Two days of open innovation at Allianz MiCo, with 180 startups and more than 200 companies. Among the finalists of the Innovation Award is Bulgari: a sign that technology is no longer a trade-fair topic but part of the product's language.
SMAU was founded in Milan in 1964 as an office machines and equipment fair. Sixty-two years later, typewriters have given way to artificial intelligence, and the 2026 edition has a single keyword: open innovation. On 3 and 4 November, Allianz MiCo (Gate 4, Viale Scarampo) hosts 180 startups, more than 200 large companies with their innovation teams, twelve regional ecosystems and around one hundred international operators brought by ITA – Italian Trade Agency, which turns one hundred this year.
The numbers show the scale. The real story lies elsewhere.
AI is no longer a pavilion, it is a method
In past editions, artificial intelligence was a section. Today it runs through the whole programme, from data management to manufacturing, from human resources to customer relationships. The 3 November Live Shows cover data and digitalisation, infrastructure, sustainability and mobility; on 4 November the focus moves to AI for internal processes and, above all, to the evolving relationship with customers and the value of brands. This is the subject that matters most to anyone working in fashion and luxury.
Twenty large companies, including Lavazza, Enel, Eni, KPMG and Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, shared their innovation needs with SMAU in order to meet startups with solutions ready to be tested. No longer visions, but precise problems looking for precise answers. As SMAU CEO Valentina Sorgato puts it, innovation increasingly comes from bringing different skills and perspectives together.
Bulgari and the jewel that speaks
Among the finalists of the SMAU Innovation Award 2026, chosen from more than two hundred entries, is a name rarely seen at a technology fair: Bulgari. The maison presented the Bvlgari Touch app and its Digital Passport. A micro-engraved serial number on the jewel gives access to the certificate of authenticity, warranty, the story of the piece and care instructions, with AI linking the physical object to the maison's digital services.
This is a cultural shift before it is a technical one. The jewel remains an heirloom, but it gains a digital memory that travels with it over time. For luxury, this means traceability, protection against counterfeiting and a relationship with the client that continues after the purchase. For those of us who work on images, it means the product becomes a narrative: every piece needs content, visuals and stories consistent with the brand.
Design, training, experience: the other finalists
Design also entered the fair through Enel, a finalist with "Innovative Design for Energy Sector": IED Product Design students worked with the company's technicians on concrete challenges such as monitoring energy consumption. Trenord, with the startup E-Plato, presented Socrate, a platform that lets technicians query maintenance documentation in natural language. Chiesi Italia focused on experience through immersive 360° video, while AstraZeneca built a training programme in which employees themselves create the content.
The common thread is clear: artificial intelligence works when it stops being a special effect and becomes a tool in the service of people, crafts and quality.
What it means for fashion and luxury
SMAU is not a fashion fair, which is exactly why it is worth watching. It shows how major Italian companies are bringing AI into their processes, and it anticipates what will reach brands next: products with a digital identity, faster content production, tailored services. For luxury, the challenge is not adopting technology but governing it, so that efficiency never turns into sameness.
It is the question the Vertigini Journal has always asked: how artificial intelligence can serve the imagination rather than replace it.
SMAU Milano 2026 — 3 and 4 November, Allianz MiCo, Viale Scarampo, Gate 4 (M5 Portello). 9:30 am–5:30 pm. Workshops and Live Shows also streamed at smau.it/milano.
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