The popular Destination at Downtown Design returns this October reaffirming Downtown Design’s position as a fair of global discovery and entry point into the international design scene. Launched at Downtown Design 2015, Destination will once more showcase emerging design brands from a fresh selection of international design weeks, this year:

Addis Ababa – Barcelona – Beirut  – Reykjavik – Taipei 

Downtown Design is held under the Patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-Chairman of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority and in partnership with Dubai Design District (d3).

Each participating city will present a co-curated collection of their leading young brands, offering them a commercial platform and a unique opportunity to present their creativity and craftsmanship to the buyers, designers and visitors attending the event.

Rue Kothari, Fair Director of Downtown Design says: “We are thrilled to bring such a diverse mix of design weeks to the fair. Each will represent the spirit of their city; showcasing lighting, furniture and textiles, expressed with indigenous materials, traditional craftsmanship and a strong contemporary aesthetic that will both broaden the diversity of the fair, and provide a breath of inspiration for all visitors.”

Featured Brands

Design Week Addis Ababa introduces Dubai to a modernist-inspired collection of furniture, rugs and textiles handcrafted in Ethiopia from Actuel Urban Living, and contemporary takes on traditional African chairs crafted in hardwoods by Jomo Design Furniture.

Barcelona Design Week brings sculptural design objects with a modern, industrial look that still elevate traditional, artisanal techniques. Andreu Carulla Studio will present suspended outdoor seating, a wickerwork armchair and versatile tin vessels; Apparatu will showcase three collections of quirky ceramics; and TORU a set of elegant ponyskin chairs.

Beirut Design Week is represented by resin vases, vessels molded from fruit skins and foam stools by Tamara Barrage; biodegradable containers made from coffee grounds and newspaper waste from Paola Sakr; and flexible, translucent tea lights and jewellery boxes crafted by Muriel Kai from ‘fruit leather’.

DesignMarch Reykjavík presents high-end walnut lounge chairs and sofas, and oak bar stools and book racks by Augustav; elegant nests of tables, lava dishes and porcelain containers by North Limited; and quirky cabinets, candle-holders, lamps and mirrors by experimental Nordic design collaboration 1+1+1.

Taiwan Designers’ Week showcases sleek design solutions and accessories including neo-contemporary ceramics and glassware from HNH LIVING; sculptural lighting from META Design and versatile seating solutions made from recycled cardboard and wood fibre from Flexible Love.

Notes to Editors  

For more information about Downtown Design, please visit, www.downtowndesign.com Supporters can also keep up to date with the fair on the following social media channels: Instagram, Facebook and  Twitter and via regular newsletters (sign up on website).

@downtowndesignd | #DTD2016

For all press enquiries, please contact:
Ciara Phillips | Naajya Ahmad

[email protected] |[email protected]

tel +971 (0)4563 1408

About Destination

The inaugural edition of Dubai Design Week in 2015 was the springboard for Destination, a unique cultural design exchange that offers a commercial platform for smaller, creative design brands from all over the world.

Last year’s participating design week cities were Beijing, Helsinki, Istanbul, Melbourne, Mexico City and San Francisco. Istanbul Design Week brought escapefromsofa, a young interior design firm and studio that, due to its success at Destination 2015, will return to Dubai Design Week this year as a standalone exhibitor.

Not only did last year’s Destination provide a showcase for partner design weeks in the Middle East, but the arrangement was also reciprocal. Dubai was Guest City at Beijing Design Week in September 2015.

About Downtown Design

Downtown Design is the only platform in the Middle East for the region’s trade professionals to discover original, high quality design from all over the world. In its fourth edition, the Fair returns to the Dubai Design District and presents a carefully edited roster of established and emerging brands across a variety of product categories; including furniture, lighting, bathrooms, kitchens, textiles and accessories. Fostering greater interaction, connectivity and environment for buyers and brands to do business easily and efficiently.

Downtown Design takes place 25-28 October 2016 as part of Dubai Design Week and will be held at Dubai Design District, d3.

www.downtowndesign.com

About Dubai Design Week

Dubai Design Week is one of the world’s newest and most ambitious international design events, conceived to shine a spotlight on Dubai as a leading design hub and share the UAE’s thriving design scene with the world at large. It encompasses public and private spheres, culture, education and entertainment, and spans multiple disciplines, ranging from graphic and product design to architecture and industrial design. Keynote speeches, panel discussions, public performances and educational workshops all contribute to the greater discussion of what design means for the region and the world.

Coinciding with Downtown Design, the region’s leading, quality-driven design trade fair, Dubai Design Week also includes a number of unique headline initiatives, such as Abwab, Global Grad Show, Destination and Iconic City.

Last year’s inaugural event attracted 23,000 international design aficionados, and designers, architects and thought leaders from over 150 of the world’s leading studios, agencies, brands and educational institutions to present work, exchange ideas and showcase innovation in design.

This year’s Design Week will take place from 24 to 29 October 2016 and is set to cement Dubai’s status as the design capital of the MENASA region. More than 100 events are scheduled to take place in Dubai Design District (d3) and across the city over six days with significantly more visitors and internationally renowned exhibitors expected to attend.

The event is held in partnership with Dubai Design District (d3), Dubai Design & Fashion Council, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority and under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Dubai Design Week aims to support UAE-based multidisciplinary design talent and celebrate the city’s forward-thinking approach to urban enterprise, as well as offering a global stage to ideas and innovations with the potential to improve the lives of people and society around the world. 

www.dubaidesignweek.ae

About Dubai Design District 

Dubai Design District, (d3), one of the TECOM Group’s communities, is a destination dedicated to design. The chosen home for the region’s growing collective of creatives, artists and designers, d3, is a shining beacon of inspiration and innovation. Created to answer the growing need from the industry, d3 provides businesses, entrepreneurs and individuals from across the design value chain with a thriving community where they can collaborate, create and inspire.

Known for its versatility d3 has become a popular events space, attracting international crowds to cultural exhibitions such as Dubai Design Week, Fashion Forward and Meet d3, which have simultaneously driven footfall to d3’s distinguished repertoire of design-focused outlets, art galleries and eateries.

With this year’s launch of lifestyle boutiques, contemporary art galleries and culinary concepts in its core 11 buildings, d3 is a buzz with creativity. Taking a novel approach, d3 has selected original concepts to form a creative community of new retail outlets, restaurants and innovative pop-up events that invite visitors to enjoy a more authentic shopping and dining experience.

d3 is constantly evolving. To cater to its growing number of residents, d3 will feature a one million square foot Creative Community in 2018, which will act as the site’s cultural epicentre, inspiring emerging designers and artists. Another key goal for d3 is to continually surpass the expectations of its visitors, and so by 2021 d3 will also boast a bustling 1.8km Waterfront esplanade running alongside the Dubai Creek, with international and design-led hotels, boutique retail concept stores and an outdoor events space, as well as a host of hospitality and leisure facilities.

To support its many creative partners, d3 offers individuals and businesses the choice of operating either as a free zone entity or as an on-shore business, each with its own merits. 

www.dubaidesigndistrict.com

About Dubai Culture & Arts Authority 

The Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (www.dubaiculture.gov.ae) was launched on March 8, 2008 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. Dubai Culture plays a critical part in achieving the vision of the Dubai Strategic Plan 2021 of establishing the city as vibrant, global Arabian metropolis that shapes culture and arts in the region and the world.

The organisation has announced several initiatives that strengthen the historic and modern cultural fabric of Dubai. These include:

• The Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Patrons of the Arts Awards: a first of its kind initiative in the Arab world honouring individuals and organisations who have made financial or in-kind contributions through sustained support to visual arts, performing arts, literature and film in the region

• Creatopia (www.creatopia.ae): the nation’s first government-empowered virtual community that guides and nurtures the creative culture of the nation, by providing a platform of information and opportunities leading to exposure and personal growth

• Dubai Art Season: the city’s premier umbrella arts initiative which encompasses:
  • Art Week – Art Dubai, Design Days Dubai, and SIKKA Art Fair which promotes Emirati and local artists in the UAE
  • Middle East Film & Comic Con
  • Dubai Festival for Youth Theatre