AURELISINTERNATIONAL DESIGN ASSOCIATION
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New craft economy: How material experiments cross the distance between exhibition and mass production
NO. 036 / 2025
MaterialsNO. 036

New craft economy: How material experiments cross the distance between exhibition and mass production

From Milan’s SaloneSatellite to London’s Material Matters, the new process will continue to connect biomaterials, digital manufacturing, handmade knowledge and small-volume production in 2025.The real challenge is to convert the samples to a reliable supply.

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AbstractAbstract

From Milan’s SaloneSatellite to London’s Material Matters, the new process will continue to connect biomaterials, digital manufacturing, handmade knowledge and small-volume production in 2025.The real challenge is to convert the samples to a reliable supply.

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2025 Timeline and Evidence

SaloneSatellite brings together young designers and institutions with the theme of New Craftsmanship.

London Material Matters set knowledge, specifications and experiments in different areas.

Material entry from the exhibition to the project requires performance, cost, certification and traceability data.

New craft economy: How material experiments cross the distance between exhibition and mass production editorial image 1
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Industry observation Industry observation

Material innovation is often the most fascinating in the sample stage, but it fails in terms of scale, durability or supply stability.Designers should share the boundaries of use with manufacturing, purchasing and maintenance personnel as early as possible.

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Design Response Design Response

Create three cards for the material to be performed, processed and sourced.

02 Aging test with real components rather than small samples.

Differentiate between experimental value and promise of immediate mass production.

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AURELIS observation

The business opportunity for the new process is not to replace all the traditional materials, but to find the most suitable scenarios and to establish a replicable chain of knowledge.

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Source of sources

01 https://www.salonemilano.it/en/articles/salonesatellite-2025-theme-news
02 https://londondesignfestival.com/stories/a-first-look-at-ldf25/

New craft economy: How material experiments cross the distance between exhibition and mass production editorial image 3
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SourcesSOURCES & FURTHER READING
  1. salonemilano.it
  2. londondesignfestival.com