More than 300 designers showcased over 600 inspiring projects and creations at last week’s DesignInspire exhibition in Hong Kong, fostering tie-ups and deals alongside cultural conversations.
More than 260 exhibitors from 14 countries and regions took part to unlock design-led business opportunities with buyers from around the world.
Some 190 business matching meetings were arranged during this year’s event, an annual celebration of creativity organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC).
“DesignInspire unites global creative and business talents, presenting major international collaborations that underscore the event’s mission as a world-class design platform,” remarked Sophia Chong, the HKTDC’s Executive Director.
“Artistic exchange is not only where ideas and inspiration are born,” she added. “It also provides the opportunity to build new partnerships.”
DesignInspire 2025 hosted pavilions from the Chinese Mainland, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates from Asia, and from Belgium, the Czech Republic, France and Italy from Europe, presenting diverse viewpoints and dialogues.
One notable highlight was a curated collection representing 16 esteemed designers and artisans and more than 200 brands staged by French design authority Maison&Objet.
This year’s collection was almost twice the size of the Maison&Objet’s celebrated installation at DesignInspire 2024, its first showcase in Hong Kong.
Other standouts from this year’s DesignInspire included BOTTEGA HONG KONG, which highlighted Hong Kong-Italy design sensibilities and cultural narratives, and TINY STUDIO, which offered cross-disciplinary works from Hong Kong and Italy.
Trend-setting talks, creative workshops
DesignInspire 2025 also included 39 talks, events and workshops on a range of stimulating topics, bolstering interactions between professionals as well as public engagement with design’s role in culture, industry and everyday life.
In one highlight session among many, international designer Winson Ma explored how toys and characters can forge unique value chains across art, collecting and commerce, with a focus on how young talents can commericalise their own designs.
To help create further synergies and opportunities, DesignInspire ran concurrently with two other annual HKTDC-led events: Business of IP Asia Forum (BIP Asia), which brings together IP professionals and business leaders, and Entrepreneur Day (E-Day), a platform for start-ups to display their solutions and innovations.
Both DesignInspire and BIP Asia were part of Business of Design Week (BODW), which gathers design masters, brand leaders and entrepreneurs from around the world in Hong Kong every year.
This year’s BODW partner country is Italy, which was reflected in many of DesignInspire’s installations and exhibits.
DesignInspire also provided a vibrant marketplace, including orders for Hong Kong and Italian brands.
Some popular items included: a tie-up between two renowned umbrella brands, Hong Kong’s Leung So Kee and Italy’s Francesco Maglia; a high-backed chair from Milan-based design house Eligo Studio; an office chair from Didi Ng, the first Hong Kong finalist for the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize; and a mosaic-styled chair from Hong Kong photographer and contemporary artist David Leung.
DesignInspire was co-organised by the Hong Kong Design Centre.
It was sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, a dedicated office under the Hong Kong SAR Government's Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau.