Business of Design Week (BoDW) 2025 to take place from 2 to 6 December with a special focus on Italian design excellence.
The 2025 edition of Business of Design Week (BoDW), Asia’s leading annual event dedicated to design, innovation, and creative industries, was officially presented to the press at the GuWei Museum in Hong Kong. This year’s edition will feature Italy as the Partner Country, highlighting the richness and dynamism of Italian design and creativity on the international stage.
Organised by the Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC), BoDW 2025 will be held from 2 to 6 December, with the support of the Hong Kong Government—specifically through the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA), the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), and InvestHK.
The Consul General of Italy in Hong Kong, Carmelo Ficarra, underscored in his opening address the strategic importance of promoting design, not only as an expression of creativity and lifestyle, but also as a key economic sector. Design, he noted, remains one of Italy’s most significant export assets and a central pillar of the evolving “Made in Italy” identity, where innovation, research, and tradition coexist harmoniously.
BoDW 2025 will host high-profile speakers and industry leaders, including acclaimed architects Michele De Lucchi, Carlo Ratti, Patricia Viel, and the iconic design studio Pininfarina. The programme will also feature contributions from representatives of internationally renowned Italian brands such as Ferragamo, Ducati, EssilorLuxottica, Molteni, Minotti, and Moroso.
The official programme will be complemented by Business of Design Week in the City, now in its second edition. Beginning on 27 November, the initiative will bring a series of design-focused installations and events to various locations throughout Hong Kong, engaging the wider public in a city-wide celebration of creativity.
With the support of the Italian Cultural Institute in Hong Kong, four emerging Italian designers—Lucia Massari, Jonathan Bocca, Gianmaria Della Ratta, and Giorgio Gasco—will participate in deTour 2025 – Design Festival, organised by PMQ and sponsored by CCIDA. The festival will run from 28 November to 7 December and aims to promote emerging talent and experimental design practices.
Two major thematic exhibitions promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation will also be featured during the event:
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FABRICa. Italian Textile and Innovation, curated by CMS Cultura with the support of Sistema Moda Italia, ACIMIT, and Confartigianato Imprese, will trace the history and evolution of Italian textile manufacturing;
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The Challenge – The Innovation of Italian Design in Sport, curated by the ADI Design Museum, will explore the intersection of design, sport, and technological innovation.
