International and Chinese brands at Design Shanghai 2021
The eighth edition of Design Shanghai, Asia’s most important design fair, changed its dates after the pandemic and was held in June. Design Shanghai 2021, from 3 to 6 June 2021, welcomed over 70,000 professional visitors, including designers, architects, retailers, realtors and interior designers, to the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center and more than 400 exhibitors from over 30 countries.
Discover Design Shanghai 2020
Many of the world’s leading exponents in design and architecture chose Design Shanghai to present their products in China. The hall dedicated to contemporary design accommodated brands such as Ligne Roset, Roche Bobois, Rolf Benz, Herman Miller, USM, Flos, and quintessential British lighting brand Anglepoise. Carl Hansen & Søn celebrated over 70 years of collaboration with Hans J. Wegner; other brands arrived from Denmark, including HAY, Verpan, YBJY, &tradition.
The launches in the Kitchens & Bathrooms section involved Laufen, Barber & Osgerby for Axor, Villeroy & Boch, ASKO and Aritco. Among the exhibitors making their debut at Design Shanghai there were French brand Maison Dada, Shanghai-based gallery Arktek World and the innovative German brand Occhio.
The New Materials & Applications Design Hall hosted for the first time LG and BTicino; among others, the Objects & Accessories Design Hall hosted Murano glassware by Venini.
New talents from China
Design Shanghai does not showcase international brands only; the number of Chinese design brands and designers increase at every edition. Key exhibitors included globally recognized design studios such as Stellar Works, Boking, PUSU, 2-LA, Sun At Six, UFOU, Studio Monana and THESHAW. The Collectible Design Hall hosted China’s first exhibition space dedicated to the Memphis Group, YA SPACE. Stellar Works revealed their latest collaboration with Sebastian Herkner, while U+, a Chinese company debuting in the international design market, launched its Shan Qiu Zhi Ge Sofa Collection.
Discover the calendar of design and furniture fairs for 2021/2022
Chen Min, industrial designer and expert judge from Loewe Foundation, curated Neooold, an exhibition of 12 pioneering designers, craftsmen and artists pairing traditional artisanal craft techniques with contemporary design. Frank Chou, Founder of Frank Chou Design Studio, returned to curate the TALENTS section for the second year. Featuring 14 of today’s best emerging designers in China, Design Shanghai’s TALENTS section nurtures the country’s next generation of Chinese design talent.
Lastly, a rich panel of experts talked at the annual Kohler Exquisite x Design Shanghai Forum. Spanning design disciplines from across the world, the world’s most influential speakers explored the cultural shift towards regenerative design as an urgent response to social and environmental needs. Keynote speakers included Thomas Heatherwick, Sebastian Wrong, Aldo Cibic, Neville Mars, Diego Fuertes, Richard Hutten and Michael Pawlyn.
