Dubai Design Week 2024 - The leading fair in the Middle East

Nov 2

Written By D2S

November 5-10, 2024: A Celebration of Creativity and Design at the Middle East's Most Anticipated Festival. Dubai Design Week, the Middle East's premier design event, returns this November for its 10th edition with a dynamic cultural program. Dubai Design Week celebrates a landmark 10th edition, drawing over 1,000 designers, architects, and creative visionaries from more than 50 countries. This global convergence is a testament to the transformative power of design, creating a platform where ideas flourish and the profound, positive impact of creativity is showcased.

This year, Dubai Design Week also features two highly anticipated events: Downtown Design and Editions.

Downtown Design remains the region's flagship design fair and a cornerstone of Dubai Design Week, while Editions, launching this year from November 6 to 9, will be the Middle East's first fair dedicated exclusively to limited-edition art and design. Editions will welcome 50 galleries, design studios, and collectives showcasing contemporary design, photography, ceramics, and more.

What began as a modest market has flourished into the region’s most significant design event. This multifaceted exhibition invites us to experience inspiring, internationally scaled showcases—a veritable architectural fireworks display and a testament to sophisticated design evolution.

The coming week will integrate the mastery of today and tomorrow, with a distinctively Middle Eastern influence where Dubai’s cultural identity shines daily. Dubai Design Week has become the region’s most influential and impactful design festival, expanding year after year with craftsmanship at its core.

Event Programming and Plans

Reflecting Dubai’s status as the design capital of the Middle East, the diverse program of Dubai Design Week encompasses installations, new commissions, exhibitions, conferences, workshops, a market, and the flagship contemporary design fair, Downtown Design.

A series of commissioned installations and pavilions, open to practitioners from the South West Asia region, will showcase cutting-edge designs, featuring both leading and emerging designers, architects, and brands. For visitors of all ages, the program offers opportunities to inspire and elevate skills across all design disciplines, led by experts, instructors, and creative practitioners. The curated experiences explore various design themes, highlighting talent while fostering cultural dialogue and knowledge exchange.

Immersive projects, interdisciplinary collaborations, and special presentations from designers, creatives, brands, and institutions will take center stage. An outdoor retail experience will thoughtfully highlight the work of local designers, producers, and small businesses from the region, providing a unique shopping experience. A series of live conferences will bring together regional and international designers, creatives, and thought leaders to engage in debates and idea exchanges.

Speakers (Creators)

The region’s premier limited-edition art and design fair, showcasing works from over 50 international and regional galleries, design studios, and collectives.

Target Audience and Number of Attendees

With an extensive program of exhibitions, conferences, and free workshops, the 2022 festival attracted over 130,000 visitors, cementing its reputation as the largest creative festival in the Middle East.

Venue, Dates, and Opening Hours

To move toward a future brimming with discovery and boundless talent, designers must push the boundaries of experimentation and collaboration across all art and design disciplines. The pursuit of innovative solutions and abundant imagination remains central, all while ensuring that design leaves an indelible mark of emotion and an enchanting poetry on the planet and humanity.

This year, Isola Design in Dubai invites us to two stunning locations at the heart of Dubai Design Week. The first is the Dubai Design District, the region's largest design hub, blending design, art, and fashion. Here, Isola will present a forward-thinking exhibition. The second is Downtown Design Fair, a major creative festival that brings together renowned design brands and manufacturers from around the globe, showcasing their latest collections, innovative products, and creative design solutions.

As the flagship design fair in the Middle East, Downtown Design has a significant influence on Dubai Design Week. Each November, it unites key opinion leaders and decision-makers from the global design scene, creating a dynamic environment where design meets opportunity.

Aline Asmar - Portrait :

Aline Asmar : Lebanese architect and interior designer, Aline was born in 1975 in Hazmieh, Lebanon. She studied architecture at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts and worked unAline Asmarder renowned French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Aline opened her own agency in 2011, with offices in Paris and Hazmieh, and has since completed luxurious hotel projects, including the renovation of the Jules Verne restaurant at the Eiffel Tower and the design direction of the Hôtel de Crillon. She was the guest of honor and jury president for the Design Parade Toulon in June 2023. Aline’s early career achievements were recognized with a prestigious award in 1998 for her work on a religious meditation center in Byblos, Lebanon.

Ola Saad Znad - Portrait :

Ola Saad Znad : An architect currently serving as a cultural representative at the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, Ola was born in Baghdad and moved to Bahrain as a child due to the war. After graduating with honors from the University of Bahrain in 2018, she developed a passion for urban design, drawing inspiration from her Iraqi roots. Ola’s work bridges contemporary architecture and society, creating designs that are both thought-provoking and innovative. A lover of art, music, literature, and politics, she believes these elements are crucial to giving architecture its meaning and resonance, always aiming to create spaces that are deeply reflective of the people who inhabit them.

Nada Debs - Portrait :

Nada Debs : A Lebanese designer raised in Japan, Nada Debs graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and later moved to London to design custom-made furniture. Known for her fertile creativity and international approach, Nada combines traditional Japanese techniques with whimsical colors and Eastern craftsmanship to create her signature style: "Contemporary and Arabesque." Her work has established her as one of the leading design figures in Lebanon today.

Shahad Alazzaz - Portrait :

Shahad Alazzaz : Founder of Azaz Architects, Shahad holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the Manchester School of Architecture and a master's in architectural design and management from IE Business School in Madrid. Shahad gained recognition early in her career for her creative performances on large-scale architectural projects across various cities, including Diriyah, Paris, and Istanbul. In 2017, she founded Azaz Architects, a firm that has earned numerous prestigious awards for its visionary and artistic projects.

Hozan Zangana - Portrait :

Hozan Zangana : Born in Kirkuk in 1983, Hozan fled the Kurdistan region at 15, seeking asylum in the Netherlands. After studying at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and Design Academy Eindhoven, he began his creative journey with a series of abstract objects inspired by 7th-century Arabic calligraphy. His work, which has been displayed in Dubai, Milan, and New York, includes the commissioned piece Arbela, inspired by the ancient citadel of Erbil. Hozan’s creations are deeply rooted in his Iraqi heritage, blending innovative techniques with traditional craftsmanship to create works that reflect both historical memory and a forward-looking poetic vision.

Draga & Aurel - Portrait :

Draga & Aurel : Founded in 2007 by Draga Obradovic and Aurel K. Basedow, Draga & Aurel is a studio and workshop with a rich artistic lineage that spans collection design, furniture, fashion, and craftsmanship. Located in the picturesque town of Como, just 45 km north of Milan, the couple has built an international reputation through their virtuosity and exceptional collaborations with leading industry names.

Faye Toogood - Portrait :

Faye Toogood : A British designer with a diverse range, Faye Toogood is renowned for her work across sculpture, furniture, and fashion. Since founding her studio in London in 2008, Toogood has collaborated with prestigious brands such as CC-Tapis, Poltrona Frau, and Maison Matisse. Her pieces, including the iconic Roly-Poly chair, are celebrated for their artistic purity and freedom. Toogood’s collections have been displayed in major institutions like the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. She continues to push the boundaries of design, merging high fashion with fine art, always exploring the intersection of imagination and function.

Haberdashery - Portrait :

Haberdashery : Rooted in London, Haberdashery is a creator of lighting that is both romantic and idealistic—delightful and celestial, leaving us almost speechless. Their luminaires evoke a swarm of luminescent insects, capturing the imagination with their ethereal presence. Each piece is a unique and sumptuous work of art. Known for their elegance and refinement, the creations of Haberdashery are a testament to undeniable talent and a wealth of experience. With large-scale commissions across the globe, they have earned a reputation for perfectionism and meticulous attention to detail.

The Haberdashery collection, perfectly suited to luxurious homes and prestigious hotels, responds to the most discerning needs of design professionals, seamlessly blending artistry with functionality.