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The Elephant in The Room presenting the heroes shaping the textile supply chain at Milan Design Week

The Elephant in the Room is a supply chain exhibition held from 17 - 23 April 2023 at Castello Sforzesco in Milan. The Portico Dell’ Elefante (Porch of the Elephant) at Castello Sforzesco served as the inspiration behind the exhibition’s theme and is an ode to effecting positive change, exploring topics that are often left unspoken and to encourage honest conversations. The exhibition is a free experience that celebrates the textile creation process. Explore the works of heroes shaping the future of the supply chain and listen to the story of the changemakers behind the change.

Presented by BYBORRE in partnership with Castello Sforzesco, City of Milan, supply chain partners The Woolmark Company, Santoni, Groz-Beckert, Mayer & Cie and Südwolle Group, and renowned furniture design brands Montis, Arco, Lensvelt and La Bolleur, The Elephant in The Room brings together the past, present and future of textile creation. The exhibition and experience grants access to and shows the various steps involved in the textile supply chain, from sourcing materials to the creation of finished products. Informative exhibits in the castle’s ‘Sala della Balla’ provide a better understanding of the complexities and challenges in this industry, all while being surrounded by the twelve Trivulzio Tapestries that are a testimony to the rich history and craftsmanship of the textile industry. 

Over the course of three days, the consortium of partners and Nieuwe Instituut are hosting panel discussions, moderated by FRAME to bring together experts in design, architecture and material to discuss transparency, collaboration and co-design, and the importance of a (fair) supply chain. In addition, recently launched initiative THE NEW STIJL by …,staat will host a series of talks with creatives across different disciplines and styles, including Sabine Marcelis, Amber Jae Slooten (The Fabricant) and Bas Timmer (Sheltersuit). 

Find the program overview below. Registration for the exhibition and talks are now open, please register here. Spots for the talks are subject to availability. 

Exhibition The Elephant In The Room

Castello SforzescoPiazza Castello, 20121 Milan MI, Italy

Monday, April 17 – Sunday, April 23rd, from 10:00 to 17:30

Morning Industry Talks hosted by Supply Chain Partners and Nieuwe Instituut, moderated by FRAME

17 - 19 April 2023, 10:00 - 11:00 

Transparency Throughout The Supply Chain

Monday, April 17, 10:00 - 11:00

Panel discussion with pioneers in seamless knitting Santoni (Patrick Silva), furniture design brand Arco (Jorre van Ast) and Sanne Schuurman, Director & Co-Founder of Envisions.

Importance Of A (Fair) Supply Chain 

Tuesday April 18, 10:00 - 11:00

Panel discussion with world leading suppliers of circular knitting machines Mayer & Cie (Wolfgang Müller) , furniture design brand Montis (Mariëlle van der Aa, Paul van den Berg) and a special guest (to be announced soon).

Collaboration and Co-Design With The Supply Chain

Wednesday 19 April, 10:00 - 11:00

Panel discussion with global authority on Merino wool The Woolmark Company (Francesco Magri), world leading provider of industrial machine needles Groz-Beckert (Florian Mingramm) and British menswear designer Saul Nash.

Afternoon Design Talks curated by THE NEW STIJL

17 & 18 April 2023, 14:00 - 16:00 

* Doors open at 13:30

Borre Akkersdijk (BYBORRE) and Sabine Marcelis are THE NEW STIJL

Monday, April 17, 14:00 - 16:00 

Amber Jae Slooten (The Fabricant), Bas Timmer (Sheltersuit) and Mathieu Hagelaars (Studio Hagel) are THE NEW STIJL

Tuesday 18 April, 14:00 - 16:00 

Press tours with Borre Akkersdijk available upon request. Please contact press@byborre.com for press assets and other requests.  

About BYBORRE

BYBORRE combines technology and textile expertise to bring a new standard to the industry by unlocking material innovation, sharing its vast experience on circular knitting and making their transparent supply-chain available to all clients. They believe that, without the much-needed transparency, positive change is impossible.

Borre Akkersdijk and Arnoud Haverlag founded BYBORRE in 2015 to realize their ultimate mission to inspire and enable an entire generation of creators to make better and more responsible textiles for everyday products. Together with their international team of 50+ specialists, they took on the responsibility to push the boundaries of the conventional textile industry, make responsible textiles more accessible through material innovation, digital design services, and on-demand production.

The company previously raised €3.2 million in a 2020 series A investment round, funding the accelerated development of on-demand design tool Create™. Create™ has welcomed over 1000+ users and 300+ brands worldwide (2022) including Natuzzi, Herman Miller, Palace Skateboards and Porter Yoshida & Co.

To further expand its platform, BYBORRE introduced Textiles™ in 2022. Textiles is a growing library of ready-to-order textiles created from traceable materials and suitable for a wide range of end-use cases, as opposed to the industry wastefully made to stock production status quo. The quality is primarily driven by choosing materials that support longevity, made with BYBORRE’s signature circular knitting techniques and curated stock of certified yarns.

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