As 2025 draws to a close, we’re once again looking back at the stories that shaped the intersection of architecture, art, design, and technology. This year, fashion delivered its own share of striking moments: unexpected, imaginative, and sometimes delightfully bizarre. These are the creations that twisted familiar garments and accessories into something entirely new, earning their place under our fashion design phenomena tag. Because for every piece that gets it perfectly right, there’s always one curious outlier that gets everyone talking.

From Iris van Herpen’s haute couture illuminated by reactive bioluminescent algae and Vollebak’s virus-killing copper jacket to Gustaf Westman’s viral spiral baguette holder and a wearable AirPod backpack by Bravest, here are the top 10 fashion stories that captured our attention and defined the past 12 months.

REACTIVE BIOLUMINESCENT ALGAE DRESS BY IRIS VAN HERPEN

image courtesy of Chris Bellamy of Bio Crafted

Surrounded by darkness, Iris van Herpen’s dress came to life with the glow of reactive bioluminescent algae during Paris Haute Couture Week 2025. Co-created with biodesigner Christopher Bellamy, also known as Bio Crafted, the piece features 125 million bioluminescent algae, illuminated against a runway set designed with light sculptures by artist Nick Verstand. In an interview with designboom, Bellamy explains that he initially developed the technique for encapsulating the microalgae in collaboration with indigenous artists and scientists in French Polynesia. ‘A bespoke 35-step process was developed, which encapsulates the algae in a nutrient gel and protective coating, allowing them to survive for many months,’ he says.

Once encapsulated, the algae require only regular sunlight to photosynthesize and maintain their circadian rhythm. The biomaterial can thrive for months, even in hot conditions, and Bellamy notes that some samples have survived for over a year. ‘However, as this material is still highly experimental, we are continuing to study its behavior and understand exactly how it functions,’ he adds.

read more here 

VIRUS-KILLING COPPER JACKET BY VOLLEBAK

image courtesy of Vollebak

From illuminating the runway with millions of living microalgae in Iris van Herpen’s couture to actively defending against invisible threats, fashion this year explored the power of the microscopic in bold new ways. Vollebak’s Full Metal Jacket takes this concept from spectacle to protection, using copper to neutralize viruses and bacteria before they can even grow. The technical garment features three layers of textile woven with 11 kilometers of copper wire, transformed from industrial rods into fine, uniform yarns using precision lasers.

Each strand is carefully measured for softness and consistency, coated with a thin layer of lacquer to prevent corrosion, and then woven through a six-day curing process that includes scouring, heat-setting, and drying. The copper layer is paired with Vollebak’s c_change membrane, a waterproof and breathable barrier that adapts to temperature and humidity. In hot conditions, the jacket opens to release heat and moisture; in cold weather, it closes to retain warmth, offering both protection and comfort.

read more here

UNIFORMS WITH BUILT-IN ELECTRIC FANS BY ANREALAGE

image courtesy of Anrealage

Just as Vollebak used copper to defend wearers from microscopic threats, Anrealage turned to airflow and cooling to help humans adapt to their environment. At the NTT Pavilion during  Expo 2025 Osaka, the brand decided to equip staff uniforms with built-in electric fans, keeping wearers comfortable in the heat while pushing the boundaries of functional fashion. Inspired by the concept of parallel travel, the clothing uses wind to evoke the sensation of moving through time and space. Hundreds of blue dots across the white fabric symbolize connection with distant beings.

The staff uniforms consist of five pieces: outerwear, a polo shirt, a bag, a hat, and a logo badge. It’s the outerwear that houses the electric fans, allowing staff to stay cool while moving through the Expo. The fans are positioned on the lower-left side of the jacket, with protective grilles to prevent any contact with the spinning rotors. When activated, the airflow causes the outerwear to balloon, giving the wearer the ethereal appearance of a floating ‘cloud.’

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ZZZN PUFFER JACKET FOR SLEEP

photo by Yusuke Maekawa courtesy of ZZZN SLEEP APPAREL SYSTEM

While Anrealage focused on external comfort and climate adaptation, other designers explored clothing that responds to our internal rhythms. ZZZN’s Sleep Apparel System takes this concept to the next level, transforming a puffer jacket into wearable sleepwear that helps users rest anywhere, anytime. It uses biometric data monitoring as well as headphones that play two types of music with frequency bands to help people fall asleep. The ZZZN puffer jacket for sleep modernizes Yagi, which is a traditional Japanese winter or nightwear. The apparel has drawstrings on the sleeves and hem, all adjustable to fit the user’s body type. The wearer can also adjust the cuff tabs to their fit, making sure that they’re comfortable when they’re about to sleep.

The ZZZN puffer jacket for sleep uses photoelectric fiber as its padding. With this in mind, the sleepwear is lighter than it looks. It also keeps the internal temperature warm for the users, especially during cold and extreme weather conditions.

read more here

RICE STRAW-MADE RAINCOAT AND MICRO-SHELTER BY FABULISM

photo by David Carson courtesy of Fabulism

The piece is shaped to provide shelter, forming a dome-like silhouette that covers the wearer’s upper body. Its elongated, rounded top fits comfortably over the head without adding weight, allowing the raincoat to function as both an expressive fashion statement and a lightweight, wearable umbrella.

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HARIBO GUMMY BEAR CROCS

image courtesy of Crocs

From natural‑materials protection to pop‑culture delight, fashion doesn’t just serve function; it also indulges in fun. Enter Crocs’ gummy-inspired collaboration with Haribo, turning the classic clog into eye‑candy footwear. The upper is made from a translucent material that mimics the look of the candy, giving the shoe a playful appearance. The design comes with Jibbitz charms, including oversized Goldbears, one of Haribo’s most recognizable symbols. Even the sole of the clog features embossed Goldbears, making the Crocs Haribo Classic Clog a novelty footwear piece.

In addition to its themed design, the footwear is water-friendly and buoyant, so users can wear it in various settings, including wet or outdoor environments. It is lightweight, weighing only a few ounces, which enhances comfort and reduces strain during prolonged wear. 

read more here

HAVAIANAS’ FIRST-EVER 3D PRINTED FLIP-FLOPS BY ZELLERFELD

image courtesy of Zellerfeld and Havaianas

Staying in the world of clogs and sandals, Zellerfeld and Havaianas have introduced the brand’s first-ever 3D printed flip-flops, featuring a rounded toe cap for added comfort and protection. The footwear’s top still has a Y-shaped strap, a familiar design of the sandals company’s products. It connects between the big and second toe and extends along the sides of the foot.

The brand’s name is printed on the strap, along with a textured pattern, which is a prominent part of the 3D printed design. The toe area is covered with a rounded front piece, wrapping over the front of the foot and linking it to the base. This toe covering helps to hold the foot in place and protect it from being exposed. 

read more here

SANDALS SHAPED LIKE ZIGZAG PAVER BLOCKS BY PDM BRAND

image courtesy of PDM Brand

Continuing in sandal territory, PDM Brand took things a step further with unisex sandals shaped like zigzag paver blocks, designed so that wearers ‘fill in’ gaps on the sidewalk as they stroll. Chunky like the real blocks but made from a cushiony, rubbery material instead of stone or concrete, the sandals maintain a concrete-gray color, helping the wearer blend in while staying safe on uneven surfaces. The sandals feature a matching toe strap, and even the packaging mirrors the design of real concrete bricks. 

read more here

SPIRAL BAGUETTE HOLDER BY GUSTAF WESTMAN

image courtesy of Gustaf Westman

From rethinking how we walk to reimagining how we carry, Gustaf Westman has designed a spiral baguette holder that carries a loaf of bread like a handbag. The playful accessory is designed to fit a baguette snugly around three loops and is part of a summer-long pop-up experience, in which the designer takes over private residences across different European cities instead of traditional exhibition spaces.

read more here

AIRPODS WEARABLE BACKPACK BY BRAVEST

image courtesy of Bravest

If Gustaf Westman made bread portable in style, Bravest makes gadgets wearable in the most literal way. The streetwear brand’s AIRPACK is a backpack shaped like Apple AirPods, featuring removable ‘earbuds’ interior pouches. The backpack stays faithful to Apple’s original design: the white AirPods shape is scaled up, and instead of a magnetic lock like the AirPods case, it has a zipper that runs around the bag. Unzipping the top reveals two removable interior pouches shaped like the iconic earbuds themselves. 

read more here

see designboom’s TOP 10 stories archive:

2024 — 2023 — 2022 — 2021 — 2020 — 2019 —  2018 — 2017 — 2016 — 2015 — 2014 — 2013

The post TOP 10 fashion design phenomena of 2025 appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

At the Morris Houses in the Bronx, an underutilized concrete bleacher has been transformed into a vibrant hub of activity known as the Common Corner. Co-designed by multidisciplinary studio The Urban Conga in collaboration with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and, most importantly, the residents themselves, the project breathes new life into a space that had fallen into disuse over decades. This community-led revitalization serves as a flexible gathering place designed to foster multigenerational connection and open-ended play.

the installation encourages social connection within the space

community-led design process in the bronx

The Urban Conga facilitated the design through a series of workshops using play methodologies, creating a safe environment for residents to share their dreams and stories. This participatory process ensured the final design was a direct reflection of the community’s identity. The site is now organized into three interconnected zone — social, active, and fantasy play — each catering to different needs. From accessible seating with grab bars to a stage-like platform for storytelling and performance, the space balances physical exercise with social rest and imaginative expression.

the project is intended to spotlight the space and catalyze further investment in the surrounding space

art and design playscape

Visually, the Common Corner is tied together by a forced-perspective mural that wraps around the structure, signaling a growing and evolving vision for the development. The upper section features reflective, color-changing mirrors and perforated panels for community-created paracord art, making the environment dynamic and shifting. Adding a layer of local pride, the risers are inscribed with affirmations chosen by the residents, such as ‘Dream Big’ and ‘Stronger Together,’ turning the site into a permanent source of encouragement.

an open-ended design allows the space to adapt to a range of activities

Part of NYCHA’s Connected Communities program, the Common Corner is a testament to the power of resident-led design. By transforming a static piece of infrastructure into a social landmark, the project demonstrates how public-private partnerships can modernize open spaces while strengthening the social fabric of the neighborhood.

‘Common Corner represents what we can achieve when residents’ voices are truly heard,‘ said Regina Carter, President of the Morris Houses Residents Association. ‘For years, these bleachers sat empty, but through this project, they’ve been transformed into something beautiful and meaningful for everyone. A place where young people, older adults, and families alike can meet and play. For us, this is more than a space to sit; it’s a space to come together, to play, and to celebrate our community.‘

zones for active play, including a climbing wall

the installation is organized into zones that encourage social, active, and imaginative play

reflective color-changing mirrors reflect and refract the surrounding environment

phrases of affirmations chosen by the community line the work

perforated panels wrap the existing fence, creating a framework for future paracord artworks

the mural guides movement across the steps, encouraging varied paths and ways of experiencing it

the space serves as an entryway into the Morris House community

the design wraps up and over the existing steps to encourage more is to come to the space

project info:

name: Common Corner
designer: The Urban Conga

The post the urban conga revitalizes common corner playscape in bronx, NYC appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

DESIGNART TOKYO, one of Japan‘s largest design and art festivals, returned for 10 days, transforming Tokyo into an expansive exhibition space. Operating across 91 venues throughout Omotesando, Shibuya, Roppongi, Ginza, and other key areas, the festival showcased a diverse collection of international works. Under the theme ‘Brave: Pursuing Instinctive Beauty,’ the 2025 edition celebrated creators who demonstrated the courage to trust their intuition and instincts, challenging the conventional markets. This vibrant display gathered approximately 300 creators and brands and captivated an estimated 250,000 visitors eager to experience the diverse collection of international design, architecture, and art.

banner: DUMB TYPE | WINDOWS © Nacasa & Partners

above: Claire Renard and Jean-Sébastien Blanc | 577 chaises: the citizens’ hemicycle | all images courtesy of Designart Tokyo, unless stated otherwise, image © designboom

10 DAYS SHOWCASING A DIVERSE COLLECTION OF INTERNATIONAL WORKS

The cultural nucleus of the festival was the DESIGNART GALLERY, a large-scale group exhibition housed at the Media Department Tokyo in the heart of Shibuya. Serving as both an information center and talk lounge, this exhibition hosted 33 domestic and international presentations, showcasing creations from countries including France, the Netherlands, and Sweden.  The space itself was a design statement, with the spatial design overseen for the first time in Japan by Hong Kong-based architectural firm COLLECTIVE. They paid homage to Japanese architecture by creating a modernized Shoji (traditional partition) in the first-floor escalator hall. This installation used reusable aluminum structures covered in non-woven fabric, where modulated lighting synchronized with photographs by artist ZEN to ambiguously connect the interior and exterior.

Swedish furniture brand Blå Station, together with ACTUS, displayed newly released products. ©Takuya Yamauchi

HIGHLIGHTS REDEFINING FUTURE SPACES AND MATERIALITY

The concept of ‘Brave’ was embodied in presentations that pushed the boundaries of architecture, product design, and material usage, moving past conventions to propose entirely new futures. Residential and architectural concepts took center stage with projects fundamentally rethinking living spaces. Daikyo Inc., which rebranded its condominium brand to ‘THE LIONS,’ developed a new project, unveiling ‘THE LIONS | Relation Wall,’ with architect Yuko Nagayama. This project stems from the concept of enhancing life value by fostering new human relationships. The development, aiming for implementation in 2030, featured a live demonstration of a moving wall.

THE LIONS | Relation Wall – THE LIONS 2030 PROJECT ©Takumi Ota

Similarly, LIXIL’s installation, ‘MUINIMULA – Reconstruction of Spatial Components,’ explored new possibilities in the traditionally underdeveloped spatial domains of floors, walls, and ceilings. By introducing the concepts of Mui (natural state, stripped of all artifices) and Mura (diversity), the exhibition aimed to dismantle and reconstruct existing spatial notions, challenging visitors to reconsider fixed ideas.

MUINIMULA – Reconstruction of Spatial Components by LIXIL ©Nacasa & Partners

In furniture and office design, ITOKI Co., Ltd.’s new brand NII made a significant debut with ‘THE STAGE by NII.’ Elevating the office into a vibrant stage, the exhibition featured first collections by four international design leaders: architectural studio AMDL CIRCLE, Todd Bracher, Rodolfo Agrella, and Jun Aizaki/Crème. The space was graphically designed by the creative unit SPREAD. Meanwhile, Danish Royal furniture company Carl Hansen & Søn presented ‘FRAMING COMPOSITIONS,’ showcasing items revealed in Japan for the first time, including swivel chairs and sofas by design masters Hans J. Wegner and Nanna & Jørgen Ditzel.

THE STAGE by NII © OOKI JINGU

Mitsubishi Electric Integrated Design Center debuted ‘The World Spun by Metal 3D Printers,’ an initiative utilizing their advanced metal 3D printing technology. They explored designs achievable only with this method and material properties, resulting in a collection of organic forms that felt surprisingly warm, contrary to the nature of metal.

Mitsubishi Electric Integrated Design Center　©Nacasa & Partners

Finally, the dialogue between design and luxury was explored in a year-long creative collaboration between Range Rover and Klein Dytham Architecture (KDa). Their ‘Range Rover SV Bespoke Installation’ at Tokyo Midtown explored artistry, craftsmanship, and the expression of individuality using the Range Rover SV Bespoke Service, blending tradition, innovation, and architectural imagination. Demonstrating new material potential, Azuma Plywood collaborated with Hakuten to showcase Color MDF, a lesser-known material made from pre-dyed wood fibers, in a continuous space from floor to ceiling to propose an expansion of material choices.

Range Rover SV Bespoke Installation by Range Rover and Klein Dytham Architecture (KDa) ©Yosuke Owashi

Chromatic Symphony of Landscapes by CYUON and Moriyuki Ochiai

Nomadic proposes a package method, “PACKING FOR THE METHOD, “where cardboard created with a lattice-like cut allows for reconstruction into various shapes, ©Takuya Yamauchi

From Error to Mirror by Natsumi Komoto x sync inc. shows works that emerged from acciidental failures

FONTE by Atelier matic Sho Sotoyama explores the contrast between nature and Manmade items. ©KOHEI YAMAMOTO

Azuma Plywood collaborated with HAKUTEN. seeking new ways of engaging with Color MDF ©Takuya Yamauchi

project info:

name: Designart Tokyo
theme: Brave: Pursuing Instinctive Beauty
dates: October 31 to November 9, 2025

The post DESIGNART TOKYO 2025 challenges convention with moving walls and 3D prints appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Naoto Fukasawa uses the simplicity of everyday paper as the starting point for SIWA A4 Light, a limited-edition portable lamp for SIWA, the washi-based brand developed by longtime manufacturer Onao. Limited to 100 units and releasing in late January 2026, the piece turns the familiar geometry of a standard A4 stack into an illuminated object, a play on material perception, scale, and the cultural intimacy of Japanese paper. ‘The appeal of a light object wrapped in paper is that the paper itself is the element,’ Fukasawa describes.

images courtesy of SIWA

SIWA A4 Light: From Desktop Staple to Luminous Companion

Rather than treating paper as a diffuser or covering, product designer Naoto Fukasawa begins with the archetype of 500 sheets of A4 copy paper, then substitutes it with Siwa’s own Naolon, a strong, water-resistant washi-derived material. The form retains the proportions of a ream, transforming what is normally a quotidian desktop item into a luminous, monolithic block. In this translation, the stack becomes a vessel for light rather than ink, suggesting how subtle shifts in material can recast an everyday silhouette as a sculptural domestic object.

A dedicated paper bag accompanies the lamp and is designed specifically to hold and transport it. The gesture nods to the brand’s lineage in soft, foldable paper goods, while also positioning the light as something carried from room to room rather than fixed to a single spot. The lamp’s built-in LED offers up to five hours of illumination at full brightness, or roughly 170 hours at its lowest setting, extending its function as a portable, battery-powered companion. The SIWA A4 Light with bag is priced at ¥55,000 (tax included) and measures H55 × W210 × D297 millimeters, weighing 800 grams.

the piece turns the familiar geometry of a standard A4 stack into an illuminated object

transforming what is normally a quotidian desktop item into a luminous, monolithic block

a dedicated paper bag accompanies the lamp

project info:

name: SIWA A4 Light

designer: Naoto Fukasawa | @naoto_fukasawa_design_ltd

brand: SIWA | @siwacollection

dimensions: H55 × W210 × D297 mm

The post naoto fukasawa turns a ream of A4 paper into limited-edition portable washi lamp appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Athens-born artist and self-taught designer Harry Rigalo works at the edge between design and sculpture, where objects hover between furniture, relic, and offering. His practice approaches materials as active systems rather than tools. ‘I stopped seeing materials as isolated objects and started understanding them as parts of a system that activates space and the body,’ he tells designboom.  

This approach is currently reflected in Forms Without Briefs, Rigalo’s exhibition at The Great Design Disaster in Milan, on view until December 30th. In recent months, clay has become central to his practice. Raw, unstable, and time-bound, it collapses drawing and building into a single gesture, forcing the maker into constant dialogue with the material. ‘Clay never gives itself completely. You don’t decide. You negotiate,’ he says. The openness of the material, until the final, irreversible moment of firing, reinforces a way of working grounded in uncertainty, correction, and presence. designboom discusses with the designer his early years on Olympic-scale construction sites, his recent immersion in clay, and his commitment to process over outcome.

all images by Luigi Fiano, unless stated otherwise

from construction sites to process-led practice

Harry Rigalo’s relationship with making was formed early and physically. At fourteen, he began working on Olympic-scale construction sites in Athens, handling concrete and steel and learning through fatigue, repetition, and failure. That ‘unglamorous’ education instilled an instinctive understanding of weight, tension, and structure that continues to guide his work today. The knowledge never became a set of rules; instead, it remained something felt. ‘The result isn’t meant only to be explained, but to be felt,’ the artist notes.

His early practice was marked by structure and composition, drawing from collage and music, where materials operated like notes within a score. Over time, however, that score loosened and process began to outweigh outcome. ‘Process is a space where participation matters more than control,’ Rigalo explains during our conversation. 

Across his work, function remains present but unsettled. Some objects behave as chairs, vessels, or holders, while others resist typology altogether. Function, for Rigalo, can clarify but also constrain. ‘Function can make an object easier to read. Removing that obligation opens a different kind of relationship,’ he reflects. Read on for our full discussion with the Greek designer.

Harry Rigalo works at the edge between design and sculpture

interview with harry rigalo

Designboom (DB): You found your first training ground at olympic-scale construction sites at the age of fourteen. How do those physical lessons, weight, tension, fatigue, failure, still shape the way you design and build today?

Harry Rigalo (HR): I didn’t start from a desire to design objects. I started from a desire to step outside the world I already knew. At fourteen, through a family connection, I found myself on construction sites preparing for the 2004 Olympic Games, a strictly structured environment based on studies, drawings, and constructional precision. It was a large-scale undertaking where theory and practice coexisted, but without room for personal narrative or expression. I worked with concrete, steel, wood, plastic, and brick.

At the time, I didn’t know what this experience would become. It was physically demanding and eventually not something I wanted to pursue professionally, but it gave me a deeply embodied understanding of materials. I learned how weight is transferred and how it translates differently depending on function, how structures behave, how materials react, how they are worked, and how different elements are combined so that something individual becomes functional within a much larger system and scale.

Years later, when I began placing materials myself, that knowledge resurfaced almost instinctively, not as technical rules, but as a physical sense. I stopped seeing materials as isolated objects and started understanding them as parts of a system that activates space and the body. Even today, whether I’m making something functional or something that resists use, I still work through these questions. How weight moves, how a form stands, how material operates in relation to scale. The result isn’t meant only to be explained, but to be felt.

objects hover between furniture, relic, and offering

DB: You found your first training ground at olympic-scale construction sites at the age of fourteen. How do those physical lessons, weight, tension, fatigue, failure, still shape the way you design and build today?

HR: I don’t think we choose materials in a neutral way. There’s always a form of attraction involved, a desire to meet a material and allow it to respond. Clay entered my practice at a moment when I was looking for immediacy, for a way to move from thought to making without filters. In my earlier work, the process was more structured. I was composing different materials through a kind of material collage, and even then the objects were never meant to be entirely comfortable. They still answered to structure. I could say, this is a chair. But the chair itself carried a question. It asked whether a chair always needs to behave like a chair, or whether discomfort could be part of its meaning.

With clay, drawing and building collapse into the same action. What you imagine begins to exist almost immediately in your hands. That directness allows instinct and improvisation to lead rather than follow. Working at larger scales intensified this relationship. As the clay body grows, difficulty and risk increase, and the dialogue between body and material becomes sharper. Clay offers freedom, but it also has limits, and those limits are learned physically. The shift wasn’t a rejection of structure, but a desire to reduce mediation. I wanted to move from inspiration to realization more directly and to build an atmosphere rather than just an object.

Forms Without Briefs, Rigalo’s exhibition at The Great Design Disaster gallery

DB: You’ve been immersed in clay these past months. What did this material teach you that other materials never managed to?

HR: In many ways, clay became synonymous with the philosophy of this body of work. At first, I approached it as a tool. Very quickly, however, it revealed something else, the quiet nature of movement and becoming. Clay never gives itself completely. It’s always in transition. It carries a dual character, addition and subtraction, building and erasing, and through that, balance emerges through form, tension, and symbolism. You don’t decide. You negotiate.

What fascinated me most was its relationship to time. Until the very last moment before firing, everything remains open. A form can always return to something softer, more uncertain. Once it enters the kiln, that openness disappears. Clay becomes ceramic, a different material altogether, and a specific moment is fixed. In that sense, firing feels almost like a photograph. A single state is captured, removed from its previous flow, and carried forward. Not as an ending, but as a moment that continues to participate in movement from another position.

That relationship was intensely physical and compressed in time. My first encounter with clay, from early tests to the final exhibition, unfolded within seven to eight months of daily contact. Long hours, mistakes, repetitions. During that period, I worked through nearly 800 kilos of clay. Not as a way of mastering the material, but as a way of meeting it, while understanding how much I was still at the beginning. Those months were marked by silence and an almost ascetic rhythm. Days of repetition and concentration created a calm intensity that left a quiet afterimage. It was refreshing, and it set a tone. One I hope to return to in future work, finding that same quality of focus again.

Thili

DB: You’ve said the process matters more than the final result. What does process mean to you now?

HR: For me, a work always emerges from a process, and the process begins with desire. At its core, desire starts with attraction, the pull toward a body. Sometimes that participation becomes the act of making a body, an object, a form, a work. Process is how that impulse takes shape. It’s a space where participation matters more than control, and where intention is formed through engagement rather than imposed. What matters to me is not simply to be seen critically, but to be seen through the process itself.

Process reflects movement, flow, truth, and offering. I’m sensitive to the movement of the world around me, and my work is simply a way of taking part in that movement. Not stopping it, but standing within it. For me, flow is very close to truth. Nothing in flow is fixed, just as nothing in truth is fixed. Perhaps the greatest challenge is accepting a non fixed understanding of ourselves and allowing who we are to remain open and in motion.

Elksi

DB: While some of your works remain functional, others resist typology altogether. How do you decide when a piece should behave like furniture and when it should resist that expectation?

HR: When I work on a collection, I think of it as a scenographic condition, a spatial composition. Some pieces function as abstract forms within that landscape, while others act more like offerings. Furniture, and functionality in general, is already a form of offering, allowing a body to sit, rest, or engage. That sense of offering remains important to me. I still belong to the functional side of design, and it continues to inspire me. At the same time, I don’t feel the need to bind every object to use. For me, whatever is produced deserves space, whether it functions or simply exists.

This collection is also the first time I allowed myself to create purely non-functional works, pieces that exist solely through their sculptural presence. That came from another need, the desire not to always be understood. Function can make an object easier to read. Removing that obligation opens a different kind of relationship, one that asks less to be explained and more to be experienced.

Monk

DB: There’s a recurring description of a feminine energy in the forms, not gendered, but intuitive and insistent. Is that something you consciously guide, or something that simply happens when you work instinctively?

HR: It’s not something I consciously guide. It’s something I notice afterward. In my relationship with process, there’s always a quiet pull, a form of attraction that creates a relationship with the material and remains mostly silent.

What is often described as feminine energy, I experience more as a quality of presence. A softness that doesn’t weaken the form, but allows it to exist without imposing itself. A receptivity that holds space rather than demands attention.

I’m interested in creating forms and atmospheres that can be encountered rather than explained. Something you can stand in front of, or within, without being instructed how to feel. If there is femininity in that, it’s not symbolic. It’s experiential.

Aiwaitress

DB: Your work sits between object, relic, vessel, and offering. Do you feel closer to designers, sculptors, or neither, and why?

HR: I don’t feel a strong need to position myself strictly as one or the other. What matters to me more is existing within the act of making rather than within a definition. I’m deeply interested in the multiple sides of human expression, the structured and the abstract, the logical and the instinctive. Both continue to inspire me, and I feel active in both territories. Logic, for me, doesn’t cancel emotion. Sometimes it carries a purer one. And instinct, when observed carefully, has its own intelligence.

At the end of the day, everything is form. What feels essential is remaining open, playful, and free. I’m not interested in chasing trends. Movement exists around trends, not inside them. What I aim for instead is a language that carries motion while remaining grounded in classical foundations.

Isofagus

DB: What’s the next material, rhythm, or question calling you?

HR: My relationship with clay is definitely not finished. What’s emerging now is a new phase, one that respects the material’s qualities while opening it to new encounters. I’m interested in bringing other materials into dialogue with clay, not to overpower it, but to explore new relationships and a different kind of scenography. Working with clay has also pushed me strongly toward thinking about scale. Larger, more architectural forms feel increasingly important to me, and this interest in large scale work is something I know will continue to grow. Alongside this, I continue to design digitally, developing ideas and models that can evolve through collaborations within functional design, which remains an essential part of my practice.

I also know I will return to materials from earlier phases of my work. Marble, in particular, feels unfinished, ideas that were paused rather than completed. At the same time, I’m beginning to explore glazes and color in clay, opening it toward a more playful direction. This naturally connects to my interest in recycling, industrial elements, and even smaller scale objects, including jewelry.

Looking ahead, what matters most is continuity. Forms Without Briefs marked the beginning of a longer trajectory that will continue through my collaboration with The Great Design Disaster gallery. The trust and support of Joy Herro and Gregory Gatserelia encouraged me to move more freely toward non-functional and large-scale work, while keeping space open for functional design to evolve alongside it. The next step isn’t a single material or answer, but an expanded field where scale, materials, and collaborations continue to move together.

clay has become central to the artist’s practice

function remains present but unsettled | image by Antonis Agrido

clay collapses drawing and building into a single gesture | image by Antonis Agrido

some objects behave as chairs, vessels, or holders, while others resist typology altogether | image by Antonis Agrido

Harry Rigalo in his studio | image by Antonis Agrido

project info:

designer: Harry Rigalo | @harryrigalo

gallery: The Great Design Disaster | @thegreatdesigndisaster

location: Via della Moscova 15, Milan, Italy

dates: November 3rd – December 30th, 2025

The post harry rigalo discusses material, process, and presence between design and sculpture appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

A synthesis of traditional woodcraft and silent robotics, Phantom reimagines the chessboard as a self‑playing heirloom. Phantom is the world’s first robotic chessboard crafted from solid wood. A masterful blend of engineering, design, and woodwork has re‑engineered one of the oldest strategic objects: the chessboard. Phantom Chess features a hidden, silent drive system that allows pieces to move autonomously, while its exterior remains pure walnut and maple, eliminating the visible motors and toy‑like aesthetic that have defined automated chess until now. Drawing on precision sensor grids and ultra‑quiet linear actuators, Phantom turns the board itself into an intelligent interface, creating an entirely new category of connected chess experience.

where tradition meets innovation | all images courtesy of Phantom Chessboard

Phantom chessboard introduces patented layered architecture

Unlike conventional electronic boards, Phantom Chessboard uses a patented layered architecture that conceals all technology beneath a veneer of natural wood. The playing surface is a matrix of magnetic sensors that detect piece movement, while an array of sub‑18dB linear actuators provides autonomous motion with no audible mechanical noise. The system requires only a single Bluetooth‑pairing step, after which the board operates as a silent physical terminal for digital chess.

In addition to its mechanical innovation, Phantom integrates seamlessly with the digital chess ecosystem. Through its companion app, the board syncs in real time with Lichess and Chess.com, allowing online matches to be played out physically move‑for‑move. It also hosts adaptive AI opponents, from the tactical precision of Stockfish to the human‑like intuition of the Maia neural network, and features a Sculpture Mode that autonomously replays historic games or personal analyses. Four pending patents cover the sensor‑actuator array, the silent drive mechanism, the magnetic piece‑recognition system, and the software architecture that ties physical play to digital platforms.

a natural wood chessboard where pieces glide autonomously, powered by a completely hidden mechanism

By dissolving the boundary between the tangible tradition of wood and the limitless potential of connected play, Phantom does not replace the chessboard; it completes it. The first production units are shipping now, marking the first time a robotic chess system has been conceived not as a gadget, but as a crafted object meant to last generations.

crafted from solid American Dark Walnut and Maple, each board is a unique piece of natural craftsmanship

Phantom is the result of a philosophy that respects materiality while embracing silent technology

in sculpture mode, the board autonomously replays historic games or personal analyses as a kinetic sculpture

the board syncs in real time with Lichess and Chess.com, allowing online matches to be played out physically

the CNC‑milled pieces come in tournament dimensions, designed for balance and tactile satisfaction

a masterful blend of engineering, design, and woodwork has re‑engineered the chessboard

hidden architecture introduces a magnetic sensor grid and silent linear actuators beneath the wooden surface

project info:

name: Phantom Chess | @phantom_chess
designer: Eduardo Cano, Osmar Martinez

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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For the first time in its eight editions, Tanween (Ithra) introduced creative partners as part of its program, marking a significant step in the platform’s evolution. In this edition, Isola Design Group and Dubai Design Week joined as creative partners, expanding the event’s reach across the Gulf region and beyond. Through exhibitions, dialogue, and shared expertise, both platforms amplified Tanween’s international outlook while reinforcing its community-driven foundation. In conversation with designboom, Isola Design Group’s Creative Director Elif Resitoglu and Dubai Design Week Director Natasha Carella reflect on how this collaboration signals a maturing regional design ecosystem built on cooperation rather than isolation.

Ithra partners with Isola Design Group and Dubai Design Week for Tanween’s 8th edition | all images courtesy of Ithra

the collaborations nurture the country’s creative landscape

For both partners, collaborating with Tanween means tapping into one of Saudi Arabia’s most influential cultural institutions, one that nurtures the country’s rapidly expanding creative landscape and serves as a gateway for regional dialogue. Elif Resitoglu describes the partnership as a meaningful continuation of work that began three years ago and has grown into a deeper cultural exchange, while Natasha Carella views it as recognition of a shared mission across Gulf design platforms: expanding representation and elevating nuanced design voices from the region.

‘Collaborating with Tanween means a lot for us. We first worked with Ithra three years ago in Milan with a small participation, and seeing it grow into something larger is very meaningful. Ithra is opening the door for a real exchange between international designers and the Gulf community, and this collaboration becomes a bridge where both sides learn from each other,’ says Elif Resitoglu, Isola Design Group’s Creative Director.

‘It’s a cornerstone cultural institution in Saudi Arabia, and being invited as Dubai Design Week as a creative partner is such meaningful recognition. We operate at the intersection of design, community, and public engagement, and this collaboration reflects a maturing Gulf ecosystem,’ mentions Dubai Design Week Director Natasha Carella.

expanding representation and elevating nuanced design voices from the region

two partnerships that explore underrepresented stories

Aligned with Tanween’s theme, Design the Unspoken, both partners explore hidden needs and underrepresented stories through their participation. Isola’s exhibition Shared Oasis highlights coexistence between humans, nature, and culture through works that reflect global concerns while rooting solutions in local contexts. Meanwhile, Dubai Design Week’s involvement centers on amplifying underrepresented design languages across the Arab world, ensuring that diverse voices are not flattened or generalized.

‘This year’s theme is interesting because it speaks about design that hasn’t been articulated yet. With Shared Oasis, we wanted to show our relationship with people and nature — pieces that relate to animals, surroundings, and everyday life. Design does not need to be showy; it should also improve quality of life and reflect how different cultures experience the world,‘ says Elif. 

‘I love that the theme speaks about the unspoken because it aligns with our mission. Across the Arab world, design is often flattened into one narrative. These programs let the voices here speak for themselves. It’s essential for a platform like Tanween to exist, because it creates a key moment where makers, designers, and institutions come together to show what’s truly happening in the design scene,’ adds Natasha.

both partners explore hidden needs and underrepresented stories through their participation

Both collaborators emphasize that placing international and regional designers side-by-side at Ithra creates new learning conditions. For Isola, the exhibition allows global designers to discover Saudi culture firsthand, while giving Gulf designers access to diverse design perspectives they don’t often encounter locally. Dubai Design Week sees this exchange as crucial for representing the many nationalities shaping today creative identity.

‘Bringing designers from all over the world to the Gulf region gives local designers a chance to see what’s happening globally and adapt it to their own context. At the same time, international designers discover a culture they don’t yet know. They come here and find new perspectives, new behaviors, and new ways to approach design problems unique to this region,’ continues Elif. 

‘Representing underrepresented voices is central to our work — not only local voices, but also the many nationalities that shape the fabric of Saudi Arabia and the UAE,’ mentions Natasha. ‘Tanween creates a moment where these communities come together to exchange, debate, and learn. I really respect the platform and the team because you can see the thought and passion behind everything they do.’

these partnerships allow global designers to discover Saudi culture firsthand

Isola’s curatorial approach emphasizes shared learning and cultural insight, offering a multilayered exhibition supported by a booklet encouraging visitors to exchange thoughts and spark future collaboration. Dubai Design Week contributes conversations and programming that highlight the collective strength of regional platforms working side-by-side. Both partners see the collaboration as the beginning of broader regional links, from shared exhibitions to traveling installations, knowledge exchange, joint residencies, and co-developed design programs. Their vision aligns with Ithra’s long-term strategy to develop Tanween’s platform into a regional anchor that fosters creativity, innovation, and cross-cultural understanding.

With Tanween evolving into Ithra Design Week in 2026, creative partnerships will become a central pillar of the platform’s growth, enabling shared exhibitions, knowledge exchange, capacity building, and cross-border programming. This evolution preserves Tanween’s core while expanding its scale and reach across the region and internationally.

‘These collaborations bring so much to the Gulf region while also bringing the Gulf outward. As Isola, we aim to introduce communities to one another and create collaborations between emerging, young, and established designers. Doing this at Tanween is exciting, and I believe it will grow into something even larger,’ expresses Elif.

‘This partnership is just the beginning. There is so much we can do together — from capacity building to joint exhibitions and shared knowledge. We want to ensure the region is represented internationally through strong, meaningful work. Tanween creates the platform for that, and I’m excited for what comes next,’ concludes Natasha.

both collaborators expressed that such partnerships signal a maturing design ecosystem where institutions increasingly work together rather than in isolation

aligned with Tanween’s theme, Design the Unspoken, both partners explore hidden needs and underrepresented stories

event info:

name: Tanween | @ithra

dates: 17-22 November, 2025

location: 8386 Ring Rd, Gharb Al Dhahran, Dhahran 34461

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Pierre Augustin Rose introduces its first collection of Aubusson tapestry pieces, bringing historic woven surfaces into conversation with the studio’s contemporary furniture designs. The exhibition, now on view at the gallery’s New York location, frames tapestry as a material presence rather than decoration. It allows textile to operate with the weight and authority of an architectural finish.

Produced in Aubusson, the French town whose weaving tradition dates back to the 15th century, each tapestry carries the density and depth associated with centuries of skilled labor. Recognized by UNESCO for its cultural significance, this craft relies on slow construction, with color and pattern built through successive passes of thread. In this context, tapestry reads as a layered and durable structure, rather than as a soft accessory.

images © Matteo Verzini

a new life for aging tapestry fragments

For this collection, Pierre Augustin Rose integrates genuine 18th-century Aubusson tapestry fragments into new designs, allowing historic textiles to shape the identity of each piece. The tapestries bring visible signs of age, such as subtle fading, softened contours, and irregularities from hand weaving. These elements that contrast with the precision of the studio’s furniture forms. Wood frames and upholstered volumes serve as measured supports and give the tapestry space to assert its own presence.

The dialogue between old and new remains restrained and deliberate. The tapestry functions as a surface with memory, while the contemporary form establishes scale, proportion, and use. Together they produce objects that feel architectural in intent, designed to occupy a room with the same confidence as built elements. Through this approach, Pierre Augustin Rose positions tapestry as a living material that’s capable of shaping interior space while carrying forward the accumulated history of craft.

Pierre Augustin Rose presents its first collection incorporating Aubusson tapestry

the collection treats tapestry as a material surface over a decorative backdrop

Aubusson weaving brings centuries of French craft into contemporary design

each piece integrates authentic eighteenth century tapestry fragments

furniture forms provide structure and proportion for the historic textiles

visible age and patina shape the visual character of the works

the collection positions tapestry as a living element of modern interiors

project info:

name: Aubusson Collection

gallery: Pierre Augustin Rose

location: 224 Centre Street, New York, NY

photography: © Matteo Verzini | @matteoverzini

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Artist Stuart Semple unveils Happy Time, a wearable artwork developed with designer Thomas Lehman of Milan’s Analog Lab that deliberately sidesteps the basic function of a watch. Launched on Kickstarter, the project proposes an alternative relationship with time, defined less by measurement and efficiency and more by pause, perception, and emotional relief. Happy Time operates as a small, conceptual sculpture for the wrist, offering a slowed, ambiguous experience of duration.

At first glance, the watch reads as almost empty. Numerals and hands on the dial are replaced by a black smiley face that rotates slowly, completing a full turn once every hour, while a small silver dot marks a twelve-hour cycle. This minimal design provides only the loosest indication of passing time, resisting precision by design. Semple describes the object as a device that invites stillness instead of urgency. ‘It is a small object, but it gives you a small moment of calm every time you see it,’ the artist shares.

The dial is coated in Black 4.0, Semple’s ultra-matte acrylic paint developed over more than a decade of experimentation. Absorbing nearly all visible light, the surface reads as a velvety void, flattening depth and muting reflection.

all images courtesy of Stuart Semple and Thomas Lehman

happy time questions timekeeping with rotating smiley face

The steel case of the watch is finely machined and balanced for everyday wear, while a high-clarity crystal lens gives the rotating elements a floating presence. A Japanese Miyota movement drives the mechanism, maintaining consistency without drawing attention to itself. Materials are selected for longevity and tactility, with recyclable components used throughout. An optional crystal caseback exposes the movement, reframing the watch as a transparent kinetic object rather than a sealed instrument.

British artist Stuart Semple conceived Happy Time after observing a close friend in the art world who, despite outward success, seemed depleted by constant pressure. The watch was imagined as a way to soften daily rhythms, an object that slows perception. In this sense, Happy Time aligns with broader cultural fatigue around productivity metrics, screens, and constant quantification. Semple and Lehman treat the watch as a conceptual starting point, questioning timekeeping.

the project proposes an alternative relationship with time

a Japanese Miyota movement drives the mechanism

numerals and hands on the dial are replaced by a black smiley face

the rotating face completes a full turn once every hour

resisting precision by design

the dial is coated in Black 4.0, Semple’s ultra-matte acrylic paint

Happy Time operates as a small, conceptual sculpture for the wrist

the watch was imagined as a way to soften daily rhythms

project info:

name: Happy Time

artists / designers: Stuart Semple | @stuartsemple in collaboration with Thomas Lehman (Analog Lab)

The post stuart semple creates a watch that smiles at you instead of telling the time appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

As Ambiente 2026 sharpens its positioning as a hub for hospitality and contract design, Hall 3 – and in particular the Interior Looks area – emerges as one of the fair’s most telling indicators of where the industry’s aesthetic and functional sensibilities are heading. A dedicated brand area within the Interior Design product segment, Interior Looks can be experienced in Hall 3.1 with strong brands and exciting new additions. Presented like a curated landscape, it brings together craftsmanship, material refinement and the quieter forms of innovation that define much of today’s premium interior world.

Presented like a curated landscape, Interior Looks brings together craftsmanship, material refinement and the quieter forms of innovation

In Hall 3.1, long-established manufacturers such as Bielefelder Werkstätten, Christine Kröncke, JAB Anstoetz Group, Rodam, Scholtissek, Signet and TF fine furniture set the tone with collections that exhibit both continuity and careful evolution. They are joined by newer additions like Acapulco Design, Artanova, Conde House Europe, Coozus, Holtkötter Licht, Müller Möbelfabrikation or Topstar with the brands Wagner and Sitness whose presence expands the design vocabulary and introduces a more international resonance. Taken together, the selection reflects an industry that values longevity but remains open to fresh narratives. all images courtesy of Ambiente

The surrounding constellation of brands – among them Andersen Furniture, Design House Stockholm, Blomus, Ethnicraft, Serax, Hey-Sign, Rohleder, Vario Büromöbel, Jan Kurtz, Luiz, Zieta Studio and traditional houses like Dibbern, Guaxs, or Orrefors Kosta Boda – adds layers of texture and typology. Their interplay highlights the multifaceted nature of contemporary hospitality spaces, where dining, lounging, working and arrival zones increasingly blend. Meanwhile, lifestyle-oriented names such as Designletters, Gardeco Objects, Muubs and Philippi contribute a more expressive, tactile element that appeals to the detail-oriented mindset of architects and interior designers.

In Hall 3.0, exhibitors including Hübsch, Lübech Living and Max Benjamin extend the conversation into decorative and atmospheric design, rounding out a hall that has become a reliable source of project-ready inspiration. Rather than a single aesthetic position, it offers a curated panorama: one that mirrors the layered realities of contemporary hospitality and its blending of lifestyle and long-term performance.

Guest Feature by Claire Brodka / Architonic

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