What's so bad about brands taking over Milan design week?

What's so bad about brands taking over Milan design week?
Dezeen Weekly graphic 1 May 2026

In this episode of Dezeen Weekly, we reflect on the major trends from this year's Milan design week, and discuss whether the festival has reached peak "brandification".

Why did food and inflatables have such a big presence in Milan this year? Could there be a link to the geopolitical issues gripping the globe?

Also, did this year mark a tipping point for corporate installations? And is the involvement of fashion houses and other brands at design week a problem?

For this, episode Dezeen features editor Nat Barker was joined by deputy editor Cajsa Carlson and design and interiors reporter Jane Englefield.

Dezeen Weekly artwork is by Simon Volt.

Dezeen Weekly is an original Dezeen podcast in which our journalists talk about the key design and architecture stories of the week. Listen to the latest episode using the player above or on your favourite podcast app, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

The post What's so bad about brands taking over Milan design week? appeared first on Dezeen.

Tomas Kauer - News Moderator https://tomaskauer.com/