An array of collectible design pieces such as furniture, lighting and crafts are on display at Design Miami Seoul 2026 from Sept. 1-6 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in the capital's Jung-gu District. (Seoul Design Foundation)

By Uyen Nguyen

Design Miami Seoul 2026, a global festival featuring designs of artistic value, is being held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in the capital's Jung-gu District.

From Sept. 1-6, the event showcases the latest trends in contemporary design including lighting and crafts.

Last year, Seoul was the first Asian city to host the expo, and this year's edition promises an even larger scale and scope. The capital is the first stop on a global tour that goes to Paris next month and Miami in December.

Under the theme "Resonance: Design in Dialogue," the Seoul exhibition features a new program of six galleries from around the world, while the exhibition "In Situ" has expanded its reach beyond Korea to the wider Asian region. Brand collaboration exhibitions and design talks are also on the schedule.

The selections shown at the exhibition "In Situ" at Design Miami Seoul 2026 are (from left) Leje's "Me-in" line, Kim Byungsub's "Narrative 001," Yuki Nara's "Bone Flower" and Cho Soohyun's "Reconstructed Perspective." (Seoul Design Foundation)

"In Situ" displays about 80 works by 36 designers and studios. Emerging and established designers across fields including lighting, furniture, ceramics and sculptural design showcase the state of Asian design, spanning genres from traditional elements such as Hanok (traditional house) and mother-of-pearl lacquerware to cutting-edge technologies such as carbon fiber and 3D printing.

Leje, a domestic design studio that has created stage costumes for K-pop stars such as BLACKPINK's Jennie and "KPop Demon Hunters" singer EJAE, is showing its "Me In" at the event. Each piece is crafted by combining 3D-printed bases with mother-of-pearl inlay and natural lacquer, requiring around 300 hours of manual work to complete. 

The modular shelving system of the Belgian furniture maker Stack can be arranged freely depending on space and purpose. (Stack)

The Gallery Program features collectible designs that blend natural materials and light, modular furniture, traditional Korean materials and contemporary forms by domestic and global galleries and designers.

Led by Belgian architects Thomas Hick and Mo Vandenbergh, the Belgian furniture maker Stack has unveiled modular pieces made with screw-free, foldable aluminum components based on minimalist designs. The structure excludes unnecessary elements and can be expanded, reduced or reconfigured as needed.

Samsung Electronics' OLED TV SH95 displayed at Design Miami Seoul 2026 features custom frames showing works by Korean artists, transcending the conventional TV format to emerge as a work of art. (Uyen Nguyen)

Brand collaborations show the intersection of industrial design and art. Samsung Electronics' new collaborative series combines works by domestic artists with custom frames for the SH95, its first OLED TV model.

Integrating art and design into mass-produced, standardized products, the company shows its potential to transform such items into unique artworks that reflect individual tastes and identities.

Other programs include talks with domestic and foreign design experts. More information are on the Seoul Design Foundation's website (https://seouldesign.or.kr).

"Seoul is rising as a global hub for collectible design, bringing together designers, galleries and collectors from around the world," the foundation's CEO Cha Kang Heui on Aug. 31 told a news conference. "I hope this event is not only an opportunity to host world-class events but also globally promote more of Korea's outstanding young designers on the global stage."

A preview event of Design Miami Seoul 2026 on Aug. 31 is held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul's Jung-gu District. (Uyen Nguyen)