This year will see the biggest ever presence of London design talent at the Milan Furniture Fair, brought together under the banner of DESIGN LONDON. This new exhibition showcases new work by more than 40 London-based designers who benefit from some of the most innovative design business initiatives in the capital. 

 

DESIGN LONDON is a new venture co-ordinated by Hidden Art, and includes like-minded organisations Design-Nation, Furniture Link and Furniture Works, in a bid to highlight the wealth of design talent in the capital and to demonstrate the extensive manufacturing base still active in the city.

 

Situated at Superstudio 13 in the most popular off-fair destination, the Zona Tortona, DESIGN LONDON will showcase the work of large selection of London designers, including more established names such as black+blum, Sharon Marston and Patricia Adler’s company, Pepper-mint as well as up and coming designers such as Julian Mayor, Massimo Fenati and Thélermont Hupton.

 

Several of the designers are exhibiting products that have resulted from the work of the Hidden Art Design & Manufacture Bureau, which aims to broker relations between designers and manufacturers working in London. After a pilot trial last year, the initiative has generated many successful partnerships this year.

 

The aim is to get ideas off paper and into production and Peter Ayres is one of the Bureau’s success stories; an architect with an idea of a light that he knew had some commercial value but with little knowledge of how to realise it. Through the Bureau he submitted his design in response to a brief issued by leading UK design and interiors retailer Heal's. They commissioned his design, and the Bureau put him in touch with the design-led manufacturer 2pm Ltd and advised him on intellectual property rights (in association with legal firm Briffa).

 

2pm Ltd will be presentingits various projects with designers introduced through the Bureau including Jasper Startup, Chris Jackson and Paul Stafford. Many of the designers exhibiting at DESIGN LONDON are also showcasing new work that was initiated in response to design briefs issued through the Bureau. These include Henry Wilkins and Florian Kremb. The Bureau has also forged new alliances between designers, and DESIGN LONDON sees the launch of a new collaboration between Hidden Art members Damdesign and Katherine Pogson.

 

DESIGN LONDON also provides a chance to see award-winning designs not previously seen at Milan such as Tom Seymour’s Note Table, Max Lamb's bookend shelf and The Folding Company’s Flipit^TM chair. Mazorca Projects Chief Executive Dieneke Ferguson said, “DESIGN LONDON aims to capitalise on the London’s much deserved reputation as an innovator and trendsetter and to show the fruits of collaborations between London’s large creative pool, its manufacturing base and the various design organisations and initiatives that exist within the capital. “ 

 

For additional details please contact Fiona Sibley - fiona@hiddenart.co.uk. For visuals please contact Brenna Jensen brenna@hiddenart.co.uk both at Mazorca Projects. Tel, +44 (0)20 7729 3800 fax +44 (0)20 7729 3377.

 

Download the full Press Release and further information below.