How balloons transformed mm studio into an immersive installation Interview with Dylan Kwacz of Ballooms Toronto

On May 19, 2026, the offices of mm studio, located at Via Eustachi 7 in Milan, were transformed into something far beyond a traditional showroom. For the Press Day dedicated to the FW 26/27 collections and the latest beauty launches from the agency’s represented brands, the spaces were filled with giant sculptural balloon flowers, reflective surfaces, and installations suspended somewhere between irony, design, and surrealism. Behind this visual takeover was Ballooms Toronto, the creative project founded in 2023 by Dylan Kwacz, who collaborated with mm studio and Flatwig Studio to create an immersive environment capable of blurring the line between office, event, and art installation.

From Toronto to Milan: Ballooms’ pop and surreal universe

“I started Ballooms right after the pandemic,” says Dylan Kwacz. “I wanted to create something creative, but also something that could bring joy after a period that was anything but joyful.” The idea came about almost by accident, after he made a balloon bouquet for a friend: “She immediately told me, ‘You have to turn this into a real project.’ At first, I was terrified because balloons come with a very specific imagery attached to them: kids’ parties, clowns, birthdays. I wanted to take them somewhere else, make them feel sophisticated without losing that sense of lightness.”

And it was precisely this tension between irony and design that resonated with mm studio, which has spent years turning its Press Days into immersive experiences rather than simple press presentations. For this FW 26/27 edition, the agency chose to collaborate with Ballooms Toronto to transform the offices into an “evolving landscape,” where fashion, beauty, and installations could coexist in a spontaneous and fluid way.

A Press Day that felt like an art installation

More than decorations, Ballooms Toronto’s creations felt like actual sculptural presences. Giant flowers, soft compositions, and almost unreal forms emerged among FW 26/27 garments, accessories, and beauty products, interacting with the spaces without ever overpowering them. “I love working in beautiful places,” explains Dylan Kwacz. “When there’s harmony between the installation and the environment, something magical happens.” The project, developed together with Flatwig Studio, reinterpreted mm studio’s spaces while preserving the agency’s identity: dynamic, emotional, informal, and deeply connected to contemporary visual culture.

“Balloons make even the most serious people feel like kids again”

The strength of Kwacz’s installations lies precisely in their constant contrast between the artificial and the real. “I love the fact that they almost look AI-generated, while being completely physical,” he says. “They’re objects filled with air, and air is something universal. There’s far more humanity inside a balloon flower than people might think.” And perhaps it’s exactly this ephemeral fragility that makes them so magnetic. “Nothing lasts forever,” Dylan jokes during the interview. “But they do last long enough.” He then adds one of the most interesting reflections on the relationship between installations and people: “I see even the most serious and stoic people smile when they look at balloons. It’s like they reconnect with their inner child.”

The future of Ballooms between ceramics, fashion, and permanent installations

After spending three years building the project alongside another job, Dylan Schwartz decided to fully dedicate himself to Ballooms. “I literally quit my full-time job,” he says laughing. “So either something amazing is about to happen, or I’ll need money very soon.” The future of the project won’t only involve installations for events and fashion weeks, but also the desire to turn the Ballooms aesthetic into something more permanent. “I’ve been experimenting with ceramics,” he explains. “I’d love to create objects that keep the same sense of lightness and imagination.” In the meantime, mm studio’s FW 26/27 Press Day has already confirmed one thing: in 2026, balloons no longer belong only at birthday parties.