Design Shanghai 2023, Asia’s largest fair, celebrated its tenth anniversary. It has already been called one of the most successful in all the years of its existence. Both leading Chinese brands and emerging designers participated in this parade. The numbers are impressive – 600 brands and studios from China and 40 other countries.
Design Shanghai 2023, as before, was held at the Shanghai Exhibition Center on the banks of the Pudong River. For four days (June 8-11), in addition to product launches and brand presentations, design discussions were held with international industry stars: Rossana Hu of Neri&Hu, Zandra Rhodes, Aldo Chibik and Ross Lovegrove spoke. The fair was part of a huge festival that included curated exhibitions, the highlight of which was the Rong show, where 28 designers explore the deconstruction of weaving in traditional Chinese crafts. The offsite partner festival in the Cintiandi district also proved to be interesting, where interactive design installations of young promising authors were shown in a busy shopping area.
In addition, the design platform Design Street by Design Burger was launched. Other events include Disappearing Borders by Jamie Yang, an immersive exhibition space by Neooold and architect Chen Hao Ru, and Design Shanghai Picks.
Many international brands including Acerbis, Christofle, and Gubi have debuted in Asia with new projects. However, by far the main attraction of the fair was local talent. The Talents section has been particularly impressive, with 20 curated groups led by designer Frank Chou providing a platform for up-and-coming designers in China. For the first time in three pandemic years, visitors were able to travel freely around the country, and Chinese studios that had reopened during that time came to showcase their accomplishments. The founder of the fair, Zhuo Tan, is sure that now is the golden age of Chinese design – the choice of opportunities for designers working in this country is so wide. Over the past decade, the exhibition has become a serious platform for the exchange of design ideas in China. And this year’s session expanded the audience’s perceptions,
The fair is also known for its focus on avant-garde and experimental design, with The Features featuring China’s top independent designers and manufacturers, with over 100 exhibitors in all.
Frank Chow, in addition to the curatorial section, showed his own booth – unexpected variations in the Bauhaus style in a typical palette of utilitarian materials, but with soft wool upholstery, which created a spectacular contrast. The booth of U+, one of China’s most popular furniture brands, had the longest queue at the show. I especially liked the new Rong chair designed by Shen Baohong. The structure of the chair is characterized by thin, like wire, armrest supports, twisted like the base of a hanger.
This year, the Kohler Exquisite x Design Shanghai forum proposed the theme of recreational design or design for well-being. The forum looked at innovative approaches that inspire creativity and discussed the environment in terms of overall wellness. The China Fair showed once again that the global design and architecture community has embraced the concept of health in all its dimensions – physical and mental.
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