This year, two high-profile brands experimented with interactive multisensory experiences designed to amplify the intensity of an individual’s sensory perception, and showcase a more positive synergy between humans, technology and their surroundings.

Other concepts from brands in sectors as diverse as bathroom manufacturing and beauty found inspiration in the philosophy of the radical 1960-70s Italian Arte Povera movement, in which the everyday is made meaningful, and art is created without the restraints of traditional practices and materials, including cherishing modest substrates.

A retro design aesthetic manifested heavily at this year’s fair, with a strong sense of nostalgia permeating some of the most inspirational brand experiences – from overt homages to historic architectural design, to those using distinctly modern tools and aesthetics (including 1980s gaming) to tell a compelling story.

Chiming with the section Mythmakers: ‘Sceno-Stores’ in Brand Spaces: 9 Trends & Opportunities, 24/25 several brand experiences took a highly scenographic approach. Cinematic and mysterious, they were often intermeshed with a taste for the mythical or fantastical, suggesting themselves as portals to other dimensions and/or distorted realities.

High-profile Italian and German lifestyle brands including fashion house Bottega Veneta, Porsche and streetwear stalwart Stone Island created experiences to halo specific products (new and reissues), patterns or material innovations – providing plenty of VM inspiration for those seeking to power up a hero product story.

Expanding the imaginative possibilities of an original design with fresh context, US fashion label Thom Browne and print-led Finnish design house Marimekko explored new experiences offering a canny repositioning of their designs.

Other brands focused on the official theme of the week: Materia Natura (Natural Matter – more specifically, the focus on an eco-conscious design culture) by channelling an appreciation of natural elements such as air and sunshine in their experiences.

Women-centred concepts from fashion and furniture brands explored feminist literature, furniture design, the female body and sexuality – emphasising the enduring and often overlooked importance of women’s perspectives in shaping brand and design strategies.