Now Open: Bolon's Milan Design Week installation, 'EXODUS', in collaboration with Luca Nichetto and JoAnn Tan
07 April 2025, Milan - Bolon, the climate-neutral Swedish woven design company, has opened its Milan Design Week installation, titled Exodus and presented in collaboration with multidisciplinary designers Luca Nichetto and JoAnn Tan. Hosted in a historic Milanese house, now home to the new JoAnn Tan Atelier, the installation brings Bolon’s sustainable woven flooring to life through a fantastical ecosystem of mysterious anthropomorphic creatures.
Historically, the house was used as a small textile factory, offering a fitting location for Bolon as a producer of woven products since 1949. The scenography has been constructed to fit the original design elements of the space, marked by stuccoes, frescoes, and cherub motif-adorned fabrics.
As visitors step inside, they are greeted by a rich and enveloping vision. On one side, the depths of a primordial forest unfold as the material appears to rise organically from the ground. On the opposite side, the atmosphere becomes ethereal, softened by luminous hues. The landscape appears weightless, and the creatures inhabiting this space move with lightness, almost floating. Meanwhile, small fantastical beings accompany this exodus, suggesting that transformation is a continuous journey between past and future. The installation extends into the outdoor courtyard, culminating with an integrated view of the central pond.
Reflecting upon the relationship between Bolon’s materials and the dreamlike realm provided by the exhibition, Marie Eklund (Owner and CEO, Bolon) and Annica Eklund (Owner and Senior Creative Director, Bolon) say: “for over 75 years, Bolon has redefined material innovation, transforming woven flooring into an art form that blends aesthetics with sustainability. With our playful and inspiring exhibition, Exodus, our flooring evolves into an immersive experience unlike any other.”
This installation marks Bolon’s first collaboration with Luca Nichetto, and continues the brand’s ongoing collaboration with JoAnn over the past decade. Both renowned designers have similarly lived across Italy and Sweden, sharing cultural references but offering diverse creative perspectives that borrow from their respective crafts.
Luca Nichetto says: “Exodus celebrates the art of encounter, of change, of evolution; two visions —JoAnn’s and mine—intertwining for the first time, thanks to Bolon who made it possible. he installation fully reflects my idea of storytelling through objects and spaces, the possibility to express the power and potential of material, which is something deeply connected to my works, and give it life".
JoAnn Tan says: "In a landscape of solo acts it was so much fun to create a duet. While we work in different fields, Luca and I found common ground in our mutual interest in oddities and monsters. This was a creative process much encouraged by the carte blanche from Bolon and punctuated by great conversation and laughter".
Drawing upon thematic natural elements, Bolon’s installation underscores the brand’s commitment to a sustainable design experience and production utilising renewable energy. Bolon’s products contain 68% waste material, with zero climate impact in the production of its climate-neutral flooring and rugs.
The installation runs throughout Milan Design Week, until April 13th, 2025.
Exodus by Bolon in collaboration with Luca Nichetto and JoAnn Tan at Milan Design Week 2025, image courtesy of Bolon (Photographer credit: Max Rommel)
Exodus by Bolon in collaboration with Luca Nichetto and JoAnn Tan at Milan Design Week 2025, image courtesy of Bolon (Photographer credit: Max Rommel)NOTES TO EDITORS
ABOUT BOLON
Bolon is a world-leading design company creating climate-neutral flooring and rugs headquartered in Ulricehamn, Sweden. Under the leadership of sisters Annica and Marie Eklund, the third-generation family business has transformed from a traditional weaving mill into an international design brand, with clients including Armani, Google, Four Seasons Hotels, Chanel, Adidas and Apple. With a strong commitment to sustainability, Bolon designs and manufactures all products in its facility in Sweden using only renewable energy. The company has gained worldwide recognition for their award-winning design, superior quality, and collaborations with some of the world’s most acclaimed innovators and creatives.
ABOUT LUCA NICHETTO
Luca Nichetto founded his eponymous multidisciplinary design practice in Venice, Italy in 2006, specialising in industrial design, product design and design consultancy, followed by a second studio in Stockholm, Sweden in 2011. Today, the studio works with a variety of brands and clients from around the world, including Barovier & Toso, Steinway & Sons, Richard Ginori. A deep passion for, and knowledge of, industrial and craft manufacturing processes runs through every aspect of the studio’s work. The practice’s unique position within both Scandinavian and Italian design culture has given Nichetto Studio worldwide acclaim that extends far beyond the confines of the design industry.
ABOUT JOANN TAN
JoAnn Tan, born in Malaysia but now half Italian, is known in the fashion system for being the creative director of the surprising windows of Milan's most irreverent brand, Moschino, where she worked until 2013. In 2010, JoAnn launched her own studio, initially based in Stockholm, but then moved back to the arty Milanese district of Città Studi. JoAnn and her team of creative talent work across window displays, installations and set design, adopting a playful approach coupled with a unique relationship with materials and techniques and a strong focus on artisanship. Today, JoAnn Tan Studio works with numerous fashion houses around the world, such as Hermés, Dior, Fendi, Ferragamo and LaDouble J to name a few, but also for the world of design such as Bolon, DePadova and Alessi. Since 2025 she has expanded her studio creating the new Atelier where the installation in collaboration with Bolon and Luca Nichetto is hosted.
VISITING THE INSTALLATION
Address
Viale Lombardia, 56
20131 Milano MI, Italy
Public Opening Hours
April 8th-12th | 10am-8pm
April 13th | 10am-5pm
PRESS ENQUIRIES
CAMRON | Hannah Perry, Grace Englefield
bolon@camronglobal.com