Summary of Bolon’s installation “EXODUS” at Milan Design Week 2025

A collaborative exhibition with Luca Nichetto and JoAnn Tan, receiving international recognition

Swedish climate-neutral woven design company Bolon has successfully concluded its Milan Design Week 2025 installation, “EXODUS,” which ran from April 7-13 at the historic JoAnn Tan Atelier. The collaborative exhibition, created in partnership with multidisciplinary designers Luca Nichetto and JoAnn Tan, attracted significant international attention from design professionals, media, and industry leaders throughout the week-long event.

Exhibition Highlights

The immersive installation transformed the historic Milanese textile factory into a fantastical ecosystem featuring mysterious anthropomorphic creatures, showcasing Bolon’s sustainable woven flooring through an innovative narrative approach. Visitors experienced a journey through contrasting environments – from the depths of a primordial forest where materials appeared to rise organically from the ground, to ethereal spaces softened by luminous hues where creatures moved with weightless grace.

The exhibition’s unique setting in the former textile factory, now home to JoAnn Tan Atelier, provided symbolic resonance for Bolon’s 75-year heritage in woven products. The installation’s scenography was carefully constructed to complement the space’s original design elements, including historic stuccoes, frescoes, and cherub motif-adorned fabrics.

Industry Reception and Impact

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.”

Creative Collaboration Success

The exhibition marked Bolon’s first collaboration with acclaimed designer Luca Nichetto, while continuing the brand’s decade-long partnership with JoAnn Tan. Both designers, having lived across Italy and Sweden, brought unique cultural perspectives that enriched the installation’s narrative depth.

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”.

Sustainability Showcase

The installation effectively highlighted Bolon’s environmental commitments, featuring products containing 68% waste material and demonstrating zero climate impact production using renewable energy. The exhibition served as a tangible example of how luxury design and environmental responsibility can seamlessly coexist.

Looking Forward

The success of “EXODUS” reinforces Bolon’s position as an innovative leader in sustainable design, while establishing new creative partnerships that may influence future collaborations. The installation’s positive reception during Milan Design Week 2025 has generated increased international interest in Bolon’s climate-neutral flooring solutions.

The exhibition was documented through comprehensive photography by Max Rommel, capturing the immersive environment and visitor experiences throughout Milan Design Week.

Photo: Exodus by Bolon in collaboration with Luca Nichetto and JoAnn Tan at Milan Design Week 2025, image courtesy of Bolon (Photographer credit: Max Rommel)

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.