwine with the soul of the city and immerse themselves in its everyday life. In short, an increasingly interesting world for two clubs that have always paid attention to the genetic link with the territory and also tend to initiatives outside the sports field.

For visitors to Design Week, the presence of the colours of the Nerazzurri and the Rossoneri is no longer a novelty, as in recent years there have been a series of events, collaborations, showrooms, exhibitions and projects involving the two clubs (and their respective spaces). Over time, these links have become increasingly clear and profound and are now proof of the growing influence of design and its trends on the tastes of Inter and Milan, visible even in the 360 days of the year without Salone del Mobile.

However, the process of convergence has been gradual. Initially, design was explored as a visual language: the architecture of the venues, the jerseys inspired by the Milanese aesthetic, the renewed graphic identities and so on. More recently, however, Inter and Milan have begun to actively participate in the design week, occupying the spaces of the Salone and Fuorisalone and developing unreleased product lines together with brands from the industry. Under the umbrella of “I M DESIGN” - an offshoot of the “I M” universe, an identity concept launched by Inter in 2021 - several such synergies have come about, for example; and on the other side of the Naviglio, we also saw a variety of designers and architects on the stands of San Siro last weekend, while in the city, Milan's flagship store “La Bottega del Diavolo” was transformed into an exhibition centre.

Inter & Design Week

The Nerazzurri now have a long history with the Salone del Mobile, which began in 2011 with the presentation of a Nerazzurri version of TRIX, the transformable stool by Kartell, and continued in the following years with a handful of other activities. But it wasn't until 2019 that Inter really began to immerse itself in the world and calendar of Design Week, decorating an entire building in the city in shades of black and blue and transforming a building in Via Felice Casati, in the Porta Venezia area, into a giant identity poster.

Also from 2019 is the “Design for Sport” revue, developed by Inter together with Raffles Milano, which aims to offer aspiring architects and designers the opportunity to discuss the design of accessories and spaces for sport. A project that was personally accompanied by two historic faces of the club, Javier Zanetti and Francesco Toldo, who, together with the architect Fabio Novembre, selected and awarded prizes to the most interesting projects.

In 2023, the association returns to Design Week with a more concrete proposal: an official collaboration with Kartell for the relaunch of the famous Componibili, the modular containers designed by Anna Castelli Ferrieri in 1967. Thanks to this synergy, a sports brand entered Kartell's permanent range for the first time, with a version of the product (blue, black, with the lettering “INTER MILANO”) presented as a collector's item, but also as a bridge between the visual identity of the club and that of Italian design.

The next step follows in 2024 with “I M DESIGN", a curatorial project that marks the definitive positioning of the club within the Milanese fair. The project, created in collaboration with Kartell, Unopiù and Highsnobiety, brings three different objects to the city that are linked by a story: the Bourgie lamp in a Nerazzurri edition, the Ginger director's chair and a series designed for the fans' home consisting of a cushion and a blanket. The official presentation will take place at the Fuorisalone as part of the “Not In Milan” platform, a reference point for brands and institutions that want to tell their story in a design language but with an independent aesthetic.

Inter has thus entered the heart of Design Week, with products that are not accessories or merchandising, but objects presented in an artistic or aesthetic key. They are presented in visual campaigns that enter into dialogue with the codes of the sector and are displayed in showrooms and exhibition spaces like a furniture or lighting brand. It is not just about presence, but also about cultural affiliation to a context. A trace of this can also be found in the third match jersey for the 2024/25 season, which is inspired by Milan's architecture and presented with a metropolitan narrative.

Milan & Design Week

In Milan, the dialogue with the world of design is also deeply rooted and intertwines with architecture, art and visual communication. The first real foray into this area dates back to 2012, when the association presented the “Seconda Pelle” exhibition at the Triennale Palazzo dell'Arte. The scenographic installation conceived by Fabio Novembre shows the historic jerseys of Milan on red busts, with geometric effects and plays of light and shadow. Two years later, the same Fabio Novembre will design the interior and exterior of Casa Milan, the club's new headquarters: a glass building criss-crossed by red and black lines with athletic figures running along its roof.

In 2025, Milan will take an even more active part in Design Week. The week was opened with a symbolic gesture: Pietro Lissoni, Denis Dekovic, Luca Stoppini, Borre Akkersdijk, Federico Pepe and Fabio Novembre were invited to San Siro to live the matchday experience on the occasion of the Milan-Fiorentina game. In the days that followed, the Bottega del Diavolo in Via Dante was transformed into a narrative space where objects, graphics, accessories and customised items inspired by the Rossoneri's identity were exhibited and where a women's collection will be presented next weekend.

A tour of the rooms of La Bottega del Diavolo will focus on the work of Fabio Buonocore, an illustrator honoured in New York by the Society of Illustrators, who will sign an exclusive poster inspired by the “Your own way” campaign for the Milan Foundation. His message is linked to the Fuorisalone 2025 theme, “Thought for Humans",” and therefore to the social impact of football in Milan.

All this takes place in a broader ecosystem in which Milan has immersed itself in material culture in recent months. This involves not only merchandising campaigns, but also editorial projects, collector's items and limited editions designed to tell the story of the club's identity. On the occasion of its 125 Anniversary, Milan has launched a series of interesting collaborations: the limited edition photo book, created in collaboration with Assouline, printed on fine paper and packaged in a box that makes it look like an art object (a book designed to be displayed rather than leafed through); the Medicom toy signed by BE@RBRICK, one of the icons of contemporary pop design, inspired in colour by the Rossoneri jersey; the limited edition series of Cincoro bottles (Michael Jordan's tequila brand) in special Rossoneri livery, presented in the San Siro hospitality area before the Milan-Como match last month; the sterling silver trophy designed by Tiffany & Co. designed sterling silver trophy for the club's Hall of Fame - and on and on it goes.

Although all these projects have nothing to do with Design Week in the strictest sense, it can be said that they fit into the same constellation. They are objects that narrate and interpret Milan's identity through shapes and flavours, merging the culture of the association with that of the Salone del Mobile. An event where the Rossoneri and the Nerazzurri are no longer just guests.