Seoul Design Week Opens… 1,204 Projects from 91 Countries and 150 Spaces Across Seoul Participate

Seoul Design Week opened today (14th) at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). This year's event consists of the Seoul Design Award 2026 ceremony, an international design award, as well as lifestyle brand exhibitions, collaboration results between young designers and companies, and conferences with domestic and international experts. The event will continue until the 25th at DDP and major design spaces in Seoul.
 

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Design Foundation held the opening ceremony for "2026 Seoul Design Week" and the "Seoul Design Award 2026" awards ceremony at DDP today. This year's theme is "The Design Recipe." Approximately 250 people, including Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hun and domestic and international designers and design company officials, attended the opening ceremony.

A total of 1,204 projects from 91 countries were submitted for the Seoul Design Award, which is celebrating its 7th year. As an international design award that discovers cases of solving social problems and leading sustainable change through design, 36 experts from 20 countries participated in the judging.

This year's Grand Prize was awarded to the "Otter Newborn Warmer" by the American design organization Design that Matters. It is a portable newborn warmer developed to reduce the risk of hypothermia and infection in newborns in environments lacking electricity and medical resources. It is characterized by its intuitive usage structure and a power system that can operate even during power outages.

The TOP10 finalists included projects addressing issues related to the environment, health, and mobility, such as artificial coral reefs for marine ecosystem restoration and a mobility information sharing platform for wheelchair users, in addition to the newborn warmer.
 

79 brands participate… Collaboration results between young designers and companies also revealed

"DDP Design Fair," a major event of Seoul Design Week, will be held at the DDP Art Hall until the 18th. This year, 79 lifestyle brands are participating to showcase design products such as furniture and household goods.

Collaborative exhibitions between universities and companies have also been prepared. Projects conducted by 20 teams of approximately 100 university student designers from Seoul National University, Ewha Womans University, University of Seoul, Hongik University, and Kyung Hee University will be revealed. The collaboration project "Ignite" between Hongik University and Hyundai Motor Company proposes home wellness robots and future living environments, while the collaboration project "Comment" between Seoul National University of Science and Technology and Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation showcases products utilizing currency by-products.

In addition, "Designer Scale-up," which introduces the growth process of designers, "Studio Practice," which covers the production processes of domestic and international design studios, and "Seoul Design Industry Spectrum," which contains the achievements of Seoul Metropolitan Government's design support projects, will also be operated. In the Design Industry Spectrum, collaboration cases between SMEs and design companies, sustainable products/services, and design for the socially vulnerable are introduced.

Sustainability, AI, and K-Design discussed at conferences

At the "Seoul Design Conference 2026" held on the 14th, the role of design in solving social problems and creating a sustainable future was discussed under the theme "Think·Make·Change." The circular design program of UNEP addressed the role of design in expanding resource circulation to the level of industry and policy.

The "2027 World Design Capital Seoul Preview" featured participants such as Mind Miner Song Gil-yeong, artist Choi Se-hun, Kim Eun-yeong, head of the SK Intellix Design Center, and Makiko Tsumura, the next president of the WDO, to discuss future society, artificial intelligence (AI), and global design policies.

On the 15th and 18th, conferences will continue on the themes of the process by which Seoul's urban culture and lifestyle connect to brands and businesses, and the competitiveness and growth potential of K-Design in the global market. On the 15th, Yoo Hyun-joon, a professor at Hongik University, Lee Ji Hyun, special advisor for the Seoul Metropolitan Government's night economy, Park So-hee, CEO of Hinok, and Kim Byeong-gi, CEO of Fritz Company, will participate. On the 18th, Maria Porro, president of Salone del Mobile.Milano, and Mauro Porcini, Chief Design Officer of Samsung Electronics, will appear as speakers.

Connecting 150 spaces in 5 Seoul regions… Design Market also operating

The event expands beyond DDP to 150 design hotspots in 5 regions of Seoul, including Dongdaemun, Seongsu, Yeonhui, Seochon, and Apgujeong. Through the "Seoul Design Road," citizens and tourists can visit design studios and exhibition spaces.

In Seongsu, the "Seoul Daum" exhibition, including "Seoul Sculpture Shop," will be held, and in the Yeonhui area, "Design Open Studio," which involves visiting design studios and architectural offices, will be operated. At the DDP outdoor plaza, a Design Market will be held for a total of 6 days, from the 16th to the 18th and the 23rd to the 25th. 200 sellers participating will showcase living accessories, illustrations, fashion goods, food and beverages, etc.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hun said, "We will support the creative challenges of young designers so that they can lead to the growth of the industry and changes in the lives of citizens, and we will develop Seoul into a world-class design hub city."

Seoul Design Week continues until October 25th. Detailed event schedules and locations can be checked through the official Seoul Design Week guide.

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