The essay aims to reflect on the transversality of Italian design, understood as a design process based on the encounter, in a kind of Renaissance vision of contamination between different disciplines, cultures, and contexts. At the center of the article is the case of Coats! Max Mara, the traveling exhibition designed by Migliore+Servetto studio which tells the story of the heritage and archive of the historic fashion company, and which has so far reached five stages (Berlin 2006, Tokyo 2007, Beijing 2009, Moscow 2011, and Seoul 2017). A project that demonstrates the deep connections in the dialectical relationship between industrial production, art, design, and communication, and where the archive proves to be a great opportunity for encounter. The essay also dedicates ample space to the link between design culture and industrial culture, defining design as the result of a continuous dialectical commitment and confrontation.