It was my first time in Fiera Milano Rho, where the event was held, and I must say that the place is huge. Five hundred sixty-two brands under the same roof, as well as special zones such as the Catwalk, Design Directions and Visionaries. This last space (Visionaries) was one of my favourite areas, and it was in collaboration with the Milanese university Poli.Design. In it, there were several proposals of emergent designers experimenting with new materials, shapes and techniques. Some examples are Marie Wolf with her plexiglass jewels, Emma Cace with her claw-shaped bracelet, or Efek Studio’s glasses without side pieces.

According to the Design Directions space in the exhibition, an immersive multimedia tool that predicts future trends, there are currently two main macro-trends influencing the next season’s collections. The first one is the It’s Just Fun narrative, which translates into a childlike approach: fun, optimistic and colourful. Brands like Andrea Marazzini, Toni Barros or La Griffe Bijoux are the perfect examples of it; jewels in soft, delicate shades such as light blue or pink in shiny, glittery materials with a playful aesthetic.

Meanwhile, brands such as Cosmo Petrone, Amlè or Dora Haralambaki embody more the second macro-trend, which is the Make the Ordinary Extra-ordinary concept. It refers to the combination of tradition and innovation, resulting in something new but somehow familiar/ordinary. That means that timeless materials like pearls, lace, silver or stones are back again and crafted in a chunky, eye-catching style.

The event took a step further and also hosted talks such as the one titled Creative Challenges: The Use of AI in Fashion and Jewellery, or masterclasses like the one in collaboration with ELLE Italia. Valentina Nuzzi and Lisa Mancini (Senior Digital Editor and Fashion Editor of ELLE Italia, respectively) taught how to style jewellery and fashion accessories with the latest apparel trends. Always looking to the upcoming.

To sum up the essence of the Milan Fashion&Jewels experience, I believe that there are no better words than Alba Cappellieri’s (professor of Jewellery and Fashion Accessory Design at Milan Polytechnic): “Contemporary society is showing us how barriers between different fields and sectors have become less rigid and static. […] Fashion accessories and jewellery move in a universe where boundaries are fluid, they become personal expressions, methods for telling one’s story and style while transcending traditional categorisations.” Can’t wait to see how these barriers blur even more and what designers will bring in next year's edition!