The Future of Design is “Past. Present. Possible.”

Eindhoven celebrates twenty-five years of radical visions. From 18 to 26 October, the Dutch city once again transforms into an open-air laboratory with Dutch Design Week, marking a quarter century of experimentation under the theme Past. Present. Possible. Over 2,500 designers, 120 venues and a city-wide programme of installations, exhibitions, talks and prototypes connect memory, innovation and future thinking. “We want to create space for experimentation — for what doesn’t exist yet but could happen,” explains Miriam van der Lubbe, Creative Head and co-founder of DDW, who continues to turn Eindhoven into a meeting ground for institutions, brands and young talents.


Ketelhuisplein © Max Kneefel

This year’s key figures include Sabine Marcelis, Stefan Diez, Piet Hein Eek and the duo Kiki & Joost, alongside a new generation from 35 European design schools — including Design Academy Eindhoven, the Swedish School of Textiles and the University of Applied Arts Vienna — united under the project Class of 25. At the Van Abbemuseum, the exhibition Bridging Minds — curated by van der Lubbe — gathers over a hundred works by designers and artists such as Formafantasma, Maarten Baas, Hella Jongerius, Klarenbeek & Dros, Jalila Essaïdi and Marcos Kueh, exploring the intersections between art, research and sustainability.


Carte Blanche - Kiki & Joost © Anwyn Howarth

A central focus of DDW25 is the rise of bio-based materials and circular design. The show Designs for the Material Future at the Klokgebouw highlights studios experimenting with regenerative materials and circular processes — from biopolymers to natural fibers — where design becomes a living laboratory for new ecologies of matter. At the same time, projects such as Econario by Thijs Biersteker make the invisible visible, translating political decisions into environmental data through immersive installations — turning design into a language of social awareness and shared responsibility. The eleven outdoor installations of Grand Projects will reshape Eindhoven’s public squares into visionary landscapes: The Umbra Pavilion by Pauline van Dongen, made of solar textiles; Factory 5.0 by Aditya Mandlik, where 10,000 mealworms “eat” polystyrene to imagine architecture that’s meant to decay; City At Sea Level by Bahar Orçun, envisioning a submerged future; and The Waiting Room by Nanne Brouwer, which rethinks refugee housing around dignity and privacy.


© Max Kneefel

At De Caai, Forward Furniture — curated by Liv Vaisberg — explores the boundary between design and collectibility, transforming a former factory into a stage for the furniture of the future. Beyond exhibitions, DDW25 creates an ecosystem of collaboration where institutions, brands and ministries — from HEMA to Vattenfall, Hydro and Rabobank — use design as a tool for social innovation. As Marcus Fairs, founder of Dezeen and long-time DDW ambassador, once said: “I’ve seen the future in an ugly little town in the south of Holland.” Twenty-five years on, Dutch Design Week continues to prove him right — showing that the future of design isn’t displayed: it’s designed, together.


Stadhuisplein © Nick Bookelaar