The 2025 edition of Singapore Design Week takes the theme Nation by Design, celebrating how design has shaped Singapore into a liveable, loveable city
Singapore Design Week (SDW) is back, bigger, bolder and bursting with creativity. From the buzzing hub at the National Design Centre to immersive experiences across Bras Basah.Bugis, Marina Bay, Orchard and Singapore Science Park, SDW 2025 brings design to every corner of the city. This year’s theme, Nation by Design, celebrates how design has shaped Singapore into a liveable, loveable city, from housing and healthcare to sustainability and community.
Two new festival commissions will spotlight Singapore’s brand of creativity that turns limitations into opportunities. The Unnatural History Museum of Singapore at the National Design Centre, led by Pann Lim, co-founder and creative director of creative agency Kinetic Singapore, will reframe the nation’s past 60 years of development. This unconventional exhibition explores how the city-state flourishes through deliberate planning and bold design despite its lack of natural resources. The journey extends to NAFA’s Fashion Gallery with The Sausage of the Future: Singapore Edition. Building on Zurich-based Dutch designer and researcher Carolien Niebling’s investigation into one of mankind’s first-ever designed foods, this commission presents a selection of innovative sausages inspired by Singapore’s vibrant culinary culture and food security needs.
The Design Futures Forum returns on 17 September at the Victoria Theatre. Led by curators Aric Chen, director of the Zaha Hadid Foundation, and Ong Ker-Shing, co-founder and director of Lekker Architects, the forum will draw from the theme Braving Complexities, discussing the role of design in addressing immense challenges and unprecedented opportunities at the intersection of sustainability, emerging technologies and care.
Returning to Marina Bay Sands for its fourth edition, FIND – Design Fair Asia takes place from 11 to 13 September. Organised by Dmg events and Fiera Milano, the fair continues to bring together the best of East and West in the world of design. This year’s edition will feature over 300 international brands and a vibrant line-up of country pavilions. Emerge @ Find also returns as part of the fair with a new Singaporean co-curator, Edwin Low, founder of Supermama, joining Suzy Annetta, founding editor-in-chief of Design Anthology. This year’s edition will showcase over 100 works from more than 70 established and emerging designers.
Following its successful outing at Milan Design Week 2025, Future Impact 3: Design Nation returns for its highly anticipated homecoming at the National Museum of Singapore. This third instalment of the Future Impact series introduced Hunn Wai of Lanzavecchia + Wai as the first Singaporean co-curator, alongside Tony Chambers and Maria Cristina Didero. The showcase is presented in three parts, presenting works that demonstrate how design enhances the world we live in and how we live in it.
Complementing these will be an array of ground-up programmes by over 60 design community partners island-wide, ranging from exhibitions and talks to pop-ups and workshops.