10 conferences
As a partner of Paris Design Week and within Paris Design Week Factory, Sébastien Maschino, editor-in-chief of FORMÆ magazine, has prepared a cycle of talks and workshops highlighting the challenges between design and materials. “Body, shapes, fictions: design and matter in mutation” from September 4 to 8 at Espace Commines. FORMÆ magazine is the leading press title devoted to materials, know-how and creativity in the fields of design and interior architecture.
+ 4 conferences
Organized by Paris Design Week partners: Guatemala Project, Salsola Design, Villa Albertine and ESDAC.
17 rue Commines, Paris 03
Thursday 4 September — 3.pm-3:45pm
WEAVING THE FUTURE : TRADITION & INNOVATION IN GUATEMALA
CONFERENCE GUATEMALA PROJECT
Guatemala, with one of the richest weaving traditions in the West, is finding sustainable ways to innovate. This panel brings together designers and artisans to explore how heritage and creativity breathe new life into its textile legacy.
Andrea Carazo, Founder and head designer – Casa Edel
Olga Reiche, Founder – Índigo
Oneida Ivette Curruchich Curruchiche, Member of the Chi Xot (San Juan Comalapa) Weavers Council
Moderator: Bianka Espósito, Deputy Director General – Guatemalan Institute of Tourism – (INGUAT)
Thursday 4 septembre — 4.pm-4:45pm
THE INNER LANDSCAPE: CENTRAL ASIAN CRAFT, SPACE, AND BELONGING
CONFERENCE SALSOLA DESIGN
Furniture as a Vessel of Transformation and Emotional Continuity. Initiated by the agency Aube, this conversation brings together artisans and designers inspired by Central Asian cultures. Together, they explore how traditional craftsmanship can shape a contemporary, sensitive design language – one that carries memory, connection, and transformation.
Aigul Zhanserikova, Director, “Qazaq Oner” National Association (Kazakhstan) & Official representative of Kazakh traditional craftsmanship)
Askar Abdrakhmanov, Ambassador & Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Kazakhstan to UNESCO & Official representative of Kazakh traditional craftsmanship
Jamshid Tilyakov, Project Manager – “Hunarmand” Association (Uzbekistan) & Official representative of Uzbek traditional craftsmanship
Erica Zhou, Designer & Co-founder – Salsola Design Studio
Thursday 4 September — 5.pm-5:45pm
OPENING CONFERENCE
FORMÆ
The Meet Met Met collective is curating Paris Design Week’s Factory program for the second year running, showcasing emerging talents. This conference presents their approach to promote the new international design scene, and their interpretation of the theme Regeneration.
Thursday 4 September — 6.pm-6:45pm
WHEN DESIGN TELLS A STORY: CREATING SCENOGRAPHIC EXPERIENCES IN SPACES
FORMÆ
How can design become a narrative tool for brands? This workshop explores the way in which scenography creates immersive worlds in retail, between aesthetics, emotion and strategy.
Friday 5 September — 4.pm-4:45pm
CRAFTSPERSON, GAIN KEY INSIGHTS INTO THE AMERICAN MARKET WITH VILLA ALBERTINE
CONFERENCE VILLA ALBERTINE
To mark the launch of a new guide for craftspeople seeking to understand its dynamics, Villa Albertine, the French National Manufactories – Sèvres and the Mobilier National – invite you to take a first look into a market that is as demanding as it is full of promise.
Zoé Appy, Design & Craft Project Manager – Villa Albertine USA
Célina Blundell, Painter & Award Winner – Immersion 2025
Yann Mirada, Craftsmanship and Decorative Arts (Boston) / Cabinetmaker and Designer & 2025 Albertine Resident – Craftsmanship and Decorative Arts (Boston)
Moderator: Laetitia Nallet, Journaliste / Journalist
Friday 5 September — 5.pm-5:45pm
DESIGN & TRANSMISSION: HOW DO INSTITUTIONS COMBINE LEGACY AND CONTEMPORARY CREATION?
FORMÆ
Through concrete examples, this conference proposes a crossed look at the roles and strategies implemented by schools, institutions and museums to transmit savoir-faire, instruct new generations, promote design disciplines and diffuse their changes.
Friday 5 September — 6.pm-6:45pm
TOUCH, LIVE, FEEL: THE BODY AS DESIGN TERRITORY
FORMÆ
In an increasingly visual world, this workshop looks at the place of the body in contemporary design, between fashion, cosmetics, accessories and everyday objects. When the sensorial experience becomes central.
Saturday 6 September — 3.pm-3:45pm
FROM USEFUL OBJECT TO ICON: THE RISE OF DESIGN OBJECTS
FORMÆ
How does a simple object become a myth, a symbol of power and identity? The unexpected trajectories of everyday objects that, through the power of design, function, or culture, transcend functionality to become icons. A combined look at the esthetic, social, and media processes that elevate objects to legendary status.
Saturday 6 September — 4.pm-4:45pm
TEXTILE DESIGN: EXPRESSING VOLUMES, WITH MAAK & TRANSMETTRE
FORMÆ
How does textile transform our perception of space? From flat surfaces to moving volumes, four designers explore textiles as active materials in architecture, design and furnishings. This is also an opportunity for them to talk about their “On Texture” exhibition, on view during Paris Design Week.
Saturday 6 September — 5.pm-5:45pm
CREATIVE AFFINITIES: FASHION × DESIGN COLLABORATIONS
FORMÆ
From Saint Laurent × Charlotte Perriand to Aimé Leon Dore × La Marzocco, this workshop explores the motivations, challenges and effects of creative collaborations between fashion and design. Through case analyses and interactive discussions, participants will explore how these alliances shape new cultural, aesthetic and commercial narratives.
Sunday 7 September — 3.pm-3:45pm
STUDIO GGSV: TOPOGRAPHIES OF THE IMAGINARY – DESIGN, MATTER AND TRANSVERSE NARRATIVES
FORMÆ
Studio GGSV (Gaëlle Gabillet and Stéphane Villard) presents its singular approach to design, combining matter, narrative and artistic experimentation. Between objects, installations and narrative environments, GGSV develops a visual and conceptual language in which design becomes a terrain for critical, sensitive and poetic exploration.
Sunday 7 September — 4.pm-4:45pm
DESIRABLE OBJECTS: DESIGN IN THE DIGITAL ERA
FORMÆ
Social media have become real showcases, experimental territories and platforms for a new generation of designers and creators. This workshop presents the work of some key players and explores the trends in contemporary digital aesthetics.
Monday 8 September — 4.pm-4:45pm
THE INNOVATION AND FAST-MOVING EVOLUTION OF AI IN RELATION TO THE ART WORLD
CONFERENCE ESDAC
AI redefines artistic creation. Far from replacing, it augments the artist, opening unexplored horizons for expression. Tomorrow, art will be hybrid, questioning our perceptions and the very notion of a work. An aesthetic revolution is underway.
NEB, AI Artist
Benjamin Rittner, Co-founder – Artifex Lab
Moderator: Jael Petit-Fournier, Global designer and Creative Director
Monday 8 September — 5.pm-5:45pm
CROSSED VISIONS OF DESIGN: STORIES, EXPERIENCES AND CONTEMPORARY CHANGES
FORMÆ
This conference brings together major figures in contemporary design to explore the richness and variety of practices today. An inspiring, pluralistic exchange at the crossing of talents, skills and generations.