A cura di Benedetta Bacialli, Chiara Riccio, Ottavia Zanetta

At halls 22 and 24 of the Salone del Mobile at Rho Fiera Milan, the bet is on young under-35s, with a forward-looking approach that pays particular attention to sustainability and social design. Now in its twentieth edition, the Salone Satellite confirms its standing as the meeting place par excellence between entrepreneur-talent scouts and the most promising designers from around the world. And this year it also expands its presence to the Fabbrica del Vapore with a retrospective curated by Beppe Finessi that recounts the most significant moments of the past twenty years.

The theme of Salone Satellite 2017 is Design is?... © Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images

Salone Satellite 2017

Devoted, the breastfeeding kit that allows mothers to continue the natural process of breastfeeding. Project created by students of the University of Hong Kong © Ottavia Zanetta

Creations by Heloisa, a student at the centro universitario di belle arti in São Paulo © Chiara Riccio

Russian designer Tanya Repina, the creator of the insulating material that can be made using needles from different conifers and natural resins. The panels are on display at Salone Satellite until 9 April © Ottavia Zanetta

The rugs exhibited by Adrianus Kundert at Salone Satellite © Chiara Riccio

One of the images inside the book The future sausage by Carolien Niebling. Photograph by ECAL © Noortje Knulst

The Austere Tearoom project by the Nagoya Institute of Technology, a structure made from unprinted newspaper and polyurethane foam, built in 10 minutes and weighing 10 kilograms, with high acoustic and thermal insulation © Benedetta Bacialli

Salone Satellite 2017, the design schools

Many international design schools are present, showcasing the fruits of their research. Among them, the University of Hong Kong exhibits a project aimed at protecting a species of bee that lives in the Asian megacity, which can also be used as an educational tool. Another interesting prototype on show is Devoted, a breastfeeding set that offers a solution for making the process easier in the workplace. In cities like Hong Kong there are many women with hectic working lives who often have to stop breastfeeding so as not to hinder their careers. Devoted is a roomy jacket under which the convenient breast pump set can be used, thus eliminating the inconvenience of going to the bathroom and ensuring greater privacy.

tiralatte salone satellite — Devoted, the breastfeeding kit that allows mothers to continue the natural process of breastfeeding. Project created by students of the University of Hong Kong © Ottavia Zanetta

Consolidating its presence at Salone Satellite for the second consecutive year, the Belas Artes faculty of the University of São Paulo in Brazil presents some of its students' creations. Particularly focused on the use of natural materials, on show are garments in raw wool and jute inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi, and lampshades made entirely from a material composed of compressed pine needles and resins.

abiti kintsugi — Creations by Heloisa, a student at the centro universitario di belle arti in São Paulo © Chiara Riccio

The most innovative projects

Among the various prototypes on show, Aotta is an interesting insulating material composed of conifer needles manually compressed and assembled with a biodegradable binder. The project focuses on the use of entirely natural materials capable of providing acoustic insulation for any type of environment.

Aotta Salone Satellite — Russian designer Tanya Repina, the creator of the insulating material that can be made using needles from different conifers and natural resins. The panels are on display at Salone Satellite until 9 April © Ottavia Zanetta

Also set within a domestic context, another noteworthy project is undoubtedly that of young Dutch designer Adrianus Kundert, who presents objects conceived to stand the test of time. These are rugs made from a rope that, as it wears down, reveals the coloured material held inside, producing an irregular, graduated effect that is nonetheless captivating.

In the fashion sphere, meanwhile, Abinaya Devakumar exhibits her Carrylit, a backpack inspired by the traditional Indian lunch box and designed to combine comfort, functionality and the use of environmentally friendly materials. Made from vegetable-tanned leather and "khadi", a hand-woven raw cotton, the accessory incorporates a lamp with adjustable lighting that can be easily removed when needed.

tappeti adrianus kundert salone satellite — The rugs exhibited by Adrianus Kundert at Salone Satellite © Chiara Riccio

A look to the future between innovation and technology

According to the FAO, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, excessive human consumption of high-protein foods such as meat is leading to a drastic reduction in their availability and to an increasingly evident scarcity of food. The project The future sausage, a study conducted by Carolien Niebling, a student on the ÉCAL Master in Product Design in Renens, Switzerland, and exhibited at Salone Satellite 2017, investigates the future of the sustainable sausage, exploring the role that design could play in reducing meat consumption in anticipation of a future in which proteins will need to come not only from meat, dairy products and eggs, but above all from plants, fungi and insects. In collaboration with experts from various fields — including a molecular cuisine chef, a master butcher and a weaving laboratory — Niebling has produced a book in which she recounts her research and possible recipes.

the future sausage_book_Carolien Niebling — One of the images inside the book "The future sausage" by Carolien Niebling. Photograph by ECAL © Noortje Knulst

At the Nagoya Institute of Technology in Japan, meanwhile, the laboratory of Keisuke Kitagawa investigates the role that technology can play in adding value to the objects we use every day, with an eye to sustainability and, in particular, to reuse. The display of their products at Salone Satellite narrates and expresses a profound exploration of materials, physico-chemical properties and new technologies.

Il progetto "Austere Tearoom" del Nagoya Institute of Technology, una struttura realizzata in carta di giornale non stampata e schiuma poliuretanica, costruita in 10 minuti e dal peso di 10kg, ad alto isolamento acustico e termico ©Benedetta Bacialli — The "Austere Tearoom" project by the Nagoya Institute of Technology, a structure made from unprinted newsprint and polyurethane foam, assembled in 10 minutes and weighing 10 kilograms, with high acoustic and thermal insulation © Benedetta Bacialli

Salone Satellite 2017, the most innovative design projects and schools