The Innovating Beauty exhibition is a path of discovery of innovative and sustainable materials from natural raw materials. Hosted in the spaces of Studio Baolab, which has been researching and consulting in CMF (Colors, Materials and Finishes) since 2007, it welcomes visitors to a small urban forest where it is possible to explore the potential of natural materials reinterpreted through design and innovative production processes.

Thematic Pathways in the Green

In a jungle of plants divided by hand-painted panels, thematic pathways unfold where raw materials, material samples, videos, mock-ups and finished products from the eight companies participating in the exhibition invite visitors on a journey of discovery and beauty among cutting-edge processes and techniques capable of creating aesthetically and technologically surprising products. Experts from Baolab and the exhibiting companies accompany the journey, also illustrating novel applications in interior design and architecture, as well as automotive and fashion design. 

Along this sensory journey, Baolab also presents its proprietary technology for the digitization of materials and products, a system that makes it possible to create digital twins represented by means of videos generated by Artificial Intelligence.

Sustainability at the center

The central theme of the exhibition is sustainability, an element that is becoming a determining factor in industrial choices today. Indeed, more and more materials are taking a leading role in designing the environmental footprint of products. 

The exhibition aims precisely to highlight how natural raw materials, often waste, can be transformed into innovative and perfomant materials thanks to cutting-edge processes and techniques. 

The selection of materials from the eight Italian and international companies shows the diversity of raw materials, processing technologies and applications: from three-dimensional leather to structural wood fiber, from glass powder enamels to bio-based materials.

The eight companies on display are: Authentic Materials, Incalmi, Pelle 3D, Structural Colour Studio and Toray - Ultrasuede Nu, Brokis Glass, Filippi 1971, Strong by form.

Authentic Material: new life to leather

A French natural materials company specializing in the creative recycling of materials such as silk, wool or horn, with a special focus on leather, Authentic Material has patented micronization technology to create, from leather waste, a high-quality, dense and homogeneous powder that becomes a raw material for some of the products made in the factory. These include QILIN, defined as “Naturally Reinforced Fiber Plastics” composed of 50 percent recycled leather and 50 percent organic or recycled polymer.

Incalmi: experimental craft techniques

Incalmi, a Veneto-based company rooted in the art of glassmaking, juxtaposes different materials such as metals, natural stones, textiles, ceramics, enamels, natural fibers and wood in novel ways. Thin layers of glass powder on metal or glass sheets are deposited with a meticulous artisanal process that calibrates the surface deposition through the use of small tools and techniques borrowed from various manufacturing sectors.

Pelle 3D®, a three-dimensional geometry

Pelle 3D®, is an innovative leather processing that allows the material to be imprinted with a permanent three-dimensional geometry, preserving all the visual and tactile qualities of the material, through pretreatment with a patented formula capable of stabilizing chemical bonds in three dimensions. It is a process patented by Egas Consulting that allows vacuum thermoforming to be applied to upholstery materials such as natural and synthetic leathers or fabrics.

Shimmering Wood: pearlescent and iridescent effects

Shimmering Wood is a finishing process that uses nanostructural wood particles, without the use of chemical compounds, pigments or traditional dyes, devised by Structural Colour Studio, a spin-off from Aalto University (Finland). Composed of cellulose nanoparticles extracted from wood, Shimmering Wood recreates nature's iridescent colors on wood, without the use of chemical compounds, but through a nanostructure created by cellulose nanoparticles chemically extracted from wood pulp.

Ultrasuede® nu from Toray: plant-based polyester

Ultrasuede® nu from the Japanese multinational company Taray, is a nonwoven fabric that uses ultrafine polyester fibers partially of plant origin, derived from the by-products of cane sugar molasses and plant-based elastomers from castor oil. It is an attractive alternative to leather, vegan, lightweight, breathable and washable, with an authentic and unique appearance and exceptional tactile quality conferred by fine finishing and generous application of resin.

Brokisglass: a product born from waste glass

Born from the manufacturing experience of the old Czech glass company Janštejn Glassworks and the lighting company BROKIS, BROKISGLASS is an innovative material made from 100 percent waste glass, which gives glass a whole new dimension and aesthetic.

VittEr® di Filippi 1971, the low environmental impact laminate

Made in Italy by Filippi 1971, VittEr® is an ideal material for creating surfaces and components for furniture, even with three-dimensional finishes. It is formaldehyde-free and made with raw materials from FSC®-certified chain of custody.

Woodflow di Strong by Form: a sustainable composite

Woodflow by Strong by Form, a Chilean technology company, is a composite material that combines wood fibers and resins through robotic manufacturing and molding, creating a lightweight material that is structurally comparable to aluminum. It can be processed into sheets, like carbon fiber or glass fiber, impregnated with partially biobased resins.

The exhibition “Innovating Beauty [enhanced natural materials]” , at Baolab Studio, Via Farini, 6, Milan, will remain open from April 8 to 10, and to visit, one must register at the following link