Bolon’s Exodus at Milan Fashion Week 2025: When Woven Flooring Becomes a Living Fantasy
At Milan Fashion Week 2025, where material storytelling meets high-concept art, Swedish design brand Bolon unveiled Exodus — a breathtaking installation that transforms sustainable woven flooring into a dreamlike world of sculptural creatures, textures, and surreal landscapes. Created in collaboration with celebrated designers Luca Nichetto and JoAnn Tan, Exodus redefines what flooring can be — not just a surface, but a medium of emotion, imagination, and movement.
A Historic Canvas for a Visionary Installation
Hosted inside a historic Milanese building — once a textile factory and now JoAnn Tan’s studio — Exodus takes root in a space filled with stucco walls, fresco ceilings, and baroque ornamentation. This richly detailed setting served as the perfect contrast to the installation’s modern, whimsical figures that feel as if they’ve stepped out of a fantasy realm.
“In a world of solo performances, Exodus was our duet,” said JoAnn Tan. “Luca and I shared a mutual love for storytelling, oddities, and theatricality — and Bolon gave us full creative freedom to let our imaginations roam.”
Woven Flooring as Sculptural Art
Made using Bolon’s climate-neutral woven flooring — composed of 68% recycled materials — Exodus is a celebration of material reinvention. From hand-cut flooring sheets to folded and sculpted forms, every inch of the exhibit plays with volume, form, and symbolism.
- One side of the exhibit mimics a primordial forest, with woven surfaces rising like foliage and spindly creatures crawling across the patterned ground.
- The other side evokes a weightless dream world, featuring floating flamingo-like figures, accordion arches, and mythical beings that guide visitors toward a courtyard pond — home to a winged snake, inspired by Mexican mythology.
Sustainable Design Meets Visual Theater
Bolon’s sustainability ethos shines throughout the installation. Each sculptural piece demonstrates the brand’s mission to turn eco-conscious materials into immersive design statements.
Golden metal rods become limbs and antennae, while Bolon’s signature textile material is transformed into feathers, wings, tails, and torsos. The result? An installation that is not just visually striking, but also deeply aligned with sustainable design values.
“Exodus is about encounter, evolution, and giving material a second life,” says Luca Nichetto. “It reflects my passion for storytelling through objects — and proves how materials can transcend utility and enter the world of art.”
Why Exodus at Milan Fashion Week Matters
Exodus isn’t just an art installation — it’s a statement about the future of design, where sustainability, fashion, and architectural storytelling merge. Presented during Milan Fashion Week 2025, it challenges designers, architects, and fashion insiders alike to see material as a living, emotional medium, not just a background element.
Key Themes of the Exodus Installation:
- Sculptural Flooring: Flooring as creature, movement, and story — not just surface.
- Sustainable Innovation: Made from recycled content and designed to be climate-neutral.
- Multidisciplinary Artistry: A fusion of fashion, interior design, and theatrical set design.
- Symbolism and Folklore: Inspired by myths, nature, and imagination.
Experience the Art of Transformative Flooring
Bolon’s Exodus proves that when materials are treated as storytellers, they can reshape our understanding of design — and create spaces that resonate on a sensory and emotional level.
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