——— APRIL 2016 ———
When your phone starts reminding you it’s Milan Design Week time, I look back & go holly merda how did I & WE pull it off with the first
@local_design group show in 2016.
Ten years on & I still come back to this moment.
A raw idea, a bold leap and a group of designers who believed in something bigger than themselves,
@tom_fereday and I put together a series of designer markets to turn profit from our Kensington St studio. We turned the float into a kitty to make then Milan semi feasible for all.
We didn’t have a blueprint. Just instinct, energy and a desire to place Australian design on a global stage, first group through the door when we opened was Vogue Italia and Rai Uno, was a pinch me moment.
Unapologetically it was some part creative chiaos, some part ambitious and yet always selfless and full of heart. The kind of project that could have gone either way… but didn’t.
It became a beginning.
Looking back now, it wasn’t just an exhibition, it was a shift. A stylistic signal in some way shape of form. A moment where emerging voices stepped into an international conversation and held their own.
So much has evolved since then but the essence remains the same for me: backing ideas, championing designers, curating and creating space for what’s next. ( Melbourne Design Week May 26’)
Grateful for everyone who was part of that first chapter and I have no idea how close to 15 of us slept in a two bedroom apartment with one shower, but we made it work. The behind the scenes is what I remember most, those going to Milan this year you better come home with some good stories!
In bocca al lupo ragazzi!!
