Organised by dmg events in partnership with Fiera Milano, the fair was abuzz with exhibits and programmes spread across the 12,500-square-metre (sqm) exhibition space. Key highlights included the Singapore Pavilion led by the Singapore Furniture Industry Council (SFIC) with the Urban Living Showcase, the Italian Design Futures Capsule, as well as the EMERGE @ FIND showcase that featured budding creators from Southeast Asia.

For Luca Palermo, Chief Executive Officer of Fiera Milano, nothing beats the feeling of attending a design fair in person. He said: “Exhibitions do not have any substitute. If we think about having direct contact and relationship, it’s something that the online can't do.”

At the FIND – Global Summit, attendees engaged in meaningful conversations and panel discussions with over 60 world-renowned personalities and practitioners in the design industry. The content, which covered themes ranging from sustainable development to the future of hospitality, biophilic design, and wellness, were specially curated by the event’s Content Chair, Tony Chambers, founder of creative agency TC & Friends and former editor-in-chief of Wallpaper*; and Co-Chair, Yoko Choy, creative consultant and China Editor of Wallpaper*. Both Chambers and Choy are internationally recognised design tastemakers and key opinion leaders.

“Creativity happens when you bump into people – when you have impromptu meetings and impromptu conversations. That's when magic happens. The tactility that comes with a real in-person design fair is so important because design is about the senses. It is touching, it is feeling, it is smelling. It's all the great things in life,” said Chambers. 

As a major attraction for thousands of international design and architecture leaders around the world, FIND – Design Fair Asia serves as a bridge between East and West. Singapore’s role as Asia’s design hub offers access to a diverse pool of potential customers. “This is the chance to reach 4.4 billion consumers and clients. Considering that the value of the furniture market is more than 614 billion, this is quite a huge area. It's important to be in Asia and Singapore is the perfect place to be,” said Palermo.

For Francesco Stuuchi, Export Manager of Chateau d'Ax, a leading manufacturer of upholstery furniture in Asia, the event’s location is particularly impactful: “Singapore is definitely the gateway for all Asia. It’s an easy access point for all the people living in the region and it’s a city offering almost everything. It's the perfect mix between business and fun, making it the best place for discussions and team building.”

Singapore’s close relationship with the Italian design trade is perhaps best represented by the Italian Design Futures Capsule, an avant-garde pavilion created with the support of the Italian Trade Agency and designed by renowned Italian architect firm, Stefano Boeri Interiors. The pavilion celebrated the best in Italian creativity and craftsmanship, with new creations from over 20 Italian exhibitors on show. At the capsule, international and local speakers shared their insights at various talks, delving into trending topics ranging from the role of design and creative businesses in sustainable development to designing the metaverse. INTERNI magazine also hosted several masterclasses that touched on how design can shape living as well as sustainability.

Design goes beyond touch and sight, and the sense of hearing was also explored at the Czech Republic’s pavilion, which featured some of the country’s top design brands. A harmonious medley of music and design greeted visitors as they enjoyed performances by award-winning composer Mr. Karel Havlíček on a PETROF piano, while being dazzled by quality Czech production and craftsmanship across materials such as crystal, glass and wood.

Also launched at the fair was the first edition of EMERGE @ FIND, a new exhibition platform for the up-and-coming designers in Southeast Asia. The pavilion showcased the work of close to 60 established and emerging creators from six countries in Southeast Asia, brought together by dmg events and DesignSingapore Council.

Curated by Suzy Annetta of Design Anthology, the showcase shone the spotlight on fresh works by the designers, categorised under four pillars: Natural, Salvage, Innovative, and Unconventional. 

Works by top names such as Alvin Tjitrowirjo from Indonesia and Wei Ming Tan from Malaysia were shown alongside creations by rising designers. They included Karyn Lim, Robert Sukrachand, Hoang Anh Vu and Jim Zarate-Torres from Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, respectively. Inspired by their roots and streamlining materiality, these designers gave their unique takes on how existing materials can preserve Southeast Asian culture while paying tribute to social reality and environments.

The launch of FIND – Design Fair Asia has definitely made its mark on Asia’s buzzing design scene and is well poised to establish itself as the place to be for creators and designers to meet, draw inspiration, and do business. 

FIND – Design Fair Asia returns to Singapore in 2023, from 21-23 September at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre.