Milan Report: Avant-Garde 2025 & Design Hub at Packaging Première

A celebration of sustainable innovation, high-end materials, and standout design

This May, I had the pleasure of attending Packaging Première & PCD Milan with Katarzyna Kołys, on a mission to explore bold ideas and meet new creative partners. We arrived with curiosity and left with far more than we expected—inspiration, fresh connections, and a deep appreciation for the future of sustainable luxury packaging.

The fair exceeded our expectations, particularly in showcasing sustainable solutions, innovative materials, and refined execution across every category. From concept to craft, the energy was purposeful and forward-thinking.

Project Avant-Garde: The Future, On Display

One of the most compelling features of the event was Avant-Garde 2025, a curated, juried exhibition that brought together the most forward-looking packaging concepts in three key categories: Design, Sustainability, and Innovative Materials.

Avant-Garde is more than a competition—it’s a platform for exploring how packaging can move beyond its traditional role to become something more: a sensorial experience, a sustainable solution, and a story in physical form.

Design Category Highlights

The Design category celebrated projects that blend visual storytelling with tactile experience and technical precision.

• IDP Direct – Winged Bag (Winner): A paper carrier that unfolds like a kinetic sculpture. Its structure strengthens with movement, offering both surprise and functionality without additional material waste.

• Gold & Silver – The Rustle of a Jewel: A poetic paper box that emits a soft chime as it opens, creating a sensory echo of the jewellery it holds.

• Advision – LUME: A whimsical sock tin designed as a trio—because luxury is having a spare. Strong design meets witty storytelling.

• Salco – Wine@box: A flat-packed wine packaging for e-commerce, engineered to pop up effortlessly without complex dividers. Clean, effective and elegant.

• Essentia Beauty – Smart Compact: A refillable makeup case protected by two patents, combining precise mechanics with a sustainable foundation.

These designs exemplify a growing shift in luxury packaging—from static containers to dynamic, emotional brand experiences.

Sustainability and Material Innovation

Luxury is no longer defined by excess but by responsibility and refinement. The Sustainability and Innovative Materials categories presented this evolution clearly.

• Fedrigoni Self-Adhesives – Re-Play Tintoretto Gesso: A beautifully crafted recycled paper for premium label applications.

• Fontana Grafica – Satin Ocean: A velvety material made with yarns sourced from plastic bottles recovered from the sea. Beauty with purpose.

• Raiku Packaging (Winner, Innovative Materials): A 100% natural, lightweight packaging material developed by a cleantech start-up. Already in demand from major luxury brands.

• Revita: A circular solution that transforms agricultural byproducts into new packaging fibers with elegant finishes.

• Woamy Biofoam: A cellulose-based alternative to traditional foams, offering protective performance with the recyclability of paper.

Each material proposed not just a lower environmental impact, but a new kind of aesthetic: organic, textural, and thoughtful.

Design Hub: Where Creatives Collaborate

Complementing the Avant-Garde showcase was the Design Hub, a gallery-style space on the show floor where four leading wine and spirits design studios presented their work side by side. Unlike conventional booths, the Hub fostered dialogue over display, placing concept models and case studies in an open, collaborative setting.

The atmosphere was refreshingly uncompetitive. As Matteo Zantedeschi from Advision described, the focus was on “dialogue and exchange”—and it showed. We found ourselves immersed in conversations not just about visual identity, but about material sourcing, sustainability constraints, and long-term innovation.

Key Takeaways from Milan

• Sustainability is now integral to luxury: It's not a trend—it’s a baseline. Every serious project considered its footprint without compromising beauty or brand value.

• Packaging is becoming an experience: Through movement, sound, texture, and digital interaction, packages are designed to invite engagement.

• Collaboration is driving innovation: Whether through multi-studio spaces like the Design Hub or cross-industry collaborations showcased at Avant-Garde, the future is being shaped through shared ideas.

Looking Ahead

Attending Packaging Première & PCD Milan this year was more than a professional trip—it was a window into the evolving language of premium design. We came away not only inspired but connected to a global network of designers, thinkers, and brands who share our commitment to elevated, sustainable, story-rich packaging.