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Treasures Uncovered at FIND – Design Fair Asia

October 11, 2022

As part of Singapore Design Week, FIND – Design Fair Asia undoubtedly stood out in all its glory, so here’s the breakdown of all the excitement that took place. 

Executed with tremendous success was the highly-anticipated FIND (Furniture, Interiors and Design) – Design Fair Asia, held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre from the 22nd to 24th of September 2022. The free-for-all-to-attend trade fair was supported by dmg events, Fiera Milano, DesignSingapore Council, Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau, Italian Trade Agency (under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and many more. 

In turn, over 250 brands, retailers, traders and distributors together with key opinion leaders, architects, designers and content from around the world gathered in celebration of innovation and creativity. In fact, there were over 12, 000 attendees present for FIND’s debut. 

To create an immersive experience for fair goers, most of the brands incorporated a touch of local craftsmanship and cultural practices. For example, Jaipur Rugs magnified their exhibit corner with flowing embroidered rugs made by ‘karigars’ in Jaipur and gave attendees the opportunity to learn the art of tufting, guided by their in-house craftsman. 

This global platform was also the epicentre to draw inspiration, network and most importantly, do business. More specifically, FIND granted them the opportunity to reach a unique selection of buyers in the competitive Asian market. 

The following are some of the esteemed industry leaders present during the open ceremony:

Guest of Honour: Low Yen Ling

Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth and Minister of State for Trade and Industry

Dawn Lim

Executive Director of DesignSingapore Council

Luca Palermo

CEO of Fiera Milano Group

Gionata Bosco

President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Singapore

H.E Mario Andrea Vattani

Ambassador of Italy to Singapore and Brunei Darussalam

Marcus Magee

Vice President – Asia of dmg events

IIaria Piccinni

Deputy Trade Commissioner of Italian Trade Agency Singapore

Here were some of the major events that took place during the three-day fair:

FIND – Global Summit

FIND – Global Summit, led by an advisory panel of 19 FIND – Insiders and international speakers, explored the role of design and creative businesses in the area of sustainable development, the future of wellness, post-pandemic hospitality, the biophilic design movement, designing the metaverse along with the 3Cs in the creative industry (creativity, commerce and communication). It was curated by the event’s Content Chair and Co-Chair, Tony Chambers and Yoko Choy.

Italian Design Futures Capsule

The Italian Design Futures Capsule designed by Stefano Boeri Interiors, created with the support of The Italian Trade Agency, was a special showcase that honoured creativity, craftsmanship and design thinking from Italy.

Compasso d’Oro Award Showcase

In collaboration with Milan-based ADI Design Museum, the winning projects of the Compasso d’Oro Awards were showcased. It was featured as part of the Italian Design Future Capsule and encompassed every kind of product design imaginable.

EMERGE @ FIND

Hosted by FIND – Design Fair Asia and DesignSingapore Council, EMERGE @ FIND was a talent showcase circled around sustainable materials. Curated by the founding editor-in-chief of Design Anthology magazine Suzy Annetta, it shined the spotlight on 50 primarily emerging designers from all over Southeast Asia.

Urban Living Showcase

The Urban Living Showcase was a glowing representation of the Singapore Furniture Industries Council’s vision for the local furniture industry, that is ‘to be the nexus of tomorrow’s work-life integration for sustainable urban living’.

SIDS Asia Pacific Interior Design Symposium

Industry leaders from the Asia Pacific Space Designers Association (APSDA) from across eight countries and territories congregated at the Asia Pacific Interior Design Symposium, where perspectives on the disruption into the future world of interior design were shared. 

Other powerful panel discussions included: 

– ‘The Fourth Pillar of Sustainable Architecture and Design’, discussed the challenges of economic sustainability and the importance of incorporating culture into sustainable design. The speakers comprised Ankur Choksi, Principal of Studio Lotus; Voon Wong, Co-founder of Viewport Studio; Andrea Tagliabue, Vice President of TABU; Hemanshu Parwani, CEO of Olsen Kundig; and Arthur Mamou-Mani, Managing Director & Architect of Mamou Mani Ltd.

– ‘Building Influential and Enduring Brands’, moderated by Yoko Choy and joined by Teo Yang, founder of Teoyang Studio; Janice Feldman, founder of JANUS et Cie; Yuichiro Hori, founder of Stellar Works; and Ismail Tazi, co-founder of Trame Paris. They shared their experiences in building a brand with innovation, customer loyalty, brand positioning and after-sales marketing. 

– ‘Blockchain, NFT, and Striving for the Betterverse’, moderated by Tony Chambers and joined by Alexander Groves, co-founder of Studio Swine; Hunn Wai, creative director of Lanzavecchia + Wai Design Studio; and Mai Deng, partner at Dragonfly Capital. They talked about the one trillion US dollar annual revenue generated by the metaverse, digital art revolution, blockchain technology and future NFT trends.

The Interni Masterclasses, curated by Interni magazine editor Gilda Bojardi, assembled pioneers of the hospitality and interior design industry with a prime focus of sharing experiences, future forecasts and case studies about hospitality, post-pandemic homes and super materials. Three masterclasses took place at The Italian Design Futures Capsule, one on each day:

Day 1: ‘Designing Hospitality’ explored the influence of Italian culture on hospitality design in the post-pandemic era.

Day 2: ‘The Art of Living’ revolved around new age homes, touching upon compact workspaces, multi-tasking furniture, robotic appliances in kitchens and bathrooms with reduction of water waste as a necessity. 

Day 3: ‘Super Materials’ highlighted the need to preserve Italian furniture quality as well as the search for eco-friendly yet durable materials.  

From panels to products, this debut of FIND – Design Fair Asia was a true triumph and we certainly look forward to next year’s iteration of this spectacular trade fair.

For more information on FIND – Design Fair Asia, please visit www.designfairasia.com