Asia’s leading design show, Design Shanghai, has announced its 12th edition, which will explore the notion of design for humanity. 

The Shanghai World Expo Exhibition Center will host Design Shanghai 2025 from June 4–7. 

The annual event has been dedicated to bridging the gap between Eastern and Western design for twelve years. It features both known and up-and-coming companies and brands, as well as the top local and international designers. 

This year, more than 80,000 professionals are anticipated to attend Design Shanghai, which will feature top companies from more than 30 countries and regions. Attendees can expect an unmatched chance to experience the ingenuity and impact of top-tier design. 

Over 640,000 professionals and more than 2,600 design brands from around the world have visited Design Shanghai to date, demonstrating the expansion and integration of China's design strength.

The World Architecture Community is an official media partner of Design Shanghai.

"Over the past 12 years, Design Shanghai has grown while remaining youthful at heart, consistently embracing ever-evolving challenges with unwavering commitment. At the same time, we stay true to our original mission of being a bridge for East-West design exchange," said  Zhuo Tan, Event Director, Design Shanghai. 

"This year, we will place greater emphasis on human-centred design, making the exhibition more personal and meaningful, and exploring—and perhaps even reaching a consensus on—a fundamental question: Through design, where are we heading, and how should we act?." 

"We look forward to a truly memorable gathering this June," Tan explained.

Image by Bulo

Image by Vitra

With more than 600 carefully chosen design products spread throughout its four sections, Design Shanghai 2025 will provide an insight into the latest innovations and trends in the field. 

Modern designs in furniture, lighting, kitchens, bathrooms, and systems will be showcased in Section 1 (Furniture & Lighting) and Section 2 (Kitchen, Bathroom & Systems Design). Renowned brands like Bulo, Formitalia, RS Barcelona, Vitra, Lalique, Miyazaki Chair Factory, NEKOSpACE, and Antoniolupi Design Made in Italy will be showcasing their most recent collections. 

The best of Spanish design, such as Viccarbe, Porcelenosa, and LFZ Lamps, will be showcased by the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX). 

Luxury appliance manufacturers Liebherr, JUNG, Lantex, and Colmo will be on display, along with high-end brands like LAUFEN, Villeroy & Boch, and GORENJE, showcasing their creative solutions.

Image by Villeroy & Boch

Image by Ultrasuede®

In the New Materials & Applications Section (3), top companies such as Mapei, Burgeree, Spralding, and Ultrasuede®, as well as Italian designers Florim, SICIS, and Tecnografica, will showcase sustainable innovations.

In addition to luxury design brands that specialize in fine porcelain, glassware, tableware, and high-end home accessories like Herend, Lomonosov, Sabre Paris, Cutipol, La Rochere, Sezzatini, Timon Luxury, and CreArt, Section 4: Living & Lifestyle Design will have brands like Reflections Copenhagen, Aynsley, Pro-Ject, and Vilca that will display exquisite craftsmanship.

TALENTS from 2024 edition

To produce one-of-a-kind design experiences, Design Shanghai will once more collaborate with top design and creative studios. Frank Chou, the curator of TALENTS, will return with his mission to support the developing creative potential of upcoming designers. 

Chen Min and Neooold, a fusion of art, craft, and design based on China's abundant traditional handicrafts and materials, are also returning to Design Shanghai.

Materials First by Chris Lefteri will also make a comeback with an interesting interactive experience. Additionally, Zhang Lei's materials aesthetics trend exhibition Re: Materialize and Beyond Craft Japan, which explores Japanese beauty via materials and workmanship, will be open to visitors.

Image by Made in JDZ

Additionally, two brand-new features—Collectible Design & Art and Made in JDZ, which are curated by Ran Xiangfei—will highlight the brilliance of limited edition designs and the elegance of Jingdezhen's handmade craftsmanship. Both provide unique chances to encounter the most cutting-edge and progressive concepts from the design industry.

Image by Koseido (Beyond Craft Japan)

Design for Humanity

Three significant speaker conferences will also be included in the 2025 edition: the CMF Conference, the Design for Wellbeing Conference, and the Global Design Conference with the topic "Design for Humanity." 

Exhibitors will have unique networking opportunities to interact with well-known designers and business executives at these conferences.

Highlights of the speakers include: Ole Scheeren, Chief Designer, Buro Ole Scheeren; Satoshi Ohashi, Director (China), Zaha Hadid Architects; Paul Priestman, Chairman and Creative Director, PULI Innovation; Robert Greenwood, Partner, Director for Asia Pacific, Snøhetta; Changrui FU, Associate Partner, MAD; and Craig Miller, Partner and Project Leader, Heatherwick Studio.

Register to Design Shanghai via this link. 

All images courtesy of Design Shanghai.

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