Milan design week exhibition Alcova takes place in a new location every year. In an exclusive interview, founders Valentina Ciuffi and Joseph Grima say this nomadic approach is key to supporting radical young design talent. More about "We dodge the bullet of gentrification by moving around" say Alcova founders
Design duo The Back Studio has combined off-the-shelf components with handmade neon tubes to create a series of industrial-style lighting designs. More about The Back Studio creates gadget-like lighting from prefab components
Dutch design studio Loop Loop has built a machine that can apply colours and gradients to aluminium at a small-scale, affordable level. More about Loop Loop creates Magic Colour Machine for easy aluminium customisation
Designer Lara Bohinc has created a collection of curvy furniture that intends to celebrate the female form, which was on display as part of Milan design week. More about Lara Bohinc designs voluptuous seating collection to be "playful and a little bit sexy"
Designer Kickie Chudikova has filled a room at Milan design week with kaleidoscopic furniture and lighting informed by the appearance of insects to promote the importance of biodiversity. More about Kickie Chudikova creates installation of technicolour insectile furniture and lighting
Californian practice Prowl Studio and textile label Byborre are showcasing 3D-knitted textiles informed by Californian wildfires at the Exposure Therapy exhibition during Milan design week. More about Prowl and Byborre 3D-knit images of Californian wildfires into seating upholstery
Milan design platform Alcova is taking over VDF today to present a programme of interviews with eight international studios whose work could guide us into a better post-pandemic future. More about Alcova shares eight conversations with independent designers as part of VDF
Michaele Simmering and Johannes Pauwen of Kalon Studios discuss how the company's "non-standard" approach has proven resilient to Covid-19 and explain how sustainability plays a part in its Rugosa collection in this interview for VDF's collaboration with Alcova. More about Kalon Studios wants "to think of the home as an ecosystem for a better life"
The creative director and co-founder of Qwstion, Christian Kaegi, sheds light on why the sustainable Swiss brand is infiltrating the production chains of major companies in this interview for VDF x Alcova. More about Qwstion maximises the positive environmental impact of its work through collaboration
In this VDF x Alcova interview, Ismail and Adnane Tazi of homeware brand Trame discussed how their cross-cultural collections build "virtual bridges across the Mediterranean". More about Trame orchestrates "improbable encounters" between Mediterranean craft practices
In an interview published here as part of VDF x Alcova, German siblings Merle and Till Richter of Sammlung Walter spoke about how they see their fashion and furniture pieces less like products and more like experiments in the "art of fabrication". More about Sammlung Walter is not interested in "objectifying" its products
The founders of Japanese creative studio Spread reveal how they use colour as the primary medium in their work and explain how their Life Stripe project seeks to find pattern in the everyday in this interview as part of our VDF x Alcova collaboration. More about Life Stripe by Spread uses colour to turn everyday experiences into works of art
German designer Lukas Wegwerth discusses his construction framework Three+One and how the coronavirus pandemic prompted its evolution in this interview for our VDF x Alcova collaboration. More about Lukas Wegwerth used lockdown to reassess the material choices in his Three+One project
Independent design brand From Lighting's founders Cesare Bizzotto and Tobias Nitsche discuss how the coronavirus pandemic could change lighting design in this interview as part of VDF's collaboration with Alcova. More about From Lighting combines cutting-edge technology with local production
The founders of Belgium's Studio Plastique explain how their research-based projects and material investigations aim to position design as "a tool for a world that is in transition" in this interview as part of our VDF x Alcova collaboration. More about Studio Plastique investigates "complex issues as if they were supply chains"
Amsterdam-based duo Formafantasma and architectural materials brand Dzek collected volcanic ash from Mount Etna in Italy to glaze this "totally 1970s" collection of surface tiles. More about Formafantasma and Dzek create collection of volcanic-ash-glazed tiles
Lausanne design studio Panter & Tourron's Tense collection is a set of flat-packed furniture essentials that together weigh less than 20 kilograms and can be easily assembled anywhere. More about Panter & Tourron creates ultra-light and tool-free furniture for global nomads
Montreal design studio Lambert & Fils has worked with Milanese DWA Design Studio on a six-day pop-up cafe for Milan design week, with the aim of sparking dynamic conversations over food. More about Caffè Populaire is an "anti-digital" pop-up bistro that encourages you to put away your phone
Dutch designer Richard Hutten has enlisted nine leading designers, architects and artists from the Netherlands, including himself, to create an eclectic collection of rugs. More about Richard Hutten brings together Dutch creatives to create Freedom rug collection
Dutch design studio Belén has created a line of all-natural, textile-based products that are designed to be used in place of sunscreen lotions and polyester sunshades. More about Belén presents textile-based alternatives to "harmful" sunscreens