Giorgio Armani is taking Milan’s reputation as a global capital of fashion and design to a whole new level.
The Italian designer’s latest Armani/Casa collection transports shoppers to locations as far-flung as Japan, China, and the Middle East—all without leaving its historic headquarters. Aptly titled Echi dal Mondo, or “Echoes from the World,” the collection is inspired by Armani’s travels around the globe and draws on decades of careful research.
The initial inspiration for the project is rooted in a childhood dream of the designer, who grew up in the northern Italian town of Piacenza. “I would have liked to have been a director,” Armani said in a statement, “[so] I imagined a ‘cinematic’ journey to the countries that have always inspired me: places and cultures that spark highly personal reworkings.”
The result, which debuted at Salone del Mobile this past spring, is an evocative display at Palazzo Orsini, with each room in the 17th-century villa corresponding to a different geographical location. Visitors follow a golden ribbon through a series of rooms punctuated with fashion, furniture, and mementos from Armani’s personal travels, borrowed from his private home.
Those seeking to take part in Armani’s “cinematic” wanderings can view the pieces at Palazzo Orsini or simply shop the collection themselves, with designs including the Japanese samurai-armor-inspired Virtù cabinet—featuring a katana-like handle and tatami-effect interiors—and the Chinese-influenced Vivace table, a silver-leaf-topped creation with legs that resemble bamboo stalks.
Other standouts include the “Arabian Nights”–inspired set, which includes a new edition of the Club bar cabinet with a blue leather interior and an upholstered grosgrain fabric screen. Influences from Berber culture can be glimpsed throughout, from the canaletto walnut wood and geometric-patterned velvet of the Morfeo bed to the tassel appliques that enhance the Esagono coffee tables’ upholstered fabric.
References to European culture also abound: The Trocadero table, featuring plexiglass legs and a platinum-lacquered, wave-textured top, could be snatched right out of a midcentury design book, as could the Riesling bar cabinet, with its sleek canneté plexiglass front calling to mind dinner parties of yore.
Like a canonical film, these pieces—and indeed the entire Echi dal Mondo collection—ignite the imagination and transport their owners to places they have never been—without even crossing their doorstep.
