During Milan Design Week, Saba and Alysi introduced The Skin I Live In, an immersive installation conceived by Studiopepe in collaboration with Around Studio. The project brought together furniture and fashion in a space that prioritizes texture, form, and the physical presence of design. Installed inside the Garden House by Alysi, the exhibit invited visitors to slow down and reflect on how surfaces, both architectural and bodily interact.
The exhibition explored the parallels between body and furniture, fabric and space, skin and surface. Rather than focus on spectacle, the installation placed attention on nuance: folds in textiles, modular curves in furniture, and how clothing can echo the rhythm of interior objects.
Simposio Sofa as the Core of the Installation
At the center of the project stood Saba’s Simposio sofa, a modular seating system with a distinct softness and curved profile. Designed to host interaction rather than direct attention, Simposio served as both a physical object and a conceptual platform. The sofa’s silhouette evoked the fluid lines of classical drapery, referencing the shape of a Greek peplum without replicating it.
Instead of ornament, Simposio featured a single, deliberate fold in its upholstery. The fabric, sourced from House of Lyria, adapted organically to its form, much like skin responds to movement. The sofa’s foot design, subtle but intentional, created tension on the surface, adding texture that suggested a body had just shifted or would arrive at any moment.
Where Clothing and Furniture Speak
The installation did not treat fashion and furniture as separate disciplines. In The Skin I Live In, garments and furnishings shared the same visual language. The fabrics of House of Lyria appeared across pieces, connecting sartorial structure with interior composition. Instead of layering textiles to emphasize contrast, Studiopepe relied on restraint, allowing texture and shape to guide the experience.
Illustrator Clorophilla added dimension through embroidered details and drawn elements that punctuated the space. These additions did not serve as decoration but as cues, small moments that guided the eye, invited pause, or suggested movement.
Garden House by Alysi as a Living Frame
The Garden House by Alysi offered more than a setting, it shaped the tone of the experience. Natural light filtered through the space, casting soft gradients across curved seating and clean surfaces. Rather than dominate the installation, the Garden House framed it with clarity and ease.
The collaboration used this architectural volume to support rather than compete. Simposio sat within the space as if it belonged there. Viewers were encouraged to sit, to touch, to stay.
A Space That Reflects Female Creativity
The Skin I Live In acted as a quiet call to revisit how we experience space and surface. The installation centered on connection: between people, between garments and chairs, between design and everyday living. Through textures, curves, and restrained color, it proposed a new way of thinking about domestic environments, not through ornament, but through intention. The collaboration celebrated female creativity. Not with slogans, but through careful construction and thoughtful material choices.
