K-Way marks its 60th anniversary, with an immersive exhibition at Museo della Permanente – a place where original designs and iconic partnerships merge. To gain further insight, we spoke with an exhibit guide to explore the meaning behind the showcase, its connection to Milan Fashion Week, and the deeper impact of brands.

As Milan Fashion Week 2025/2026 has finally started, many of the well-known brands and companies are opening free and exclusive exhibitions to tell about their history. Thus, a globally recognized brand for waterproof and windproof outerwear – K-Way – has launched its exhibition in Museo della Permanente on 26th of February. Besides from taking an initiative during the Fashion Week, it is also proud to be celebrating its  60th anniversary. In Y/Our Life – The Hidden Side of Everyday Things opens up the side of collaboration and work in daily life through art and explores deeper meanings behind the widely known products. 

Bright and practical – two in one

Entering the exhibition, we are immediately facing the first section called Happy When It Rains. As the name suggests, it is related to coats and any type of outerwear which is protective of rain. Here, a comprehensive look at K-Way‘s history, featuring original objects and iconic pieces that tell the story of the brand’s innovation and change can be found. It showcases how K-Way‘s designs have evolved from the first raincoats to more recent models, emphasizing the brand’s commitment to both functionality and style. Moreover, it can be considered immersive. Visitors are able to explore  materials, shapes, and concepts through touch, sound, and vision making the experience multisensory and truly memorable.

Art and fashion – collaboration is everywhere

Apart from being already recognisable as it is, K-Way is quite open to new connections and collaborations with brands. The first wing of the exhibition called The Everyday Icons is dedicated exactly to that – how the brand has become friends with so many distinct and creative companies and provides the heritage of the partner brands. Among them are Bialetti, Chupa Chups, Moleskine, Polaroid, Pongo, Scotch Brand, Borotalco etc. It not only immerses us in the world of consumer goods, but tells how they have shaped and truly changed our lives. What’s more, truly reveals is the idea of how many things around us can be taken for granted and are not appreciated and noticed. In this way, the audience has a unique opportunity to observe artifacts, footage, old advertisements and prototypes and learn about the evolution of brands. 

If it’s not Roberts, it’s not Borotalco

Over the years, Borotalco has rightfully earned its place as a skincare essential, emerging as a staple symbol of Italian heritage. The visionary behind it all, Henry Roberts, introduced the first “Boro-Talcum” in 1878. It was a velvety talc powder sourced from Piedmont’s Chisone Valley, enhanced by a signature scent specifically crafted for skincare. Even in present times, the brand stayed true to its roots, ensuring the talc is high-quality and 100% Italian. 

As for its packaging, Borotalco perfected the formula, by creating an iconic image with the timeless green jar, accompanied by the distinctive Nurse and Child emblem.

The instant becomes eternal with Polaroid

Unmistakable and legendary, Polaroid – the token of a groundbreaking invention for shared memories – has evolved into a  cultural phenomenon. It all started with  Edwin Land, whose innovative spirit inspired the creation of the first instant camera, the Polaroid 95, in 1948. From the black-and-white splash of the ‘50s  to the color revolution of 1963, Polaroid kept pushing boundaries – with the cult classic SX-70 in the ‘70s, the retro favourite, Sun 600 in the ‘80s, and the funky i-Zone in 1999.

With the rise of photography in the early 2000s, Polaroid refused to fade in history, thus making a memorable comeback in 2015 with the Polaroid Socialmatic. This proved that a staple such as Polaroid, only got better with time.

Moleskine – creativity for social change

From prototypes and vintage advertisements, to legendary artifacts and original patents, this section is a visually magnificent  tribute to some of the most noteworthy consumer goods from Moleskine. The brand itself embodies a creative cornerstone for many artists and ingenious thinkers alike. In 1997, a Milanese publisher revived the iconic notebooks once carried by Van Gogh, Picasso, Hemingway and Chatwin, reintroducing them as must-haves for contemporary artists. 

Today, Moleskine is more than a simple notebook. It offers a plethora of tools designed to fuel the vivid imagination – agendas, bags, writing instruments. Beyond its products, the Moleskine Foundation honours its principle “Creativity for Social Change”, through cultural initiatives. One of them entails preserving an archive of over 1.600 artist-donated notebooks, demonstrating the power of a plain blank page.

We also interviewed an exhibition guide, a young Architecture student from Politecnico di Milano, assisting visitors at the event. She provided valuable insight into the K-Way‘s concepts, its link to Fashion Week, and how it combines art, fashion and daily life – all in one.

K-Way: beyond the brand

What is one of the key features of the exhibit?

One standout example, the guide notes, is the Mocha, where a coffee filter replaces the usual pocket, allowing visitors to experience the authentic aroma of coffee.

“For example, we have the Mocha. It is very iconic because it is famous all over the world. And maybe, they wanted to connect this famous, iconic work of art with different images. So, we also have K-Way that realizes this as an interaction with Mocha (…). But instead of the pocket, you have the filter of a Mocha. And you can feel the smell of the real Mocha café from there.”

How is the K-Way exhibit connected to Fashion Week?

As the exhibit guide points out, the K-Way exhibition aligns with Fashion Week through its brand collabs, merging industries into artistic manifestations, rather than solely focusing on K-Way itself.

“I guess this is connected to Fashion Week because it (K-Way) wants to get in touch with different brands to create different works of art (…). The main point was to get an interaction between those different brands (…). Maybe it was something more of an exhibition for the public and not something only related to the brand itself.”

Why is the exhibit divided into so many sections? Is it to highlight the brand’s influence better?

Besides celebrating art, the employee emphasizes that the exhibition illustrates how countless brands are interwoven into our daily lives, even when we don’t realize their impact.

“It is interesting to see different brands that are part of people’s lives (…). Chupa Chups or, I don’t know,  Polaroid are very famous and are in our everyday life, but we simply don’t notice it (…). I think it is very interesting that there is this connection.”

^{Featured image by Maryia Valashchuk (Ph)}