Packed with programs focusing on sustainability, the eighth edition of Dubai Design Week opened on November 9 at Dubai Design District (d3) – a regional point of convergence for art, design, fashion, and architecture.

The annual week-long event, which offers creative minds and companies a platform to exhibit their design skills, is hosting three new exhibitions, including Matter-ials featuring a series of indoor installations that underscore prominent environmental issues; Designing Women, displaying indoor installations and design pieces; and Design in the Metaverse which is an immersive exploration of how metaverse technologies are pushing the boundaries of design. 

“By showcasing designs for a sustainable future, the event will foster meaningful conversations on how design can accelerate efforts to protect the environment. Dubai Design Week will also help raise the ability of creative industries to be at the forefront of global efforts to advance sustainability and human wellbeing,” said H.H. Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed.

Visitors can also explore over a dozen installations, including Let’s Talk About The Weather by Bokjam and Deepak Jangra’s GRID, a boxing ring that hosts talks on climate change and upcycling.

For the first time, world-renowned Italian fashion school Polimoda is participating with alumni Lisa Mara Batacchi’s installation Shamal: Sand, Stone, Stars.

in5 will be launching Atypical, a permanent pop-up store that showcases a variety of products developed by startups based in its design-focused innovation center. 

Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI) is also showcasing its talent and vision at the event.

“Being part of d3’s ecosystem, landmark cultural events like Dubai Design Week allows DIDI to spread our message to a global audience while providing our students a valuable platform to learn, engage, and network with industry experts and build upon our ethos of collaboration to forge a better world for the planet and all humankind,” said Hani Asfour, Dean of Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation.  

Also taking part in this year’s Dubai Design Week is Al-Futtaim IKEA, which has transformed a bus stop at d3 into a sustainable living space. 

The 2022 edition of Dubai Design Week includes trade shows, exhibitions, workshops, a marketplace, and discussions with design professionals, from immersive installations to featuring homegrown products from homewares to fashion.

“We are enormously proud of our strategic partnership with Dubai Design Week and it is fantastic to see Dubai Design District abuzz with the design community and engaging with the creative exhibits, installations and talks of this eighth edition. With the exceptional line-up of free-to-attend events and activities, the programme for this edition focuses on design for a more sustainable future and we encourage the public to explore all that is on offer as well as gain a deeper understanding of how Dubai is reinforcing its status as a UNESCO Creative City of Design,” Khadija Al Bastaki, Vice President of Dubai Design District, a member of TECOM Group PJSC said. 

Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas comes to the Middle East on 23 November 2022. Click here to know more.