Dubai - MENA Herald: Held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in strategic partnership with the Dubai Design District (d3) and supported by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, Downtown Design will return this October (25-28) for its fourth edition as the commercial centrepiece of Dubai Design Week.
Hosted in d3, the creative heart of the city, it will bring together over 100 brands from 28 countries. Unique to the Middle East, the fair takes a curatorial approach to the visitor experience with the regional buyer in mind, selecting a mix of leading, established brands that need a strategic gateway to the region, as well as high quality emerging brands exhibiting on an international platform for the first time.
Rue Kothari, Fair Director of Downtown Design said: “As the commercial gateway to the Middle East, Dubai is perfectly positioned to facilitate a profitable interaction between international brands and regional buyers. In the last three years, we’ve tripled our footprint, and demand for this year’s edition led to the fair being oversubscribed. Balancing iconic names with ‘discovery’ brands and a developing an extensive Buyers Programme, Downtown Design is expanding its reach to become the ultimate forum for the design industry in the wider region to come together and do business.”
Mohammad Saeed Al Shehhi, Chief Operations Officer of d3, said: “d3 has an ongoing commitment to supporting and nurturing the design industry in the Middle East, providing local and regional designers with a platform to help them flourish both here and internationally. d3 is proud to support and host Downtown Design which has become a best in class showcase for the latest trends and products within the industry, as well as the wealth of expertise that it brings to the region. We are also delighted to bring together such a diverse showcase of emerging design brands at Downtown Design, highlighting the breadth of talent from across the international design sector.”
Exhibitors for the upcoming edition of Downtown Design includes new high-profile regional brands such as Green Road and Pallavi Dean from the UAE and Samovar Carpets from Kuwait; internationally Kettal, Sancal, Swarovski, Bernhardt and Siematic will exhibit for the first time and iconic international brands such Moroso, Georg Jensen, Gaggenau and Arclinea will return after last year’s successful fair.
In addition, to offer visitors and buyers the opportunity to discover new design from across the globe, Downtown Design will host five international design weeks (Addis Ababa, Barcelona, Beirut, Reykjavik and Taiwan) that will showcase their best emerging talent.
