Chinese designers : China has established itself as a major international player in design over the past five years with the design culture shifting towards innovation and original designs. Over fifty Chinese designers and brands will present their latest work at Design Shanghai 2019 showcasing the best in furniture, lighting, accessories and new material innovations. Alongside a number of well-known established brands such as 8 Hour, Banlan, Black Drama, EndlessForm, Grado, HC28, Lost & Found and Urbancraft a contingent of emerging designers are blazing a trail with experimental designs and unexpected materials including Buzao, DEFRONT, Kun Design, ShengYin & KaiYi, Sozen, WUU and ziinlife .

International exhibitors : Design Shanghai is Asia's biggest design event which makes it the perfect place for the world's most recognised design brands to present their newest collections to the Asian market. This year Design Shanghai welcomes a number of new international brands to the show including &tradition, TON and Brokis . Across five design halls, these international brands will present the best in furniture, lighting, bathroom and kitchen design, decorative accessories and surfaces with well-known brands such as Swarovski, Knoll, Caesarstone, Roche Bobois and Stellar Works who will be launching new designs at the show as well as a second stand of Jens Risom reissues including the Risom C140 Chair.

The New Materials and Applications Hall will be introduced for the first time at Design Shanghai this year giving exhibitors an opportunity to show off the latest advancements in materials and surfaces. International and local Chinese brands will show their latest collections and innovations as well as joining a series of talks and hosted workshops presented by Shanghai-based Neuni .

The Design Shanghai Forum has become renowned as the place where the key design questions of the day are asked. This year's theme looks at the relationship between craft and technology - "the true value of craft in a technology-driven world, the true impact of that technology on societies both eastern and western, and the true picture - as far as we can see it - of the future that these concepts are shaping". Curated by programme director Aidan Walker, this year's Forum welcomes a number of standout international and Chinese speakers including founding member of the Memphis movement Aldo Cibic , Spanish designer Jaime Hayon , Italian designer Paola Navone , renowned designer Konstatin Grcic who joins the Assembly programme and Chinese designer Zhang Zhoujie .

Emerging Chinese designers : Design Shanghai will present the work of some China's most promising young designers at this yea'rs show including Buzao ; a collective of young designers who will present two new series of coloured glass and stainless steel pieces, Ginkgo, Sozen, Defront, Urbancraft, and Ziinlife .. The winning studio will be awarded on the opening day of the show joining a respected group of past winners including; Furong Chen Founder of WUU, Sheng Yin of Benwu Studio, and Qingtong Qian, Founder of Minimaist. This year's emerging designers finalists are ABOVE Studio, Chen Shangyi, Dejawu Studio, Foam Studio, Hi thanks Bye, Hoii Design, Huang Jing, Mutopia, Re:Studio and THE SHAW Studio.

Design Shanghai Features : 15 large-scale works will be installed across Design Shanghai as part of this year's Features programme from a capsule that has been inspired by the first moon landing, Apollo by Timothy Oulton Studio . Experimental Shanghai based designer Zhang Zhoujie returns to the show this year with his Manifesto Cabinet, an interactive digital installation that reflects the feelings of its audience. Zaha Hadid will also present SKYRUNNER, a collaboration with Royal Thai and Kohler that will feature the RE/Form Rug collection. The installation is inspired by themes that feature prominently in Zaha Hadid's work: pixelated landscapes, striated lines, ribbon-like projections and organic cellular shapes, the RE/Form collection captures Hadid’s signature use of interweaving, layering and play with light and shadow.

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Date: 6-9 March 2019
Place: Shanghai Exhibition Centre (Shanghai, China)
www.designshanghai.com