From 21 to 26 April 2026, the Milan Design Week took over the entire city. The Lemens & Partners team travelled there to spot emerging talent and decode the major creative trends of the year.
Across this edition from Samsung to Geely, Moooi, Lexus and Louis Vuitton, one thread runs through everything, the human being, placed not as a passive user, but as an experience in its own right. And behind each of these installations, creative teams who have succeeded in translating a vision into something tangible, emotional, and unforgettable.
«Design is an act of love » by Samsung
The South Korean company chose this year to place the human being at the heart of its technology, a bold stance in a context of rapidly expanding artificial intelligence. Samsung presented over 120 products across 36 categories, all articulated around the same conviction: design as an act of love. It is a creative direction fully owned, one that requires profiles capable of reconciling technology and emotion. A rare skill, and one that is increasingly sought after.
In an interview with Designwanted, Mauro Porcini, Head of Design at Samsung, stated that a genuine love of people and a culture of care are the true drivers of creation and that companies placing the human being at their centre build lasting value capable of standing the test of time.
« Anima Mundi. A Visionary Impulse » by Geely
For its first participation in the Milan Design Week, the Chinese automotive group made a striking entrance, reinforcing its strategy to establish itself on the European market. Only recently, Geely inaugurated its strategic creative hub in Milan, dedicated to automotive design. Here too, the human being is placed at the centre, translated through sensorial experience, and a vision of humanity in harmony with its surroundings.
The title chosen is resolutely philosophical: Anima Mundi a reference to the Platonic notion of the world soul, the idea that every body is animated by a soul. Geely does not conceive of mobility as a journey from A to B, but as a harmony between human beings and their environment. An innovation that is as much strategic as it is experiential.
« 25 and Promising » by Moooi at Superstudio
Dutch brand Moooi celebrated its 25th anniversary at this year’s Milan Design Week, installed within Superstudio. Rather than looking back, the brand chose to affirm its vision for the years ahead celebrating continuity through iconic pieces such as the Peaks modular sofa by Swiss designer Yves Béhar, alongside the Future Fossils rugs by Kilian Vos, where craftsmanship and technology meet through generative CGI. An elegant reminder that innovation does not replace savoir-faire: it extends it.
«Space » by Lexus at Superstudio
Lexus unveiled an immersive 360-degree installation that redefines the boundaries between automotive and spatial design. Visitors were immersed in a futuristic universe where mobility is no longer a destination to be reached, but an experience to be lived. Behind the installation, creative teams who envisioned tomorrow’s mobility not as a vehicle, but as an inhabited space precisely the kind of vision that automotive manufacturers are seeking in their creative recruitment today.
« Objets Nomades » by Louis Vuitton
The great French house paid tribute to Pierre Legrain, decorator, bookbinder, illustrator and cabinetmaker, by reissuing his first piece of furniture. Around this heritage, Louis Vuitton deployed sweeping artistic installations from its Objets Nomades collection, at the intersection of design, craftsmanship and the contemporary.
Among the most striking pieces: the Baby-foot and the Balanço Cocoon, both signed by Estudio Campana, the Brazilian studio, in collaboration with artist Géraldine Gonzalez. Louis Vuitton has a long-standing habit of bringing together a vast network of renowned international designers a reminder that creativity, in the great houses, is a strategic investment as much as an artistic one.
The Milan Design Week 2026 confirms a trend we observe consistently in our work: the most desirable companies are those that treat design as a conviction, not a variable to be adjusted. Whether a Chinese automotive group making its European debut or a century-old French house, design remains the universal language of differentiation.
And to speak it fluently, you need the right talent.
At Lemens & Partners, we have been supporting companies in the luxury, fashion, retail, and automotive sectors for over 20 years in identifying and recruiting their creative talent.
We know these profiles inside out. We build long-term, trust-based relationships with them, and we understand how to identify the individual who will truly make a difference within your organization.
If you are considering a hire now or in the coming months, we would be delighted to discuss it with you.
