Words by Allegra Salvadori
Fashion weeks have long been stages for spectacle, but in recent seasons they have also become showcases for design innovation. Bottega Veneta, celebrating its 60th anniversary next year, is one of the brands leading this shift. Under creative director Louise Trotter, its Milan debut was defined not only by clothes, but by the seats: monumental Murano glass stools created with Milan-based design studio 6AM.
The cubes—hand-blown into cast-iron molds, then finished with CNC precision—were produced in ten luminous shades. Grouped in gradients, their textured surfaces refracted light across the stark white runway, turning the show into a glass installation. They looked at once architectural and fragile: stone-like in form, fluid in material.
For 6AM founders Edoardo Pandolfo and Francesco Palù, the project was a way to stretch Murano’s artisanal tradition into new territory. “In the end what we created is one of the largest pieces of blown glass ever realized on Murano,” Pandolfo explains. The studio’s name itself nods to craft: 6AM is the hour when glassmakers light the island’s furnaces.
This is not the first time Bottega has blurred the line between runway and design fair. In 2022, Gaetano Pesce filled the catwalk with resin stools; in 2023, guests lounged on beanbags inspired by Zanotta’s Sacco chair. With 6AM’s glass seating, the dialogue continues, placing Italian design heritage at the very center of a global fashion conversation.
It’s a reminder that in today’s cultural landscape, fashion is no longer just about garments, and design is no longer just about furniture. The two worlds overlap, borrowing language and materials, each amplifying the other. At Bottega Veneta, even a stool becomes a manifesto of collaboration, craft, and contemporary culture.
