Milan design week feeds “a year of creative thinking” says CMF designer

The automotive industry has placed a greater importance on CMF design in recent years, transforming even entry-level products into beautifully appointed and increasingly sustainable spaces. As a result, Milan design week has cemented itself as a hub for creative inspiration.

Kristin Michl, an experienced senior designer at Rino Mastrotto’s zero-waste leather brands Brusarosco and Elmo, has been a regular visitor of the Salone, scouting for trends and building meaningful connections. “It’s the most important place to experience emerging colour and material directions across disciplines,” Michl tells Car Design News. “The sheer volume of impressions can feel overwhelming, yet the inspiration gathered within that single week often feeds an entire year of creative thinking.”

This year will look a little different, as Michl will play an active part of the show and joins our all-star speaker line-up for Car Design Dialogues Milan 2026. Beyond the products and palettes on show, the CMF expert attributes much of the Salone’s appeal to the opportunity to mix with creatives from alternative fields. It is a forum for exchange, she explains.

“These conversations broaden perspectives and challenge assumptions in a way that daily project work rarely allows. This is why joining Car Design Dialogues felt so meaningful to me,” Michl explains. “It creates a rare space for open, honest discussion without the usual competitive pressure of business environments. At a time when the whole industry is navigating profound transformation, these shared moments of reflection and dialogue are more important than ever.”

Michl offers a broad view on colour and trim. Originally a student of transportation interior design, regular studies and in-house internships offered the chance to work on both advanced concepts and series-production projects. “This helped me understand the full spectrum of CMF,” the German designer tells us.

And despite studying interior design, it didn’t take long to find her passion in the world of CMF. “Quite early on I realised that my strongest curiosity was not only about form, but about how colour and materials can completely change the message of the same geometry,” Michl recalls. “After graduating, I spent around ten years working for a supplier, where I developed a deep appreciation for leather, a material that is both highly traditional and endlessly creative. I then moved to an OEM environment to reconnect with the bigger picture and to better understand the interaction between different interior materials. Today I am back working closely with my favourite material again, now with a broader strategic perspective.”

Since 2021, Michl and her wider team have been working on an exciting shift towards zero waste leather, enabled by a unique circular production technique that ensures authentic leather – “a material made by nature” as Michl puts it – remains a sustainable option.

“Our pioneering ‘Zero Waste Leather®’ approach is a game changer within the tanning industry as it facilitates zero process waste. None of our waste ends up in landfill; it is upcycled, recycled and reused as raw material for other industries or as energy,” Michl explains. “For example, at Elmo the hair from raw-hides is upcycled to high-efficiency fertilisers used by local farmers, and at Brusarosco the hair is upcycled to bio-stimulants for agriculture. The icing on the cake is that leather is inherently durable, reducing its CO₂ footprint over the product life cycle.”

To hear more about this and to gain Michl’s perspective on a broad array of trends pertaining to automotive CMF and beyond, make sure to register for Car Design Dialogues and join us in Milan on 21 April.