an 18th century carousel revived in Milan
And Milan Design Week 2026Laila Gohar presents her collaboration with ARKET through a public installation in the Giardino delle Arti, where a redesigned carousel of the showroom becomes the central device for the presentation of her first ready-to-wear collection.
THE installation it takes the form of an old carousel adapted from a rare late 18th century model, its horses replaced by oversized fruits and vegetables. Shifting is immediate and easy to read. Familiar objects are magnified, shifted and set in motion, transforming a childhood structure into something closer to a stage setting for adults.
Gohar’s work has long operated in this area, using food as both material and image. Here, that language extends into space. The carousel rotates slowly, creating a continuous loop of repetition and variation, where scale and material alter perception without obscuring the source. The installation reads as both object and atmosphere, with movement doing as much work as the forms themselves.
images © ARKET
Laila Gohar enters the world of fashion with arket
The ARKET carousel in Milan presents a 27-piece collection that signals artist Laila Gohar’s first full foray into fashion. Developed with clothing brand for Spring/Summer 2026, the garments (see in the gallery below) convey the same sensibility: practical silhouettes interrupted by unexpected details such as handmade beading, embroidered monograms and subtle structural shifts.
Workwear references sit alongside lighter, more delicate pieces, with materials ranging from solid cotton to silky organza. The collection moves between function and ornament without hierarchy. This balance reflects a shared position between Gohar’s practice and ARKET’s approach, where utility remains intact while allowing room for irregularity and gesture.
the installation focuses on a working carousel placed in a public garden during Milan Design Week
uploading the game as a public condition
The installation will run from 20 to 24 April 2026 and is open to the public, expanding visibility and participation. Visitors encounter the carousel next to a temporary cafe and small programmed elements, including ticket raffles associated with the brand.
What results is a compact environment that treats the game as a spatial condition. The carousel becomes a mechanism for slowing movement, holding attention, and reframing everyday objects through repetition and scale. In this context, clothing, installation and experience are aligned into a single system, where the boundary between use and display remains deliberately porous.
Oversized fruits and vegetables replace the traditional carousel figures
the carousel is based on a historical model adapted to a modern spatial layout
The slow rotation creates a continuous loop that shapes the movement and appearance of visitors
