Design Shanghai, Asia’s largest and most influential design fair, this year presented a new addition to its event portfolio: Design Shenzhen (27th February – 2 March 2023). Harnessing the city’s incredible energy, Design Shenzhen welcomed 40,326 visitors and hosted over 250 curated brands tailored to architects, interior designers, property developers and the design-savvy public. Shenzhen has become the third city to host Asia’s leading design exhibition and was the largest curated event of its kind ever seen in the city.
The show injected new vitality into the design community of the Greater Bay Area, providing a journey into the future and spotlighting cutting-edge design and technology through global product launches, immersive installations, feature areas and a talks programme led by minds shaping the future of design.
Zhuo Tan, Managing Director of Clarion Events Shanghai Limited, “Design Shenzhen joined Design Shanghai and Design China Beijing in creating Asia’s largest network of annual design shows. The combined events have successfully created a continuous and comprehensive design platform that promotes the vigorous development of China’s design industry.”
Raymond Wang, Event Director of Design Shenzhen, “We set out to make an impact within Asia and the international stage with Design Shenzhen, spotlighting China’s first ‘City of Design’ designated by UNESCO as a host for this cutting-edge design event. Design Shenzhen brought industry pioneers in the fields of design, culture, creativity together and showcased the vitality of design within the city.”
A curated Features programme showcased the latest industry trends, innovations and collaborations. Highlights included:
Audi showcased its vision for premium mobility in China’s Greater Bay Area. Audi’s exhibit immersed visitors in a world of forward-thinking technology, design aesthetics and sustainability solutions embodied in the RS e-tron GT. This dynamically styled four-door coupe reinterprets the classic idea of the gran turismo, striking a perfect balance between performance and comfort.
Sony Design exhibited for the first time in China with their exhibition ‘Natural Resonance’, which spotlighted Sony’s cutting-edge technology and sustainable development practices. A series of visual, auditory, and haptic sensory effects enabled visitors to be immersed and experience the cycle of natural life and our resonance with nature.
Good Design Select was curated by Industrial designer Xiaoxi Shi in a collaboration with G-MARK JAPAN GOOD DESIGN AWARD. This section presented dozens of cutting edge, award-winning designs to Shenzhen, reflecting comprehensive design values and principles that aim to enrich lives, industries and society. It was the first domestic event to present the 64-year history and achievements of GOOD DESIGN AWARD.
Future Home was designed by Fengfeng and Tommi Zhou, together with the A Park brand to create an inspiring future home space in a conceptual, cross-border and diversified way.
WellConnect was an experimental exhibition curated by Design Shenzhen, DavidHugh and Li Zhefeng, focusing on new ways of living in forward-thinking home and work spaces, exploring the human connection to technology and presenting innovative lighting solutions for health and wellbeing. A “meditation cave” provided visitors with a sensory journey of sound and light. Industry pioneers and thought leaders including technology brand Dose and lighting brand Ostuni were invited to demonstrate how technology and design will affect one’s body, mind, work and living; how it inspires and leads more people to create healthier spaces and experiences in their daily lives and to explore a better solution for the coexistence of people, environment and technology.
Yum Ziya is the first Virtual Human that was released by the designer toy brand Underverse and held the role of Chief Experience Officer of Design Shenzhen 2023, the immersive digital experience blurred the boundaries between art, fashion and design.
Rural Futures Award marked the launch of China’s first architectural practice award for sustainable rural construction, designed to recognize the architectural practice in the field of rural construction with an emphasis on exploring the value of sustainability, and to form a guide for sustainable rural revitalization. The Awards were coordinated by the young architecture community platform APT (Architecture Practice Talks) and supported by the People’s Government of Shengze Town, Wujiang, Suzhou.
The Construction Award was awarded to Linden Centre in Dali Shaxi by Wu Mengqian, SuiPingYiLi Architecture Studio and their project Yaoli Village Courier Station won the Reactivation Award and Studio Dali Architects won the Symbiosis Award for ‘Live Together Under One Roof’, a series of architecture design projects of Xiaoshi Village in Pengzhou, Sichuan Province, China.
Design Shenzhen provides a global stage for emerging and leading brands and designers to launch products, interact with like-minded people and explore the future of design, with nearly 250 design boutique brands from more than 30 countries and regions gathered across the four days.
International leaders showcased their latest collections, from Ligne Roset, Roche Bobois, Caesarstone, DURAVIT, Occhio, Aritco, Living Italy, PPG, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle and Villeroy & Boch. In addition local brands such as Akyaya, Unicoggetto, Deco Deco, Casarte, VINEKO, HOPE SPACE, Beijing Contemporary and Shenzhen based WE GALLERY highlighted Chinese culture, creativity and design styles; including well-known local designer brand Frank ChouDesign Studio which showcased its classic ORBIT sofa and Lento chair, showing the perfect combination of art and practicality.
Across Design Shanghai’s event portfolio the Forum programme has carved a reputation as the leading global platform for design thought leadership, hosting presentations from world-renowned designers, such as Philippe Starck, Patricia Urquiola, Paola Navone, Tom Dixon and Chi Wing Lo. Design Shenzhen built on this platform to shine a light on the unique environment of Shenzhen, focusing on more forward-thinking design topics and the adoption of technologies in the design industry. Sponsored by PPG and Duravit, the 2023 Design Shenzhen Forum invited over 40 prestigious architects, designers and tastemakers to share their insights around the forum theme ‘Regenerative Design – Design for Wellbeing: Humanity, Sustainability, Technology’.
The Design Forum is an international leading platform for creative pioneers from all over the world to exchange design ideas and deliver cutting-edge design concepts. Speakers at Design Shenzhen included: Dan Su, Chairman of the Interior Design Branch of the Architectural Society of China, delivered a keynote speech on ‘Creating Dreams with Color’, Robert Greenwood, Partner and Managing Director Asia of Snøhetta and Cheng Gong, Studio Director Shenzhen of Snøhetta, delivered a talk on ‘Design for Well-Being’, Satoshi Ohashi, Architect Director of Zaha Hadid Architects gave a speech on ‘Responsive Design’, Peter Schubert, Design Partner at Ennead Architects LLP led a talk on ‘Architectural Design-The Key to Restructuring Urban Life’, and Gaetano Scintilla Chairman of WAD and Design Director at VALÈ spoke on technology and the future at the talk ‘Back to Oasis
Building on the reputation of Design Shanghai, Asia’s leading design event, known for presenting thought provoking designs and forum discussions from and international talents across a global design stage, Design Shenzhen is a new regional design event that is the most extensive curated event ever presented in the city. Design Shenzhen welcomed 40,326 high-end trade visitors, leading architects, interior designers, influential property developers from the Greater Bay Area, China’s elite professional buyers and specifiers, key decision makers from the private and public sectors, and affluent design aware consumers.
