Aria Journal:
According to data from the World Economic Forum it will take another 133 years to reach full gender parity around the world, which is roughly five generations from now. In light of this the focus of International Women’s Day 2025 is on the need to #AccelerateAction and take decisive steps to close the global gender gap. Today we’re highlighting some of the new arrivals to our collection from six leading designers, paving the way for the next generation of women in design.
Patricia Urquiola
Studio Urquiola was established in Milan in 2001 and has since developed projects spanning the fields of furniture design, architecture, interiors and art direction. Urquiola heads up a design team of around 70 creatives including designers, textile experts and model makers.
Patricia Urquiola’s designs are exhibited in cultural institutions around the world, including the MoMA in New York, the Decorative Arts Museum in Paris and the Vitra Design Museum. Meanwhile, back home in Milan she’s on the board of trustees at the Triennale Design Museum.
The new Aaland collection, designed for Kartell, is inspired by notions of an archipelago, with organic and fluid forms referencing the shapes of neighbouring islands. Upholstered seats, sofas and poufs combine with woven textile rugs to create new spaces of comfort and togetherness. The collection challenges the traditional rules of upholstery, embracing free-flowing forms and interconnected elements.
Read more on Patricia Urquiola
Paola Navone
Co-founder and creative director of OTTO Studio, Paola Navone describes her approach as outspoken, dreamy and eclectic. An established architect and interior designer, her portfolio boasts numerous projects including hotels, restaurants and public spaces across South East Asia, the USA, and Europe. Her accolades include multiple Elle Deco International Design Awards, the Red Dot Design Award and being entered into the Design Hall of Fame by Interior Design Magazine in New York.
Oblò, the new collection of blown-glass pendant lights, designed for Lodes, reflect Navone’s love of the sea. Oblò, translating as ‘porthole’ in Italian, has a fluid silhouette crafted from luminescent blown-glass, evoking the feeling of a viewing a window onto the sea. Each distinctive fixture boasts a unique design, reminiscent of its namesake, with a glass diffuser emitting a gentle and evenly dispersed light.
Rikke Arnved
Having graduated in architecture from the Royal Academy in Copenhagen, Rikke Rützou Arnved’s interest lies in how spaces and materials can affect personal wellbeing. Her portfolio includes architectural projects, urban design and furniture.
The Tana Collection, designed for New Works includes shelving and wall-mounted desktops which encapsulate simplicity. Employing a minimal silhouette, the emphasis is on the beauty of the natural wood grain, whilst each unit is seamlessly integrated with the wall without visible fixtures.
Donna Wilson
The world of Donna Wilson is a place where pattern and colour collide. Renowned for her distinctive sense of humour, her love of nature and passion for craft are at the core of her practice. Born in rural Scotland, Donna Wilson moved to London to study at the RCA, establishing her design studio in 2003.
Awarded Elle Decoration’s Designer of the Year in 2010, she’s collaborated with leading cultural institutions including the V&A and Cooper Hewitt Museum. As a forerunner of the contemporary craft movement, Wilson has remained true to her principles, using traditional techniques and locally-based suppliers wherever possible.
Anna Karnov & Clara Mahler
Danish design duo Anna Karnov and Clara Mahler are driven by a need to increase the connection between their furniture and the end user. Their pieces are designed to be timeless and made with quality, long-lasting materials, always with a playful aspect. The Story Table Collection designed for New Works is characterised by a distinctive frame, crafted from columns of natural oak in a circular formation, the material was chosen for its unique appearance and natural grain which develops over time.
