Rossana Orlandi has long been one of design’s instinctive forces. Before becoming a gallerist, curator, and one of the most recognisable figures in contemporary design, she spent decades in fashion, developing an eye for material, colour, and the emotional charge of objects. In 2002, she opened Galleria Rossana Orlandi in Milan, transforming a former tie factory into a now-legendary destination for collectable design.
Since then, Orlandi has become known not only for her signature glasses and unmistakable personal style, but also for her ability to spot talent before the rest of the world catches up. Many of the designers now considered central to contemporary collectable design found early support through her gallery, which remains one of the most anticipated stops during Milan Design Week.
For us, meeting Orlandi in Milan this year felt slightly unreal. The year before, her gallery had been one of our favourite discoveries of our trip, a place where design felt alive, eccentric, rigorous, and full of possibility — truly one of Milan’s greatest spaces. For us to return this year for the opening of her latest exhibition, and to speak with her in person, was something of a design dream.
This year’s RoCollectible exhibition was themed around the door, a seemingly simple architectural element that became, in Orlandi’s hands, a meditation on thresholds, protection, beauty, crisis, and the world beyond.
We spoke to Orlandi about the exhibition, the future of collectable design, her long relationship with African creativity, and the responsibility designers carry today.
The theme for this year’s RoCollectible exhibition was the door. It feels simple at first, but the framing also became quite political and emotional. Was that intentional from the beginning?
Yes, completely. The door means a lot. First of all, you open the door. You enter somewhere. Then you can also close the door. The world is outside, and you are intimate with yourself.
From an architectural perspective, the door is also very important. In recent years, I have seen many solutions where the door disappears. You don’t see it anymore. But for me, it is an amazing place to put art, to put creativity. This year we presented 19 doors, each one completely different from the others.
I was very pleased when I received the works because the concepts were so beautiful. Patricia Urquiola made a fabulous piece with a concept around recycling and reuse. She is one of the architects most involved in finding real solutions with recycled materials, and the result was fantastic. We also had many other designers with completely different approaches. The door became a new protagonist in the world of design.
You and Nicoletta Brugnoni co-curated a large number of contributors this year. How do you hold so many voices together around a single idea?
Nicoletta says we don’t agree, but in the end, we agree a lot. Sometimes I make decisions without involving her because she is very busy, and sometimes the process of involving everyone takes too long. But everything we do, we do together.
This year we also worked with two incredible designers from Lebanon. I was not sure we would receive the pieces because of the war, but they managed to work under those conditions and send the pieces perfectly. That surprised me. What we do for Salone del Mobile is always last-minute. I always work last minute, and my designers know this, but they still deliver amazing projects. It is very interesting how they really join the spirit of the gallery.
Salone introduced Salone Raritas this year, which, in some ways, formalised collectable design in the fair itself. As someone who has worked in this field for decades, did that feel like validation?
I think it was a very clever idea. [Salone de Mobile president] Maria Porro was very brilliant to do this. It is good for Salone, and it will also be interesting in places like Saudi Arabia and China, where Salone is expanding. For me, collectable design will go on forever. Like art. Painting goes on forever. In the same way, there can be art pieces in design.
As African and South African design move further into the collectable design space, what mistakes should people avoid?
The most important thing is to be honest. You must really believe that what you are proposing is collectable. Collectable means limited edition. That is very important. You must work with serious people and serious designers. The mistake is not being honest.
You have supported designers like Maarten Baas, Nacho Carbonell, and FormaFantasma early in their careers. What does early-stage talent look like to you? What makes something click?
There are too many designers now, and too many are not serious. Some people think they are already superstars because one piece has been chosen by somebody important. Collectable design has gone a lot into fashion, and that can be dangerous.
I like designers when they are serious, when they continue with their thinking, and when they are humble. A designer who is humble will grow a lot. If someone is too proud, too selfish, if they say, “I am divine,” then it is finished.
If you stop growing creatively, nobody will remember you in the future. What is important is to show that your creativity is never-ending.
With designers like Nacho and Maarten, they started with one piece, then one technique, then they tried another. They were always finding new solutions. That is very important, and I don’t see it enough in young designers now.
So, curiosity matters?
Yes. Curiosity, humility, and the ability to listen. You must watch people who are better than you, because they push you to be better and to do something else. It is a kind of energy. If you start by saying, “I am the best,” you are already dead.
The door also suggests thresholds and transitions. With you and Nicoletta working so closely together, is the gallery moving towards something new?
The way we work in the gallery is always evolving. Everything is evolving. You cannot say, “I have done my part.” The world is too crazy now. There is too much confusion, like a storm that cannot be managed.
In this moment, I am watching and living this situation. It is incredible if you think about everything that is happening in the world. The door can repair you. Behind the door, you can feel more secure. At the same time, if you open the door, it means you are open to the world and to finding a way to live correctly in this world.
For sure, I am looking for beauty. I love beauty. And materials are very important to me. I love new materials because there are amazing possibilities. You can do so much by putting materials together in new ways.
You were ahead of the sustainability conversation with Guiltless Plastic. Do you think the industry has really changed, or has it just become better at talking about sustainability?
It has changed a lot. Many industries are now involved in recycled materials and new materials. But what is very important is that I don’t only speak about sustainability. I speak about being conscious and responsible.
The way you work affects many things. You have to think about what happens when the piece is no longer useful. Can you recycle it? What do you do with the waste? How do you package it? Packaging is very important because it changes a lot. How can you reduce the volume? What material do you use for the packaging?
There is a lot of responsibility behind the future of a design piece.
You mentioned that you have a long connection with African design. What has stayed with you from that history?
We were among the first to bring Africa into Salone del Mobile. It was in 2007, and we brought incredible work. I have always loved African products. They are super beautiful.
I also worked with Southern Guild in Cape Town. I know the gallery very well, from the beginning, and it is fantastic. They are doing very good work and now they are growing internationally. Africa has amazing creativity, and there is a new generation of designers doing very interesting things.
What would you want young designers, especially from Africa, to understand about building a lasting career?
Be serious. Be honest. Don’t think too quickly that you are a superstar. Stay curious and humble. Keep growing creatively. Try new techniques, new materials and new ideas. Don’t stop at one good piece.
A designer has to continue. Creativity must not end.
From the July issue of Wanted, 2026.
