From mid to the end of October, Dongdaemun – the bustling shopping district of Seoul – was brimmed with design happenings. One of the key events that took place was DDP Design Launching – a fair under the Seoul Design umbrella – which welcomed its sixth year at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP).

Last year, Yoo Ehwa, a curator for Seoul Design 2023 commented on how the city “is always ready to accept changes in the future.” This statement is especially true for anyone to sets foot in Seoul, where technology is embraced with open arms, while heritage and traditional architecture are smartly maintained within the tech-forward metropolis.

Up until this point, the fair only featured Korean designs. Cha Kang Heui, the current CEO of Seoul Design Foundation noted that he envisions the fair to expand in both its scale and reach in the coming year. Ultimately, Cha intends for Design Launching to become more of a festival than a regular trade show. The CEO also officially announced that they’re preparing to open up the next edition to invite up-and-coming designers and firms from all over the world to exhibit.

Similar to previous years, the 2024 edition continues to shine a light on emerging talents and fresh ideas, thus focusing on fostering young designers through brand development support, awards and collaborative opportunities, all the while serving as the bridge between designers and manufacturers.

Read on for some of the highlights from the event.

QUARKEY

QUARKEY was conceptualized as a response to a rhetorical question: “Why should people adapt to furniture and space?” HAK, the brand’s first collection, comprises an array of dining tables, shelves, sofas, vases and rugs created in collaboration with designer Eunhak Kim, who drew inspiration and aesthetic cues from Hilma af Klint’s transcendent abstract art.

From the sleek yet vibrant HAK SOFA, the dynamic and versatile HAK Sofa Table, the bold rugs that place abstract art beneath one’s feet to the powerful interplay of pastels, patterns and geometric shapes as displayed through the HAK VASE series – every object is a puzzle piece to the brand’s mission to “shaping your own artistic universe.”

F/ABA

At the fair, minimalist furniture brand, F/ABA presented its newest offerings through an experiential exhibition. Titled fiaba oggètto, the indoor booth was transformed into an immersive space that could highlight its products’ distinct silhouettes and forms.

From the new collection, WISTER, a round table that combines an oval-like form is amalgamated with a unique blend of conical geometry. Its smooth, contemporary and pristine aesthetic is further accentuated by the integration of sleek, metal table legs.

Also on view in the space are the OVOLO sofa tables. According to the brand, the main feature of OVOLO “is the sculptural quality felt in its founded, circular form.” The legs of the table are presented as three conjoined spheres, while its disc-like table top features a hole at its center – a conscious design choice that allows the piece to interplay with light and space.

Articlier

A portmanteau of “Article” and “Atelier,” Articlier is a design studio that aims to find an equilibrium between coldness and warmth – where the two opposing concepts come into coexistence in everyday objects.

A great example of this philosophy arrives in the form of the CL4 table lamp. Inspired by Pilotis-esque architecture, a soft acrylic front panel is set on top of an aluminum body while its built-in lightbulb emits a soft, warm hue.

FLOSIGN

Kim Eun-young, is an experienced florist and floral arrangement artist in South Korea who ventured into the design world with her new brand, FLOSIGN. Combining the artistry of floral art with design, the brand aims to offer unique space decoration and flower-themed props that serve the purpose of beauty and spectacle in a more eco-conscious way.

At the DDP Design Launching Fair, FLOSIGN unveiled its new product, HWAHWA, a concept that reimagines large-scale floral arrangements in the form of semi-permanent “flower paintings.” What sets these sculptural floral displays apart from traditional ones is not only their vibrant blend of colors and compositions but the fact that it feature an A.I.-implemented design process to perfectly calculate the amount of flowers and foliage every piece requires. With this process, FLOSIGN’s creations are completed with zero wastage in the process – a major step forward for the traditional art form all the while lowering the burden on nature.

Lab:Crete

Founded by designer, Hyunjae Lee and artist, Hyoungsil Kim, Lab:Crete is a Seoul-based company that turns ocean wastes into new building materials. Seashells, sand, plastic bags and fishing nets are collected from the beach, deconstructed and broken down into small bits before being bound with Jesmonite and concrete. What’s produced is a composite material with an appearance and finish reminiscent of Terrazzo.

DAEYEOL SOHN

Daeyeol Sohn presented his Soda Collection at the DDP Design Launching Fair, spotlighting a series of art furniture made from soda bottle caps. The collection is manufactured in collaboration with WouldYouLove (WYL), an eco-design collective that specializes in supplying upcycled waste plastics to the interior design and furniture industries.

Cut from a large sheet that’s crafted from compressing thousands of soft drink bottles, the building blocks of the furniture pieces are then sanded and polished before being constructed into a shelve or a chair. Every piece is made from the same sheet of compressed material to maintain a consistent hue that is as recognizable as the brand of soda bottles it was crafted from.

Stoxl

As one of the spotlighted designers who won two Best Design awards at the fair, Stoxl’s creations mostly centered on a modular approach that addresses modern living. Mosscape, a highly regarded project by the judging panel, is an eco-friendly and modular planter created in collaboration with the company, 3dmakers. Made from biodegradable PLA, its modular design features compartments and perforations, that allow it to be implemented for interior design or function as a terrarium-like decor.

Stoxl’s other award-winning project, MML (Module Mini Light) is realized with the help of bastility, a Korean manufacturer known for its innovative furniture offerings. Drawing inspiration from bastility’s BS series shelves, this stackable lighting unit boasts a minimalist cuboid design that can be freely oriented in any direction.
Meanwhile, its other offerings, such as the Mono-Poly stool and object lamp are also worthy of mention. The Brutalist-inspired set maximizes space efficiency by stacking eight stools around a central LED stand. Its geometric design allows flexible arrangements. When stacked, it creates a striking linear lighting effect that doubles as a modern sculptural piece.

DDP Design Launching Fair took place in Seoul in October