It’s Almost Milan Design Week — Again. Here’s What That Actually Means.

A jewel of Milan’s events calendar, Design Week is the axle around which the city’s reputation as the global capital of design rotates. But the energy it brings to the city, locals and visitors goes beyond a gallery of well-designed furnishings at the end of the M1 Red Line.

Comparisons to Milan’s infamous Fashion Weeks are natural. But where Fashion Week hinges on exclusivity, Design Week — which this year runs from April 17 to 23 — offers more participati