Bolon announces Milan Design Week installation, 'Exodus', in collaboration with Luca Nichetto and JoAnn Tan
11 March 2025, Milan - Bolon, the climate-neutral Swedish woven design company, announces Exodus, an installation presented during Milan Design Week in collaboration with multidisciplinary designers Luca Nichetto and JoAnn Tan.
Hosted inside a historic Milanese house, now home to the new JoAnn Tan Atelier, the installation designed by Luca Nichetto and JoAnn Tan brings Bolon’s sustainable woven flooring to life through a fantastical ecosystem of mysterious anthropomorphic creatures that appear to be in a process of evolution. Offering a transformative visual journey between past and future, it showcases Bolon’s pioneering material transformation, designed to shape new sensory dimensions and redefine how we perceive space.
Echoing the production of its woven designs, Bolon believes that every great story begins with two visions intertwining for the first time, and this underpins the brand’s collaborative approach for Exodus. Luca Nichetto and JoAnn Tan have both lived across Italy and Sweden, sharing cultural references but offering diverse creative perspectives that borrow from their respective crafts. While JoAnn Tan draws on the playful visual storytelling of her career in fashion scenography, Luca Nichetto’s multidisciplinary studio bridges the gap between industry and craftsmanship; aesthetics and innovation—offering a design perspective that goes beyond the functional, offering a language for storytelling through objects and spaces.
This installation marks Bolon’s first collaboration with Luca Nichetto, but an ongoing collaboration with JoAnn over the past decade. Speaking about the new collaboration, Sisters Marie and Annica Eklund, who lead the third generation family company, say:
“We have always believed in the power of design to transform spaces and evoke emotions, and our installation in Milan is a testament to that vision. With JoAnn’s fearless creativity and Luca’s refined artistry, the installation combines bold innovation and craftsmanship to explore new possibilities for Bolon’s material, transforming it into something unexpected and extraordinary. It is not just about flooring—it is about storytelling, exploration, and creating a truly memorable experience”. – Marie Eklund (Owner and CEO, Bolon) and Annica Eklund (Owner and Senior Creative Director, Bolon)
The large room, which was originally a ballroom, has also been used as a small textile factory over the last century, making it the perfect location for Bolon as a producer of woven products since 1949. The scenography has been designed in dialogue with the historic space, defined by striking frescoes, an orangery and courtyard exuding the essence of Milanese elegance. The installation stretches outside to the courtyard, integrating with its central pond.
Embracing natural influences, Bolon’s presentation in Milan also reinforces the brand’s authentic, long term commitment to climate neutral products and production. All Bolon’s products contain 68% waste material, with zero climate impact in every square meter.
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
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April 7th
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April 8th-12th | 10am-8pm
April 13th | 10am-5pm
PRESS ENQUIRIES
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