At the intersection of urban craftsmanship and conceptual experimentation, Valextra returns to Milan Design Week with a second edition of its Vocabolario project—an ongoing design dialogue that takes a bold, architectural turn this year. In collaboration with Zaven, the Milanese luxury leather goods and accessories house unveils “Costa 70 + Zaven”, a contemporary reimagination of the travel object as sculptural form.
Founded by Enrica Cavarzan and Marco Zavagno, Zaven is known for their seamless fusion of art, communication, and industrial design. On the occasion of Milan Design Week, the Venice-based creative duo has proposed something more than a bag. “Costa 70 + Zaven” is a kinetic artifact—part collectible, part modular artwork. Inspired by Valextra’s mid-century Costa suitcase series, this new iteration deconstructs the idea of luggage into a series of interlocking, reconfigurable elements. Designed to be assembled in myriad ways, the piece becomes a personal statement on spatial balance, interaction, and form. It’s a suitcase that invites construction, deconstruction, and playful contemplation, a nod to both Bruno Munari and the kinetic art movements that once thrived in Milan’s post-war design scene.
Zaven’s vision is not just tactile but spatial. To present the collaboration, the duo transformed Valextra’s Via Manzoni flagship store into a dreamlike installation, echoing the volumetric language of the Costa 70. Foam structures coated in elastic resin replicate the suitcase’s abstract geometry, extending the sculpture beyond the object and into the architecture itself. The boutique becomes a journey through form, texture, and dimension, blurring the lines between gallery and retail, exhibition and experience.
“Costa 70 + Zaven” is also more than design, it’s about inviting a new kind of interaction. The creatives imagined an object that evolves through touch and thought, one that demands conscious play. For them, “Costa 70 + Zaven” is never static. Just like the identity of the Costa series, the act of travel itself is always in flux.
For Valextra, a brand whose DNA is rooted in intelligent minimalism and meticulous construction, this collaboration is both a tribute and a provocation. Zaven channels the reactive and purposeful design ethos that Valextra keeps, reinterpreting its archive through a lens that is both sculptural and sensorial.
To mark the occasion, Valextra also debuts limited editions of two of its most iconic silhouettes: the Iside Resin Tint Mini and the Milano Resin Tint Mini. Both bags feature playful pops of green, pink, and blue resin inlays, offset by the brand’s signature Millepunte leather, a tactile finish emblematic of Valextra’s urban artisanship. Palladium hardware and archival closures complete the pieces, marrying nostalgic elegance with a contemporary sensibility.
Once again, Valextra proves that luxury need not be static. Through the collaboration with Zaven at Salone del Mobile 2025, the Italian luxury house continues to redefine what it means to design in motion.
