Homegrown Pride

Meet the local creatives whose works wowed the international design at Milan Design Week this year

- ASIH JENIE

It's always heartening to see local names at an international event. Such was the case with Milan Design Week, which creatives flew to from all over the world to live and breathe design, and inspire one another with their creations.

Singapore might have a relatively small design scene, but it is blessed with robust government support in the form of DesignSingapore Council, which routinely organises global showcases for local designers.

Future Impact, curated by renowned design journalist and multihyphenate creative Tony Chambers and design curator Maria Cristina Didero, is one such showcase.

Launched in 2023, the event returned this year as Future Impact 2, featuring the work of seven designers who envision a better future through design. Each of them was paired with a manufacturing partner in a bid to develop designs "that minimise environmental impact, reconsider current production methods and enhance functionality". Some of these creatives need no introduction to local design fans, while others are emerging names who are deserving of bigger platforms for their unique ideas.

FAEZAH SHAHARUDDIN

Multidisciplinary designer Faezah Shaharuddin, known in the local design scene for her whimsical furniture brand Studio Kallang, emphasised the importance of sustainable designs in our living environments through her furniture collection, Unlikely Fragments.

She combined wood scraps from her furniture brand's production processes with vintage textiles infused with Cozterra, an innovative formulation designed to absorb carbon dioxide that was developed by Singapore-based technological material company Xinterra.