Roberta Mutti
Architect and professional journalist, covering the design and furniture industry since 1991.
Founder of The Design Week Guide, advisor to organisations and brands in the international design events sector.
Author of the book Storia del Fuorisalone / History of Milan Design Week.
Journalism
I began writing for Interni magazine in 1992, and have since contributed to leading Italian and international titles including Elle Decor Italia, Casa Vogue, AW Architektur & Wohnen, DDN and Corriere della Sera online. For over thirty years I have reported from design weeks, festivals and trade fairs across Europe, the Americas and Asia, with a particular focus on the Chinese furniture industry, covered on the ground for over fifteen years.
Advisory
Thirty years of reporting from design events, and of working alongside their organisers, have become a consulting practice — now offered through The Design Week Guide.
I advise organisations building or growing design weeks and major design events, and assist brands exhibiting at international fairs, from event selection and planning to press visibility.
Past projects include the PDP Professional Designers Program, a three-year Malaysian government initiative I conceived and coordinated, pairing 15 international designers with 12 local manufacturers.
Speaking & Juries
Juror and speaker at international design fairs including ICFF New York, MIFF Malaysia and CIFF Shanghai.
Lecturer at design schools on the dynamics of design weeks and trade shows, and panelist at industry summits from Guangzhou to Kuala Lumpur, to Shanghai, to Milan.
History of Milan Design Week
The first comprehensive account of Milan Design Week’s first forty years, built on direct testimonies from the organisers, designers and PR agencies who made it happen. From the first showroom openings of the 1980s to the global phenomenon that today draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to Milan, the book traces how a spontaneous constellation of events grew into the model every design week in the world now follows. Published in 2021, with parallel Italian and English text.
Get in touch
For advisory inquiries, editorial collaborations, speaking engagements or press requests: