THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM at MDW 2023

During Milano Design Week 2023, from 17 to 23 April, Castello Sforzesco will host the evocative exhibition The Elephant in the Room which aims to celebrate the textile creation process and open a dialogue on the importance of a fair supply chain.

Presented by BYBORRE – previously featured on WeVux – in collaboration with supply chain partners The Woolmark Company, Santoni, Groz-Beckert, Mayer & Cie and Südwolle Group, and furniture design brands Montis, Arco and Lensvelt, The Elephant in The Room brings together the past, present and future of textile creation in the heart of Milan. The free exhibition and experience allow visitors to access and explore the various stages of the supply chain, from the raw materials to the creation of finished products.

We asked Borre Akkersdijk, founder of BYBORRE, to tell us how the decision to create the exhibition The Elephant in the Room came about: “We are in an historical moment in which it is evident and necessary to pay greater attention to how we produce and the choices we make in terms of consumption. The industry must be more transparent to ensure consumers make informed choices, but also for the good of the planet. And when we talk about transparency we have to think of the entire supply chain, including the production chain. We need to open a dialogue to foster this change and The Elephant in the Room has this goal…”

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Going into the details of The Elephant in the Room: in the “Sala della Balla” there will be informative exhibitions for a better understanding of the intricacies and challenges of the textile sector. The installation will be related to the twelve Trivulzio Tapestries of the Museums of the Castello Sforzesco, which bear witness to the rich history and craftsmanship of the sector.

Over the course of three days, from 17 to 19 April from 10.00 to 11.00, the consortium of partners together with Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam will host roundtables with design, architecture and materials experts to discuss transparency, collaboration, co-design and the importance of a fair supply chain. In addition, the recently launched initiative THE NEW STIJL by …,staat will host a series of talks with creatives from different disciplines and styles, including Sabine Marcelis, Amber Jae Slooten (The Fabricant) and Bas Timmer (Sheltersuit).

A relaxation area perfect for discussing the themes of the exhibition – called “The Salon” for the occasion – will be furnished with a selection of products from the companies Montis, Arco and Lensvelt with fabrics by BYBORRE.

“We have to use innovation and technology to our advantage, we cannot produce as we always have. We want an open source production chain. Precisely for this reason, as part of the exhibition we will also have an installation linked to our production chain, which shows all the steps: from the raw material to the final product.” – continues Borre – “The industry must establish a dialogue with the consumer in order to redefine the idea of consumption and thus also the idea of owning and using a product.

We openly invite creators and brands that use textiles in there daily business to not only come and see but also engage with the open supply chain and join our shared mission to move towards fully transparant and responsible textiles.”

The exhibition will help the visitor to deepen the concept of the production chain and will also try to create awareness of the choices we make. Don’t miss The Elephant in the Room, from 17 to 23 April at the Castello Sforzesco! For more information, the full program here.
Images courtesy BYBORRE

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