Blog | Design classics reimagined

Remakes are trending – even in the design world. This was clear at the recent Milan Design Week, where visitors were treated to a mix of reimagined classics and never-before-seen creations by iconic designers. Fashion, too, took centre stage, with numerous collaborations between fashion designers and design brands. These are our top three highlights from the event:

1. JS. Thonet

Guided by the principle ‘where there's fashion, there's design – and vice versa’, fashion designer Jil Sander teamed up with Thonet. Driven by their shared love of minimalism, Sander reinterpreted Thonet’s iconic S 64 chair, originally designed in 1929 by Marcel Breuer. The JS. Thonet series comes in two versions: ‘Serious’, with high-gloss metal frames and luxurious leather upholstery, and ‘Nordic’, featuring light wood tones and subtle detailing. Both reinterpretations preserve the chair’s original cantilever structure, while offering a contemporary update through new colours and materials. P.S. Jil Sander also gave the matching B 97 side table a fresh new look.

2. Africa chair by Tacchini

With the Africa Chair, Tacchini pays tribute to the iconic design of Afra and Tobia Scarpa. Originally conceived in 1975, this updated version honours wood as a noble material, as well as the craftsmanship required to marry form with function. Made from Canaletto walnut, the chair showcases a refined interplay of thicknesses, grains and textures. The real eye-catcher? The striking wooden backrest, finished as a subtle mirror image in black grain. The result: a totemic silhouette.

3. Charlotte Perriand x Saint Laurent

During Milan Design Week, fashion house Saint Laurent breathed new life into four rare furniture designs by Charlotte Perriand. Dating from between 1943 and 1967, these pieces had, until now, existed only as sketches or prototypes. The collection includes the monumental Banquette de l'Ambassadeur, originally designed for the Japanese embassy in Paris. This seven-metre seating structure – combining wood, wicker and silk – has an almost weightless presence and exemplifies Perriand's unique sense of elegance and proportion. Another standout is the Rio de Janeiro bookcase, designed in 1962 by Perriand for her husband, who lived in Brazil. Until recently, it had remained in the hands of a private collector. Each piece is produced in a limited edition, made exclusively to order.