The seventh edition of the commercial centrepiece of Dubai Design Week, Downtown Design will take place 12-15 November 2019 on the d3 Waterfront in Dubai Design District (d3).
Downtown Design has cemented its reputation as the destination in the Middle East for contemporary design, attracting leading design professionals, decision makers and design savvy consumers from the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. With a spotlight on regional design, the fair provides a platform to demonstrate the diversity of contemporary design from the Middle East alongside the savoir faire of international studios and established brands.
Rabih Geha, principal of RG Architects said: 'The fair was inspiring, the set up and organisation beyond reproach. The implementation of the trade program was very beneficial especially as we had traveled to Dubai specifically for the fair'.
Highlights from the 2018 edition include activations at the venue’s outdoor terrace and award-winning design concepts inside to a stellar talks programme that brought some of the brightest design talents from around the globe together. The fair’s new section dedicated to limited-edition and bespoke design, Downtown Editions, featured established and emerging designers, collectives and collaborations.
Among the 175 regional and international contemporary brands on show at the fair, market leaders such as Baxter, Normann Copenhagen, Artemide and GV Thonet exhibited for the first time at Downtown Design 2018, joining the fair’s marquee brands such as Kettal, Moroso, Poltrona Frau, high quality and original design.
‘In this competitive market, Downtown Design is the perfect platform for us to exhibit at and engage with high-end design firms from the entire region’, said Laurence Dehlen, Middle East Director of Kettal.
Offering both trade and public visitors an immersive experience of contemporary design, the fair’s featured ‘made-for-social-media’ installations such as ‘Le Refuge’ by Marc Ange, David Harber’s ‘Aeon’ sculpture and Preciosa’s Breath of Light alongside a pop-up retail destination and bespoke F&B concepts brought to life by the regional studios DesertINK and Bishop Design.
Curated to inspire and empower the region’s design industry, Downtown Design’s programme of talks The Forum, featured 40 speakers and facilitators including global design leaders and regional industry experts. International designers Ini Archibong, Matthew McCormick and Martyn Lawrence Bullard joined leading architectural firms such as Foster+Partners, Zaha Hadid Architects, Benoy and Tabanlıoğlu Architects, and developers such as Arada, Imkan and Azizi Developments to tackle critical themes such as diversity and representation in the design industry, community creation and regionally responsive sustainable design.
Mapping the future of the design industry, the workshops – led by industry leaders such as Karen Howes, Oliver Baxter and Carolina Calzada-Olivera presented emerging market trends to both design professionals and exhibitors.
Click here to see the highlights from Downtown Design 2018.
Find out more about exhibiting at Downtown Design 2019 and how to apply to participate here.