WantedDesign 2017 Brings Design Ideas to Manhattan and Brooklyn

As an integral part of NYCxDESIGN, WantedDesign welcomed its seventh edition this month, taking place in both Brooklyn and Manhattan. By creating two different hubs for new design, the fair offered an impressive roster of international participants. Located at the Terminal Stores in Chelsea, WantedDesign Manhattan (May 20-23) showcased exhibitions, presentations, workshops, and an array of conversations—some hosted in partnership by global art leaders like Mohawk Gallery, Design Milk, author Michael Cannell, and Elish Warlop Design Studio—and snacks by Between the Bread, La Colombe Café, Witchcraft, and Porchlight. Exhibitors like Creative Chef, La Tlapaleria, RIBBA, Alpi, TRIKE, Good Thing, DISSA, Estudio Brana, Tat Chao, and Studio Vij5 were sectioned off by categories (country pavilions, lighting design, furniture design, interior and product design, floor coverings and design, manufacturing and materials), allowing for easy-to-find booths for attendees.

“More than ever, we wish WantedDesign to be an open platform, ideal for fostering international dialogue, connection, the free exchange of knowledge, design thinking and community building. We feel privileged to be in New York; it’s a vibrant place woven with so many cultures and new ideas, it’s a dynamic, energizing and challenging environment that offers a wealth of opportunities. Here, ideas are free to grow without frontiers. We strive to infuse this spirit into the very fiber of the event, creating positive energy and providing an invaluable resource and toolkit for all of the design professionals and lovers of design attending NYCxDESIGN,” said Odile Hainaut and Claire Pijoulat, co-founders of WantedDesign.

At Industry City, WantedDesign Brooklyn (May 17-23) brought together more than 3,000 guests from all over the word, highlighting its multitalented participants: Transatlantic Creative Exchange (Part II), Visual Magnetics x Fort Makers, Hors-Pistes, Art by Friends x Opinel, Diplorama#3 by ENSCI Les Ateliers, Mos(KIT)o by ENSCI Les Ateliers, OUTSIDE THE BOX, GREEN ISLAND, Urban Hives, Designing a Better World, The University of Oregon, Medellín Design Week, Industry City Tenants Gallery, AIGA Design For Democracy, Ecovative, ABC Carpet & Home, and Kelly Harris Smith. Also present was Oui Design—a program developed by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy that aims to foster creative exchange in the sphere of design between France and the U.S.—that co-developed the Transatlantic Creative Exchange and Hors Pistes exhibitions with WantedDesign.

“We look toward the future with positivity and enthusiasm. The U.S. is known as the land of opportunity for a reason. It is a place rich with creative talent, resources, entrepreneurial spirit and opportunity for exchange. Our goal is to support young American talent so that it may achieve its utmost potential on the international stage; we are thrilled to present the third year of the ADH to the world,” said Hainaut Claire Pijoulat.