Moleskine
BASE, via Bergognone 34, Milan
April 07, 2025 – April 13, 2025

At Milan Design Week 2025, Moleskine celebrates the timeless power of handwriting – a deeply human act that sparks the imagination and unlocks our creative potential. “Unleash Your Genius” is an invitation to explore inner talent and reimagine sustainability through the simple act of putting pen to paper.
Moleskine – renowned for its iconic notebooks – invites visitors at Milan Design Week to rediscover handwriting as a powerful act of creativity and thought.

“Unleash Your Genius” transforms this vision into an immersive experience: a monumental origami-style sculpture of a human brain crafted from Moleskine paper and an installation of open notebooks waiting to be filled with words and drawings. A rich program of interactive workshops, led by artists and calligraphers, invites participants to explore the expressive potential of marks and sketches. Together, these elements create an unfiltered space where imagination flows freely and personal talent comes to light.

Handwriting is a mindful act that helps to organize thoughts – an inner journey of mental ecology and well-being that creates space for new ideas. “Unleash Your Genius” is also an opportunity to explore sustainability through creative reuse initiatives and live demonstrations in collaboration with various partners. Moleskine joins forces with MADE IN CARCERE – a social enterprise that trains and employs incarcerated women in Italy to create accessories from recycled materials – through a shared belief in second chances, for both people and resources.

Unsold planners are hand-transformed into foldable paper shoppers, available at the Moleskine pop-up store at BASE. Proceeds from every purchase go toward supporting MADE IN CARCERE’s mission of inclusion and solidarity. Always in search of innovative upcycling solutions, Moleskine has launched a pilot project in collaboration with Dow Polyurethanes and TECMAC to turn unsold planner covers into floor tiles. A compelling example of how creative thinking can inspire new models of circular economy and sustainable material management.

Moleskine has also long partnered with master papermaker Sandro Tiberi on experimental paper recycling projects. Among them is a special wallpaper made from recovered Moleskine products – transformed into an ivory-colored surface awaiting new marks. From April 7 to 11, Tiberi will demonstrate the art of paper recycling using his mobile paper mill. The initiative is part of Comieco Paper Week, a nationwide campaign promoting sustainability and responsible paper waste management.

Together with Quadra – Moleskine’s long-standing partner in the design of its mono-brand stores – the brand presents a series of original furniture pieces and accessories on display at BASE, where the notebook becomes a modular unit of design. Each piece can shift in form and function depending on the number and arrangement of notebooks it holds – such as a playful wooden stool with an adjustable seat that doubles as storage. The result is a collection of flexible, versatile furnishings designed to stand the test of time.

Moleskine and the Moleskine Foundation believe that human creativity is the most renewable resource we can draw upon to shape a more sustainable future. Together, they develop programs that foster access to creative skills and quality education. The BASE venue will host a selection of artworks created on Moleskine notebooks from the Moleskine Foundation Collection – unique pieces displayed in transparent cases, each reflecting the diversity of creative expression, messages, and techniques.

A common thread runs through them all: the belief that creativity has the power to change the world, through the act of tracing and sharing new signs and ideas – each one shaped by personal talent, united by the spirit of Unleash Your Genius. Featured artists include: Hailu Kifle, Ava Chowdhury-Turner, Polina Levishko, Bili Bidjocka and Bettina Malcomess, Munashe Munyavi, Hamza Kimera, Kellyn Lisbeth Cordoba, and Seven Hills.

more. www.moleskine.com