Traveling Sculpture Unveiled: Valextra Partners with Zaven, Complete with its Own Luggage
During Milan Design Week 2025, a new partnership between Italian leather goods brand Valextra and creative agency Zaven was revealed at Valextra's John Pawson-designed Via Manzoni flagship store. This collaboration focuses on artisanal excellence and innovative, sculptural design, expressed through a unique "travelling sculpture" suitcase.
The collaboration is part of Valextra’s broader project titled "The Journey of Craftsmanship," which highlights the brand's commitment to artisanal excellence and transforming classic handbag designs through engagement with diverse global craft traditions. The Valextra + Zaven project specifically symbolizes this ethos by merging their aesthetic in a sculptural, portable art object.
The "Costa 70 + Zaven" case is a distinctive object or collection piece blending Valextra's heritage in luxury leather goods with Zaven's contemporary artistic approach. The elongated, narrow shape of the case is reminiscent of those used to house musical instruments, while the interior houses a kinetic sculpture inspired by a visit to the Valextra archive and Milanese designer Bruno Munari's Travel Sculptures.
The sculpture comprises a series of clear resin pieces designed to be placed on a central pole, encouraging hand feel, portability, and amusement. The pieces can be assembled in numerous different orders and angles, allowing for a personal touch and unique experience with each creation.
Rougeaux, Valextra's CEO, encourages a level of personal expression in the 'Vocabolario' project, a new initiative by Valextra that aims to create unique objects of desire for its clients. Maria Cristina Didero, an Italian design curator with strong ties to Milan and extensive experience working with luxury brands including Valextra, may have played a consultative or curatorial role in this or related projects given her collaborations with Valextra and presence in the Milan design scene, though this connection is inferred rather than explicitly stated.
Valextra views itself as rooted in the Milanese design world, and this collaboration with Zaven further solidifies its position as a leader in innovative design. The Salone del Mobile 2025 takes place from 8-13 April, and we can expect to see more exciting collaborations and projects from Valextra and Zaven in the future.
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- Valextra's collaboration with Zaven, symbolized by the "Costa 70 + Zaven" case, extends beyond handbags into fashion-and-beauty and home-and-garden, demonstrating the brand's exploration of sculptural design in various lifestyle arenas.
- The Valextra + Zaven project, with its kinetic sculpture inspired by Milanese designer Bruno Munari's Travel Sculptures, represents the intersection of technology and art, as the sculpture's modular pieces can be arranged in numerous ways, showcasing the potential for digital interaction in physical, portable art objects.
