From a local event to an international festival, in ten years Isola Design Festival has grown and established itself among the leading districts of Milan Design Week – and beyond. It was conceived by Isola Design Group, an organization based in Milan and Dubai, which has expanded the boundaries of both the district and its vision while remaining true to its experimental and innovative identity, capable of bringing together diverse geographies, disciplines, and designers. Yet its heart remains firmly in Milan.
Oasi in Città, Isola Design Festival 2026
For this year’s design event, taking place from April 20 to 26, the festival returns to its roots and re-establishes a direct connection with the Isola neighborhood. The chosen theme, “TEN: The Evolving Now,” celebrates this ten-year milestone while embracing an open outlook toward the future. Some of the most significant exhibition formats from past editions return in a renewed guise, new collaborations emerge with key figures who have shaped Isola’s history, and historic venues are reactivated alongside new spaces.
Wady by Abdalla, Isola Design Festival 2026
Column Lamp by STRATA, Isola Design Festival 2026 – Photo © Nyel Nawaz
The 2026 edition marks a symbolic return to Fabbrica Sassetti (via Filippo Sassetti 31, Milan), which reopens to the public as the festival’s main venue. Here, the Isola Design Gallery showcases artisanal products, collectible design, and custom pieces by creatives from Denmark, Germany, Japan, and South Korea. This is complemented by ten main initiatives, under the direction of Isola’s creative director Elif Resitoglu, hosted across key locations in the neighborhood, including Atelier Kondakji, Copernico, Fondazione Catella, Stecca3, and ZonaK.
Corpo, Isola Design Festival 2026
Among them, No Space for Waste brings together projects focused on circular design, measured production processes, and the reuse of discarded or underutilized resources. Rasa – The Indian Collective, curated by Nidhi Chandak and Varun E S, part of the Isola Studio team based in India, celebrates India’s rich artisanal tradition reinterpreted through contemporary design.
Zahra Stool by Malak ElZeftawy & Rana Ayman – Niche, Isola Design Festival 2026 – Photo © Ali Samy Ahmed
Glass Terrazzo by Anton Kuzmin + Ivan Melnichuck, Isola Design Festival 2026 – Photo © Anton Kuzmin
With the evolution of established formats such as the Isola Design Awards Winners’ Showcase, Rising Talents, and The Dutch Atelier, the program continues to highlight emerging designers, material research, and new narratives. These exhibitions are joined by Archivi Futuri, co-curated with Pietro Petrillo, exploring the future of objects beyond 2050; a collective exhibition by Ithra dedicated to designers from the MENA region; a selection of material solutions by Materially; and Shape of Belonging, co-curated with Oliwia Maria Studio, investigating ancestral gestures and their influence on contemporary forms.
