Singapore Design Week 2025 marks the country's 60 year independence
Promotion: design festival Singapore Design Week has announced its return this September in a celebration of the city's design spirit and creativity.
Organised by the DesignSingapore Council, the event will take place from 11 to 21 September in a city-wide showcase under the theme of "Nation by Design" to celebrate Singapore's 60 years of independence.
The theme aims to highlight the nation's design journey and its standing as a UNESCO Creative City of Design, while also spotlighting the "enduring role design plays in shaping Singapore's past, present and future".
"Singapore's journey has always been guided by intention and imagination, and this year's festival is a powerful reminder of that," said festival director Jody Teo.
"Festival-goers can expect a strong line-up of new commissions and collaborations centred around the theme Nation by Design, reflecting how design has transformed Singapore and will continue to shape our nation's story for the future."
Singapore Design Week will be held across four Design Districts – Bras Bash Bugis, Orchard, Marina and the newly-added Singapore Science Park.
At the festival's centre, the Bras Bash Bugis (BBB) Design District will showcase two commissions, including the Unnatural History Museum of Singapore, led by co-founder of creative agency Kinetic Singapore, Pann Lim.
Hosted at the city's National Design Centre, the Unnatural History Museum of Singapore will encompass an "unconventional exhibition". Here, visitors will be able to explore the nation's most curious creations, including a six-metre-tall "fossil" and "cyborg cockroaches" used for search and rescue missions.
The Marina district will host FIND – Design Fair Asia as well, with its signature EMERGE @ FIND showcase, curated by the founder of lifestyle store Supermama, Edwin Low and editor-in-chief of Design Anthology, Suzy Annetta.
More than 70 established and emerging designers will present their works, including newly added designers from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, China and Hong Kong joining those from Southeast Asia.
Integral to the district will be Marina Central, which returns this year with a focus on design for care, as curated by architect and principal of Zarch Collaboratives, Randy Chan.
Other highlights at the district include the Marina Square, which will offer installations and public structures, including an inclusive indoor playground, designed with neurodivergent children in mind.
Over at Orchard Design District, curated by Jerry Goh of design studio Grain, the district focuses on the concept of Open Design Dialogue to rally collaboration with local young people.
A pavilion created by architectural design firm Nous Nous, botanical studio This Humid House, and kinetic technologist Insert Coin will form the district's centrepiece and hold discussions and installations throughout the festival.
Meanwhile, the Singapore Science Park, curated by local creative agency OuterEdit in partnership with CapitaLand Development, will make its debut as a new district for the festival, combining science and technology under the theme of reinvention.
Also included in the 11-day programme will be The Design Futures Forum on 17 September, led by curators Aric Chen of Zaha Hadid Foundation and Ong Ker-Shing of Lekker Architects, discussing the intersections of care, sustainability and emerging technologies and the challenges and opportunities in relation to design.
Among the speakers will be filmmaker Liam Young and designer and writer Thomas Thwaites.
"Design has been a powerful force for shaping how we live, lead and thrive together as a nation," said Dawn Lim, executive director of DesignSingapore Council. "As we look ahead, this is just the beginning, as we lay the groundwork for the next chapter of design in Singapore."
To learn more about the event, visit its website.
The photography is courtesy of DesignSingapore Council.
Singapore Design Week 2025 takes place from 11 to 21 September 2025 at various locations across Singapore. See our London Design Festival 2023 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.
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This article was written by Dezeen for Singapore Design Week as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
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