FIND – Design Fair Asia’s debut was a celebration of international trade, exchange of ideas and a stage for inspiration.As part of Singapore’s Design Week 2022, the inaugural edition of the FIND – Design Fair Asia dedicated to international interiors and furniture trade, came to a close towards the end of last month (22-24 September).
Organised by dmg events, global organisers of design, construction and hospitality trade shows, in partnership with Fiera Milano, the world-renowned Italian exhibition company, the event places Singapore firmly on the global design circuit and serves as a catalyst to ignite international trade and post-pandemic recovery.
The event was opened by guest of honour Low Yen Ling, Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry & Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, who, during her speech at the opening ceremony, drew attention to the three ‘I’s’ of the event: imagination, innovation, and fostering international connection.
“The goal of the event is to bring together the interior design community to network, collaborate and do business. We worked hard to bring a broad variety of products from regional and international brands that would showcase a mix of innovative designs across furniture, lighting, textiles, bath, kitchen and more. We want to use the event to open up international trade and new supply chains to evolve the sector through post-pandemic recovery. We are immensely grateful to The Italian Trade Agency for supporting the magnificent ‘Italian Futures Design Capsule’ which was the centre stage for some path-breaking panel discussions on sustainability, craftsmanship, and design in the post-pandemic era. A fusion of cultures prevalent in different national pavilions, collaborations and networking, the event was a meeting point for the future of design,” says Marcus Magee, Vice President – Asia, of dmg events.
Event Highlights
Opening Ceremony
The Event Opening Ceremony
From Left to Right:
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Phua Boon Huat, President, Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC)
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Keith Tan, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board
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IIaria Piccinni, Deputy Trade Commissioner, Italian Trade Agency Singapore
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Jacqueline Poh, Managing Director, Economic Development Board (EDB)
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Guest of Honour - Low Yen Ling, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth and Minister of State for Trade and Industry
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Marcus Magee, Vice President - Asia, dmg events
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H.E Mario Andrea Vattani, Ambassador of Italy to Singapore and Brunei Darussalam
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Luca Palermo, Group CEO, Fiera Milano
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Dawn Lim, Executive Director, DesignSingapore Council (Dsg)
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Gionata Bosco, President, The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Singapore
FIND – Global Summit was a major draw for the event, particularly for the thousands of international attendees who travelled to the fair from across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. The summit, staged in the centre of the exhibition as an open plan theatre, hosted a series of keynote and panel discussions curated by the event’s Content Chair and Co-Chair Tony Chambers and Yoko Choy.
The agenda was created with the purpose of instigating ideas and on-going trends in the design industry by keynote speakers. Across three days, the summit featured exciting panel discussions and thought-provoking keynotes. The Summit started with a keynote presentation by the renowned architect Arthur Mamou-Mani, sharing his insights on the topic ‘Eco-parametric Architecture: Circular Design & Fabrication’.
The Interni Masterclasses, curated by Interni magazine editor Gilda Bojardi brought together pioneers of the hospitality and interior design industry with a prime focus of sharing experiences, future forecasts, and case studies about the subjects - hospitality, post-pandemic homes, and super materials. These masterclasses took place at The Italian Design Futures Capsule during the 3-day event.
Suzy Annetta, the curator of the EMERGE @ FIND pavilion shared the inspiration behind the showcase featuring the best of Southeast Asian designers. Highlights included designers Wei Ming Tan from Malaysia and Abie Abdillah from Indonesia presenting their artistic, sustainable furniture collection. Decorative vases featuring a before-after theme from Hans Tan Studio, textile installations by Singaporean designer Tiffany Loy, reusable drinking containers inspired by Singapore’s hawker culture and presented by Forest & Whale were among the objects that transcended furniture design.
EMERGE @ FIND
Outside of EMERGE, other brands that attracted attention were Singapore’s Climashield, Spanish brand Cosentino as well as Petrof and Silent Lab of the Czech Republic Pavilion; a realistic home setting by the custom furniture builder Furnic featuring compact furniture and space utilisation; and the Urban Living Showcase by Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) that exhibited various Singaporean brands in an artistic dome structure made of reusable cardboard.
Urban Living Showcase by SFIC
Along with these exhibits, the first panel discussion about the impact of post-pandemic ‘Conscious Traveling’ creating a change in the hospitality sector from hotel designs to experiences was moderated by Yoko Choy, joined by three experts from the hospitality sector – Tina Norden, Partner at Conran & Partners, Verena Haller, Chief Design Officer at The Standard Hotels, and Simon Pestridge, CMO at Potato Head.
This was followed by the most awaited panel discussion ‘Trash to Treasure’ wherein Suzy Annetta along with four EMERGE designers from across Southeast Asia shone a spotlight on our diminishing natural resources and the use of sustainable materials in their designing work.
Each of these designers had a unique story - for instance, Indonesian designer Adhi Narugha crafted his furniture collection from cow dung, whilst Saruta PiN Kiatparkoom used her family’s steel factory debris to create eye-catching masterpieces.
Italian designer Paola Navone
Continuing the subject of hospitality design, Day 1 of the event ended on a high note with an Interni Masterclass on ‘Designing Hospitality’ lectured by world-renowned designers including award-winning Italian designer Paola Navone who explored the influence of Italian culture on hospitality design in the post-pandemic era. This was one of 3 Interni Masterclasses curated by Interni magazine editor Gilda Bojardi.
Panel Discussions, Design Shows, and Masterclasses
Day 2 began with an intriguing keynote by South Korean designer and Architectural Digest’s ‘AD100’ Designers of 2022 Teo Yang focusing on the topic ‘Rediscovering Local Culture and Heritage in a Modern World’. The pinnacle of the presentation was his work in relation to designing museums and translating Korean heritage into modern designs.
This was followed by another insightful presentation by Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves, founders of Studio Swine, sharing their experience on using sustainable materials, historic influences, technology, and narratives to craft ‘out of the box’ furniture, sculptures, and installations.
Day 2 also brought together various interactive talks and discussions about Asia Pacific Interior Design, a Fireside Chat between Tony Chambers and Nathan Yong titled ‘Braver New World’ emerging out of a world of challenges for designers, and ‘Thinking Inside the Box’ hosted by Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu, co-founders of Neri&Hu studio.
Another highlight of the day was a panel discussion on ‘The Fourth Pillar of Sustainable Architecture and Design’ wherein the speakers discussed the challenges of economic sustainability and the importance of incorporating culture into sustainable design. The speakers of this panel discussion were 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.
Other highlights were a talk on Italy’s Compasso d’Oro Awards by Director of ADI Design Museum, with Andrea Cancellato giving the audience specifics of the award-winning products such as the Isinnova Easy Covid-19 that converts a snorkelling mask into an emergency mask. These award-winning products were also exhibited at the fair.
The Interni Masterclass of the day revolved around the topic of new age homes in ‘The Art of Living’ - they comprise of a compact workspace, multi-tasking furniture, robotic appliances in kitchens, and bathrooms with reduction of water waste as a necessity. The speakers of the masterclass touched on the new trend of post-pandemic homes defining quality and design at its best as homes have become a crucial part of day to day living in this era.
Taking Home Momentous Memories, Design Principles, and Looking Forward to FIND – Design Fair Asia 2023
Day 3 was an impactful end to the event featuring powerful panel discussions. ‘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 sharing their experience in building a brand with innovation, customer loyalty, brand positioning, and after-sales marketing.
Janice also hosted a keynote session prior to the panel discussion on the topic ‘The Brand Builder’ where she shared her brand lifecycle journey which started from a single representative showroom to an international presence of twelve showrooms and flagships in financial as well as design capitals of the world.
Yoko Choy, Teo Yang, Janice Feldman
‘Blockchain, NFT, and Striving for the Betterverse’ was moderated by Tony Chambers and joined by Alexander Groves co-founder of Studio Swine, Hunn Wai the creative director of Lanzavecchia + Wai Design Studio, and Mai Deng partner at Dragonfly Capital discussing the one trillion US dollar annual revenue generated by the metaverse, digital art revolution, blockchain technology, and future NFT trends.
‘Blockchain, NFT, and Striving for the Betterverse’ Panel Discussion
The grand finale called attention to the most popular talking point of the event - an Interni masterclass on ‘Super Materials’ focusing on sustainability in today’s design world. The masterclass was lectured by designers Tiffany Loy and Alex Terzariol, Mirko Bianchi of Agglotech, and Alberto Fiorenzi, COO of I-Mesh designs, and highlighted the need to preserve Italian furniture quality as well as the search for materials that are eco-friendly yet durable.
Brands Showcased their Collection by Building an Experience for Attendees
Prevalent in most of the brands was a touch of local craftsmanship and cultural practices. Jaipur Rugs magnified their exhibit corner with flowing embroidered rugs made by ‘karigars’ in Jaipur and gave attendees an opportunity to learn the skill of tufting guided by their in-house craftsman.
Tufting
Czech Republic piano manufacturer Petrof fusioned the art of design, splashing colours of fresh paint, and the rhythm of music to showcase their piano collection. Mr. Karel Havlíček played melodious tones on the Petrof piano alongside his brother Mr. Maxim Havlíček painting the ‘Parallel Universes’ imprinted on the piano. This live performance attracted an audience to retreat in the world of art, music, and colour.
Live Showcase by PETROF
The EMERGE pavilion featured multiple ‘Instagrammable’ spots where visitors were observed photographing themselves beside a twisted installation of an acoustic wall panel called Tex-tile by Thailand based Ease studio, or sitting on a long tail shaped bench made from the plant material Rattan designed by Indonesian designer Alvin Tjitrowirjo, and centering themselves under the quirky stretchable lighting installations designed by I Am Not David Lee Studio.
Beyond EMERGE, brands like Climashield and Silent Lab offered visitors a chance to experience their products in a live setting. Along with buyers having a successful trading experience and brands taking this opportunity to interact with potential customers, the fair offered a fun moment for every visitor to grasp new skills, photographic memories, and rejoice in the beauty of art.
New-Age Technology Driven Products
In today’s technology-forward world wherein designers have reimagined and implemented a virtual gallery of art and design, products have benefitted from smart technology features which make them innovative in both design and application.
German brand Jung Home gave FIND’s audience a sneak peek of the LS Touch switch ahead of its upcoming global launch. This switch enables the user to adjust the brightness, turn on and off the lights of their room with finger touch technology. On the other hand, Singaporean brand TECE offers flush plates with a sensor enabled technology system that allows the user to operate the flush touch-free. At the EMERGE pavilion, Olivia Lee’s ‘Springs Eternal’ featured a continuous flow of water in a brass garden themed showpiece operated by a small water pump.
Today’s Brands are Commonly Tied with the Oath of Sustainability
Sustainability was a key talking point of FIND – Design Fair Asia across much of the event. “We are now living in an age when two-thirds of the resources we take from the Earth are wasted and our natural resources are diminishing” was one of the key takeaways from the ‘Trash to Treasure’ panel discussion on Day 1.
Brands exhibiting at FIND are cognizant of this reality and are undertaking every possible measure to support the environment. Lamitak, a Singaporean company specialising in high-pressure laminates, has ensured its role as a certified green contributor to design by implementing various measures to reduce emissions and toxicity. Similarly, the Italian brand Aina Kari swears by the mantra of sustainability and preserving Italian heritage while showcasing their revolutionary candle and incense burner collection at the fair. The brand has achieved the prestigious certification of Butterfly Mark by Positive Luxury due to their extensive caution and sustainable production techniques.
Other brands at the fair showcased sustainable measures like minimising the use of natural resources such as water and encouraging the practice of recycled materials in their production.
Bespoke ‘Made with Italy’ Furniture and Expert Interior Designers From Around the Globe
Interior designers and specialists, architects, art buyers, and budding entrepreneurs found a purpose for visiting the fair!
The fair featured bespoke designers and product makers who became a one-stop solution for interior designers and architects looking to add form and function to their portfolio of projects. Among the many beautiful exhibits of the Italian Design Futures Capsule were gems that offered customisation. UNIQ-E! Offers bespoke faucets that are manufactured using high purity 3D print metal. Another Italian brand called Valpaint S.p.A exhibited its wide portfolio and installations of paint varieties. The brand is a market leader and manufacturer of paints and coating for both interiors and exteriors. Traders, interior designers and their clients were spoilt for choice as they flipped through the never-ending variety of paint options.
Other brands included Singaporean brand Phillip Jeffries, a designer of customisable wall coverings; CUTLAB, an emerging wood cutting service company; Experpark, a brand offering floor decking services; artworks by designer and artist Pallavi Goenka whose brand ethos states ‘Your Space, Your Story, Your Masterpiece’ ensuring that every piece of artwork is customised. Additionally, the interior design studio HiVAR Studio introduced architects to its concept of 3D renderings and visualisations at the fair.
“FIND – Design Fair Asia was a dynamic anchor event of Singapore Design Week 2022. The launch of its first edition clearly shows how Singapore is not only a strategic East-West connector for international design brands and talent but how we’re firmly committed to championing and celebrating the rich and diverse design culture of our very own Southeast Asia region. We are already looking forward to next year’s FIND – Design Fair Asia and hope that this platform for trade and networking would gather even more designers, creativity, and connections,” concludes Dawn Lim, Executive Director, Design Singapore Council.
See you at the Next Edition of FIND – Design Fair Asia, 21- 23 September 2023!
ig. www.instagram.com/finddesignfairasia/
