Working class: Artisans reveal creative process in Milan
Workmates overview photo by JW Kaldenbach

Working class: Artisans reveal creative process in Milan

Milan – While beautiful design is guaranteed at Milan Design Week, few visitors see the work that goes into the final products. Workmates Depicted was an exhibition that focused not only on the final results, but also on the processes of creation and experimentation that are vital to an artist’s work. 

Article/15567 #1
Klaas Kuiken EPS stool. photo by JW Kaldenbach Klaas Kuiken EPS stool. photo by JW Kaldenbach
Rick Tegelaar photo by JW Kaldenbach Rick Tegelaar photo by JW Kaldenbach
Workmates overview  photo by JW Kaldenbach Workmates overview photo by JW Kaldenbach

Milan – While beautiful design is guaranteed at Milan Design Week, few see the work that goes into the final products. Workmates Depicted was an exhibition that focused not only on the final results, but also on the creation and experimentation that are vital to an artist’s work.

Workmates is a collective comprising Dutch designers Joris de Groot, Rick Tegelaar, Casper Tolhuisen and Klaas Kuiken, who all work in different fields – food, fashion and product design – but have similar mindsets and working methods. In an old garage in Milan, the Workmates gathered to work on their current projects, revealing the creative processes they normally undergo in their studio when figuring out new designs. 

‘We all celebrate the relationship between craft and machine production in our work,’ Tolhuisen told LS:N Global. ‘We are connected by the experiments that we do, and by the materials and processes we use rather than our final products.’

Videos were on display at the exhibition that showed the designers’ past failures and experimentation, celebrating the highs and lows of creating new designs. Workmates Depicted is reminiscent of our Show Your Working microtrend, which traced a rise in brands revealing the artisans and craftsmanship behind their products to add to their brand story. 

Discover More News
Cash App taps Timothée Chalamet for youth-friendly money talk

News

Cash App taps Timothée Chalamet for youth-friendly money talk

Cash App has launched an integrated brand campaign featuring Academy Award-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet which aims to foster intergenerational...
Finance : Gen Z : Youth
Foresight Friday: Rose Coffey, senior foresight analyst

News

Foresight Friday: Rose Coffey, senior foresight analyst

Every Friday, The Future Laboratory team offers an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, ...
Beauty : The Synthocene Era : Virtual Beauty
Stat: Southeast Asia is TikTok’s largest advertising audience

News

Stat: Southeast Asia is TikTok’s largest advertising audience

Southeast Asia now accounts for nearly a quarter of TikTok’s global advertising audience, according to the Digital 2025: July Statshot report.
Statistic : Stat : Southeast Asia
Spktrl’s AI diamond ring aims to cut screen time

News

Spktrl’s AI diamond ring aims to cut screen time

Parisian start-up Spktrl is reimagining wearable technology with the launch of its AI-powered Light Ring, a piece of high jewellery designed to cur...
Wellness : Augmented Human : The Synthocene Era
Represent launches in-person fitness competition 247 Mission Rivington

News

Represent launches in-person fitness competition 247 Mission Rivington

British fashion brand Represent has held its first-ever fitness event, 247 Mission Rivington, with 100 athletes competing in a 12‑hour endurance ch...
Sport : Fashion : Fitness
Stat: Technological innovation is driving the future of beauty

News

Stat: Technological innovation is driving the future of beauty

Wealth divides, digital tools and regional identity are reshaping the international beauty market, according to The State of Fashion: Beauty Volume...
Statistic : Stat : Beauty
AI-generated images of animals in plastic help WWF-Korea raise awareness about pollution

News

AI-generated images of animals in plastic help WWF-Korea raise awareness about pollution

WWF-Korea has launched Animal Trash Fashion, a powerful out-of-home campaign using AI to starkly illustrate the devastating impact of plastic pollu...
Sustainability : Design : Advertising
Rixo launches pre-loved resale platform

News

Rixo launches pre-loved resale platform

British fashion brand Rixo is expanding its circular ambitions with the launch of Rixo Pre-Loved, a resale platform where customers buy and sell it...
Retail : Fashion : Sutainability
Stat: Global business travel spending hits historic high

News

Stat: Global business travel spending hits historic high

Business travel is set to reach a record £1.18 trillion ($1.57 trillion, €1.36 trillion) by the end of 2025, according to ...
Stat : Statistic : Global Travel Market
Axe gamifies fragrance sampling with arcade-inspired bus stop activation

News

Axe gamifies fragrance sampling with arcade-inspired bus stop activation

Axe is making fragrance sampling fun again with a new campaign for its Cherry Fizz body spray.
Advertising : Fragrance : Retail
You have 2 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN