What ICFF Brand Directors are Most Excited About for 2025

This year’s theme is “Designing in Harmony”—can each of you describe an exhibitor or a collection that you think illustrates the theme in an innovative way?

Odile Hainaut (OH): I would like to highlight the Bespoke area of the Fair. The companies featured there are good examples of Designing in Harmony through their deep commitment to craftsmanship, sustainability, and meaningful collaboration. At the heart of their work is the partnership between designers and skilled artisans—relationships built on mutual respect and a shared vision of quality and longevity.

Each piece produced is meticulously handmade, reflecting an extraordinary level of skill and care. This attention to detail extends to the materials used: many are locally sourced, natural, and selected with both aesthetic value and environmental impact in mind. The use of such materials ensures a lower ecological footprint while also supporting local economies and preserving regional knowledge.

Most of all, these objects are not created for fast consumption. Their beauty, functionality, and heritage make them pieces to be treasured, appreciated, and passed down through generations. This approach offers a model of sustainability that values permanence, story, and connection. These companies are designing in harmony not only with nature but also with culture, time, and community—making them powerful examples of what sustainable, conscious design can look like in practice.

How do you both define what it means to design “in harmony”? What makes good, harmonious design, and is it always human-centered?

OH: The notion of designing in harmony extends beyond aesthetic choices or technical solutions—it is a mindset rooted in respect for both people and the environment. It requires empathy and creativity, not only to solve problems but to envision possibilities that uplift human experiences while preserving ecological balance.

It also demands curiosity—a willingness to explore unfamiliar perspectives, cultures, materials, and systems, and to ask deeper questions about the impact of design choices. Harmonious design is grounded in knowledge: of environmental systems, social dynamics, materials, technologies, and the connections between all these factors.

Claire Pijoulat (CP): Designing in harmony is a philosophy that calls on designers to be thoughtful, responsible, and deeply aware of their influence in shaping the world. Finding harmony across yourself, your team, and your company’s values often requires ongoing reflection, clear communication, and alignment between internal purpose and external action. We see great examples of this approach with many of the exhibitors, sponsors, and partners we work with.

The 2025 fair will feature a fresh floorplan; how does the new design support not only exhibition circulation but thoughtful dialog?

OH: Instead of a tiring succession of booths and hallways, visitors will discover multiple destinations under one roof, offering a more organic yet curated experience. Their visit will be punctuated by engaging stops designed to spark curiosity, such as activation spaces, lounges, and a talk area. Additional zones will also be available for rest, intimate conversations, or meetings.

CP: We started this work a couple of years ago and it’s been very well received. So, we were continuing to push a bit more every year. We are working with RADS, Rodolfo Agrella Design Studio, on designing an experience that brings people together, creating more areas for human interactions. Attendees will enjoy spending time at ICFF.

What defines ICFF’s distinct voice in the ever changing and increasingly more-crowded calendar of design fairs?

OH: ICFF is the only trade-focused design event in New York City that brings together both emerging designers and established brands from around the world—all under one roof—while still shining a strong spotlight on American design. Although it attracts the largest audience, we’ve approached the event creatively to maintain a human scale, with a convivial and hospitality-driven atmosphere. ICFF blends design culture with the business of design, allowing everyone to experience the event’s soul, enjoy themselves, and ultimately create meaningful connections that lead to business opportunities and success stories.

CP: Since WANTED has been added to ICFF, the event is truly unique—bringing together culture and commerce, emerging and established designers and brands, with a rich program exploring diversity, sustainability, business, innovation.

For those interested in sustainable and circular design, what are some highlights to look out for at this year’s show?

CP: We invite visitors to especially explore the Look Book area with multiple studios who are particularly focusing on sustainability and circular design. I am thinking of rug studio Cicil, as well as Ian Love Design, Lauren Goodman, Samuel Aguirre of Samindaman, or MushLume design to name a few.

Also to highlight Vestre, who is a sponsor of the WANTED area with their new bench Tellus. In 2024, it was announced that the Norwegian urban furniture manufacturer Vestre would become the first furniture company in the world to use SSAB’s 100 percent fossil-free steel. Now, Vestre presents the result of the collaboration: the bench Tellus, designed by the multiple award-winning and celebrated Swedish designer Emma Olbers, who long has pushed the issue of sustainability in the design industry. Vestre is also a furnishing partner of The Oasis space, where visitors should be able to attend talks including “How Sensory Design Shapes Inclusive Spaces,” presented with Turf and hosted by METROPOLIS senior editor and engagement manager, Francisco “Pancho” Brown.

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