Loro Piana Interiors presents Apacheta at Milan Design Week. Argentine designer and artist Christian Mojaded has transformed Loro Piana's Milan headquarters, the Cortile della Seta, into a dreamscape inspired by the Andean traditions that always accompany travelers.
Courtesy of Loro Piana Interior
Apacheta refers to the stonework that marks paths and passages in the Andes. It was built over the centuries by travelers who carried stones from the plains to the highlands, leaving them as tributes and thanks to the spirit of Pachamama, Mother Earth, as they crossed the mountain passes. Traveler by traveler, stone by stone, Apacheta grew into a massive tower, rising from the earth to the sky like a prayer made of irregular rock. It is beautiful and sacred, stable yet precarious throughout the centuries.
Courtesy of Loro Piana Interior
Apacheta marks the beginning of Christian Mohaded's journey with Loro Piana Interiors, a tribute to nature through a sustainable approach. The collaboration between Maison and designer is based on shared values: a passion for materials and craftsmanship, and the beauty and harmony that emerge from contrasts. Argentina, or more precisely the northwestern province of Catamarca, is where Mojaded is born and where Loro Piana sources vicuña, the most precious and rare natural animal fiber. A love based on respect is the thread that connects the souls of two people who share a deep love for nature and its bounty.
Courtesy of Loro Piana Interior
The contrasting landscapes of Apacheta and Catamarca, with their majestic angular rocks, rivers, white and red lagoons and salt-crystallized bushes, inspired the dreamscape conceived by Mohaded and Loro Piana Interiors for Design Week. The Cortile della Seta has been transformed into a dreamlike space, with 12 towers rising up to eight metres above the ground. The irregular, angular, seemingly unstable stones are given a second life here, covered in fabrics from Loro Piana Interiors' previous collections. The Apacheta landscape thus invites a dialogue about sustainability and the potential for reusing and ennobling discarded materials.
Courtesy of Loro Piana Interior
Nestled between the towers at the heart of Cortile della Seta, furniture designed by Mohaded – sofas, stools, benches and tables – are displayed. The exquisite textures of Loro Piana Interior materials create a soft, stone-like effect. Hand-carved wooden elements create a sense of stability, like the boulders nestled among the stones, creating a contrast and creating surfaces for objects. Wood and fabric meet a third material: ceramic, whose colors are inspired by Argentina's lagoons and feature the same red and white as the towers. Everything is born from the landscape's magnificent natural palette. The ceramic surface of the tables creates a miniature lagoon between the pieces.
Courtesy of Loro Piana Interior
"We approached Christian because we knew his passion for craftsmanship, his research into materials, and his extraordinary love for textures and contrasts. This is where everything he does begins, and we knew he was the right artist to entrust our materials to," explains Francesco Pergamo, Director of Loro Piana Interiors. "When I saw this project, I immediately knew it exceeded my expectations. Christian has not only worked magic on the materials, but has also infused the design with all the values we share."
Visitors to the installation become travelers, just like the people who have built Apacheta over the centuries. They wander respectfully through a landscape where all the contrasts of the original are recreated, through the mixing and juxtaposition of textures and materials.
"This project will undoubtedly serve as another bridge between Latin America and the brand," explains Christian Mohaded. "This unique, dreamlike landscape defies the imagination of the traveler who travels and encounters a scaled-down monument in the shape of a tower, rendered vividly with the colors and memories of the land. In it, we feel like we are identifying with each of the components that make it all. Apacheta is our message to Pachamama, our history, our culture, our sincerity and respect."
The installation will be open to the public during Milan Design Week, allowing visitors to enjoy the magnificent views of Cortile della Seta.
Cristian Mohaded:
Cristian Mohaded is an artist and designer born in rural Argentina in 1980. A graduate of the National University of Córdoba, he currently divides his time between Buenos Aires and Milan. As a designer, he has always worked closely with artisans in his native country, blurring the boundaries between design and art while exploring tradition, craftsmanship, and local culture. He is an independent designer and works internationally in the fields of furniture, lighting, products, and installations, developing and designing objects for both private and corporate clients, focusing on materiality, craftsmanship, and production processes.
Throughout his career, he has received several design awards and special prizes and participated in numerous national and international fairs and exhibitions. His work is included in the permanent collections of the New York Museum of Arts and Design (2022), the Philadelphia Museum of Art (2019), and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs de Paris (2014). Since 2016, he has been part of the IDA Foundation's Legacy of Argentine Design and one of the young leaders of Latin American design. He was selected to represent the country in the "Monte Abierto" project for the design of the Argentine Pavilion at the 2021 London Design Biennale. In 2021, he held his first solo exhibition, "Territorio Hibrido," at the National Museum of Decorative Arts in Buenos Aires, and published his first book of the same name. In the same year, he was appointed ambassador for Argentina's Marca Pais, with the aim of acknowledging cultural diversity, indigenous materials, and productive capacities in his work as a designer, and promoting an accessible image of Argentina at an international level. Recently, the brand was awarded the Conex Foundation's "Conex Diploma of Merit Award 2012-2022" (Visual Arts), Argentina's most important cultural award, by a prestigious national jury.
Loro Piana Interiors:
"To create interiors that evoke the same elegance, premium quality, and practicality as Loro Piana's clothing and accessories" was the inspiration behind Loro Piana's decorative fabrics collection. All fabrics are crafted in Italy at Loro Piana's Piedmont factories, where six generations of tradition and innovation lie. Driven by the philosophy of sourcing the world's finest fibers, the brand's passion for beauty and insight into functionality guide its technical experts and master artisans. Loro Piana Interiors fabrics are meticulously crafted from soft, enveloping cashmere, the finest wool, linen, silk, and cotton. Some are made entirely from fiber, while others feature unique blends with innovative weaves and textures inspired by the colors of nature.
Courtesy of Loro Piana InteriorApacheta refers to the stonework that marks paths and passages in the Andes. It was built over the centuries by travelers who carried stones from the plains to the highlands, leaving them as tributes and thanks to the spirit of Pachamama, Mother Earth, as they crossed the mountain passes. Traveler by traveler, stone by stone, Apacheta grew into a massive tower, rising from the earth to the sky like a prayer made of irregular rock. It is beautiful and sacred, stable yet precarious throughout the centuries.
Courtesy of Loro Piana InteriorApacheta marks the beginning of Christian Mohaded's journey with Loro Piana Interiors, a tribute to nature through a sustainable approach. The collaboration between Maison and designer is based on shared values: a passion for materials and craftsmanship, and the beauty and harmony that emerge from contrasts. Argentina, or more precisely the northwestern province of Catamarca, is where Mojaded is born and where Loro Piana sources vicuña, the most precious and rare natural animal fiber. A love based on respect is the thread that connects the souls of two people who share a deep love for nature and its bounty.
Courtesy of Loro Piana InteriorThe contrasting landscapes of Apacheta and Catamarca, with their majestic angular rocks, rivers, white and red lagoons and salt-crystallized bushes, inspired the dreamscape conceived by Mohaded and Loro Piana Interiors for Design Week. The Cortile della Seta has been transformed into a dreamlike space, with 12 towers rising up to eight metres above the ground. The irregular, angular, seemingly unstable stones are given a second life here, covered in fabrics from Loro Piana Interiors' previous collections. The Apacheta landscape thus invites a dialogue about sustainability and the potential for reusing and ennobling discarded materials.
Courtesy of Loro Piana InteriorNestled between the towers at the heart of Cortile della Seta, furniture designed by Mohaded – sofas, stools, benches and tables – are displayed. The exquisite textures of Loro Piana Interior materials create a soft, stone-like effect. Hand-carved wooden elements create a sense of stability, like the boulders nestled among the stones, creating a contrast and creating surfaces for objects. Wood and fabric meet a third material: ceramic, whose colors are inspired by Argentina's lagoons and feature the same red and white as the towers. Everything is born from the landscape's magnificent natural palette. The ceramic surface of the tables creates a miniature lagoon between the pieces.
Courtesy of Loro Piana Interior"We approached Christian because we knew his passion for craftsmanship, his research into materials, and his extraordinary love for textures and contrasts. This is where everything he does begins, and we knew he was the right artist to entrust our materials to," explains Francesco Pergamo, Director of Loro Piana Interiors. "When I saw this project, I immediately knew it exceeded my expectations. Christian has not only worked magic on the materials, but has also infused the design with all the values we share."
Visitors to the installation become travelers, just like the people who have built Apacheta over the centuries. They wander respectfully through a landscape where all the contrasts of the original are recreated, through the mixing and juxtaposition of textures and materials.
"This project will undoubtedly serve as another bridge between Latin America and the brand," explains Christian Mohaded. "This unique, dreamlike landscape defies the imagination of the traveler who travels and encounters a scaled-down monument in the shape of a tower, rendered vividly with the colors and memories of the land. In it, we feel like we are identifying with each of the components that make it all. Apacheta is our message to Pachamama, our history, our culture, our sincerity and respect."
The installation will be open to the public during Milan Design Week, allowing visitors to enjoy the magnificent views of Cortile della Seta.
Cristian Mohaded:
Cristian Mohaded is an artist and designer born in rural Argentina in 1980. A graduate of the National University of Córdoba, he currently divides his time between Buenos Aires and Milan. As a designer, he has always worked closely with artisans in his native country, blurring the boundaries between design and art while exploring tradition, craftsmanship, and local culture. He is an independent designer and works internationally in the fields of furniture, lighting, products, and installations, developing and designing objects for both private and corporate clients, focusing on materiality, craftsmanship, and production processes.
Throughout his career, he has received several design awards and special prizes and participated in numerous national and international fairs and exhibitions. His work is included in the permanent collections of the New York Museum of Arts and Design (2022), the Philadelphia Museum of Art (2019), and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs de Paris (2014). Since 2016, he has been part of the IDA Foundation's Legacy of Argentine Design and one of the young leaders of Latin American design. He was selected to represent the country in the "Monte Abierto" project for the design of the Argentine Pavilion at the 2021 London Design Biennale. In 2021, he held his first solo exhibition, "Territorio Hibrido," at the National Museum of Decorative Arts in Buenos Aires, and published his first book of the same name. In the same year, he was appointed ambassador for Argentina's Marca Pais, with the aim of acknowledging cultural diversity, indigenous materials, and productive capacities in his work as a designer, and promoting an accessible image of Argentina at an international level. Recently, the brand was awarded the Conex Foundation's "Conex Diploma of Merit Award 2012-2022" (Visual Arts), Argentina's most important cultural award, by a prestigious national jury.
Loro Piana Interiors:
"To create interiors that evoke the same elegance, premium quality, and practicality as Loro Piana's clothing and accessories" was the inspiration behind Loro Piana's decorative fabrics collection. All fabrics are crafted in Italy at Loro Piana's Piedmont factories, where six generations of tradition and innovation lie. Driven by the philosophy of sourcing the world's finest fibers, the brand's passion for beauty and insight into functionality guide its technical experts and master artisans. Loro Piana Interiors fabrics are meticulously crafted from soft, enveloping cashmere, the finest wool, linen, silk, and cotton. Some are made entirely from fiber, while others feature unique blends with innovative weaves and textures inspired by the colors of nature.
