On a crisp, overcast Monday afternoon in Milan, a mysterious invite beckoned editors to Palazzo Belgioioso, an 18th-century architectural wonder in the heart of the city’s Quadrilatero della Moda district. The discrete entryway was marked only by a young woman, dressed in head-to-toe black and clutching an iPad; after being ushered through the courtyard, a series of spartan rooms with whitewashed plaster walls awaited. As waiters began circulating with platters of kumquats, asparagus spears, and crumbly ingots of Parmesan cheese—along with Japanese lacquered trays carrying dainty glass cups of Prosecco and sparkling water—the purpose of the event was revealed with a whisper: this week, The Row is launching its first homewares collection.
Photo: François Halard
In the first, hushed room, an enormous sculptural clothing rail custom designed by Julian Schnabel sat pride of place, a blanket artfully draped across it. But this was not just any blanket: it was a blanket handwoven in India from the finest cashmere, brushed by hand from the bellies of Kashmir Valley goats to showcase the fabric in its purest form. (It turns out this specific variety is harvested from goats that are less than a year old; known as “baby” cashmere, at a weight of less than 14.5 microns, it is even lighter and finer than the kind you might buy from your average luxury store.)
After heading through to a second space with fading frescoes on the ceiling, a milky, monastic light illuminated the raised tatami mat bed in the center of the room, flanked by a pair of Maison Baguès wrought iron chairs from the brand’s own archive. In an alcove, opposite an ikebana-style floral arrangement, a stack of bed linens invited the gathered editors to touch and turn over the pillows and duvets in their hands. Their peachy-soft surfaces (yes, even the bed sheets are 100% cashmere) were hand-quilted with postage-stamp-sized squares and dyed a black so deep it felt almost hypnotic, like staring into one of Anish Kapoor’s Vantablack voids. And where other brands venturing into the homewares space may be inclined to plaster their logo across every conceivable surface, The Row’s approach is, well, very The Row: the only concession you’ll find to any kind of branding is their monogram subtly embroidered onto the corners of the blankets and sheets.
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