FIERA MILANO IN SINGAPORE, FIND AT THE START: 30 ITALIAN BRANDS PRESENT

FIND, Asia's leading expo for the design and furniture industry opened today. Until Friday, 250 international brands and 30 Italian companies of excellence will be in Singapore

Singapore, 22 September 2022 Today marked the grand opening of the first edition of FIND - Design Fair Asia (an acronym for Furniture, Interiors and Design), Asia's key event for the design and furniture sector, which will take place until 24 September at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Center in Singapore. With over 250 brands from all over the world, FIND is the perfect showcase for innovative design creations for the home, lighting, bathroom, textiles and interior decor sectors.

The trade fair, organised by Fiera Milano in joint venture with dmg events, a leader in the organisation of international events, mainly welcomes an audience of architects, interior designers, retailers, experts and design enthusiasts from all over Asia. FIND is the highlight of the Singapore Design Festival, one of Asia's leading design festivals that brings together more than 50 events and 200 designers over 10 days.

Singapore is a design hub in Asia with over 10,000 furniture-related brands. Its access to the Asian market, and in particular to the countries of the ASEAN free trade area, represents an opportunity to reach 4.4 billion potential customers with a strong interest in Italian-made luxury and design. In 2021, the market value of the furniture industry in APAC (Asia Pacific) was worth 614 billion dollars.

"The first edition of FIND represents an ideal bridge that connects two different worlds through the link between Italian and Asian design," says Luca Palermo, CEO and General Manager of Fiera Milano. “FIND brings together Western and Eastern design, paving the way for collaborative moments between architects, interior designers, experts and enthusiasts grouped in a single location. Italy is the European nation with the largest number of active companies in the field of design: we have 30,000 of them, that generate an added value of 2.5 billion euros. As Fiera Milano, we chose to embark in an ambitious exhibition project to give our companies the chance to export to Asia one of the most representative sectors of Made in Italy in the world. All of this was possible also thanks to our official partners. Above all, we have to thank Ice Agency for the usual, and increasingly important, cooperation that promotes the international development for the companies that choose to participate in the fair”.

FIND enjoys the support of the major local institutions: the Design Council Singapore, SFIC/MP Singapore Furniture Industries Council, the Singapore Tourism Board and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Singapore.

"In the furniture and design sector, Made in Italy stands for high quality, innovative materials, creativity and style. We believe that the participation of approximately 30 Italian brands at FIND is a clear sign of Singapore's importance as an ideal hub for Italian manufacturers and designers, and as a showcase for the entire region,” says Mario Andrea Vattani, Italian Ambassador to Singapore and Brunei Darussalam, who participate in the opening ceremony. "The export trend confirms that this focus is well motivated: Italy is the leading EU supplier of furniture to Singapore, with an export value in 2021 of EUR 51.3 million, registering a growth of 22.1% compared to 2020. FIND - Design Fair Asia takes place during the Italian Design Week, organised by the Italian Embassy in Singapore. Therefore, we are confident that the showcase of Italian excellence will have great resonance and appreciation in Singapore and Southeast Asia.”

"FIND is a symbol of the resilience of the design industry in Singapore," says Low Yen Ling, Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. "Despite the pandemic, design has continued and still continues to generate new ideas and innovative solutions for the market, which the 10,000 expected visitors will certainly be able to appreciate during the days of the event. FIND tells the story of design through three key elements: imagination, since everything starts from the creative minds of designers; innovation, which is essential to transform the idea into a product and lead imagination to reality; and finally, international connections. FIND represents a symbol of merging between Eastern and Western design."

ITALIAN EXCELLENCE AT FIND UNDER THE FLAG OF SUSTAINABILITY

The participating Italian companies will be the protagonists at FIND in an area entirely dedicated to them. The multi-disciplinary studio Stefano Boeri Interiors, founded by architect Stefano Boeri, together with architect Giorgio Donà were responsible for the creation of the special area dedicated to all the Italian companies of excellence named “The Italian Design Futures Capsule”. The space was thought out as emerging around a symbolic “square” representing a meeting place. Italian design and furniture excellence will be in display with their stands all around this space. This area has been designed paying particular attention to the environment: sustainability, recyclability and reuse of materials are the protagonists. Also in this case, FIND conveys a new message: it is a sustainable trade fair that joins quality and intelligence of Italian design.
As part of “The Italian Design Futures Capsule”, ADI - Associazione per il Disegno Industriale presented the prestigious “Compasso d'Oro” award, the world's major recognition for the design sector and has organisedan exhibition dedicated to the twenty award-winners based on the theme of “responsible sustainable development”, which was the central topic for this edition of the award.

SUSTAINABLE INTERIORS MASTERCLASSES AT FIND

FIND - Design Fair Asia is also an opportunity for exchange and mutual sharing of content. In this sense, Fiera Milano and dmg events have created an event where exchange, training and dialogue alsobecome a fundamental part of the trade fair experience. Thanks to the partnership with the magazine INTERNI, edited by Gilda Bojardi, the creator of the FuoriSalone in Milan, the event has the opportunity to offer industry professionals a number of masterclasses on topics mainly related to the sustainability of materials, environments and spaces. The first masterclass, titled Designing Hospitality, focuses on design for the hotel, leisure and lifestyle sectors with a focus on low environmental impact materials and eco-friendly proposals.

The second masterclass, The Art of Living, will focus on the theme of the home increasingly becoming a multifunctional space where technology and design are the tools that guarantee sustainability and quality in all aspects. Finally, the third masterclass, titled Super Materials, has as its theme the future challenge of design: in order to change the world it is necessary to preserve the quality of Made in Italy but in a sustainable way. The 21st century is characterised by a renewed search for materials that make the collections innovative and eco-friendly.