_exhibitions

The Festival exhibitions included e.g.:

• “EverCity”, curators: Katarzyna Ludwisiak, Michał Piernikowski 

• “Idea>Form>Brand / The Polish Design Forum”, curators: Bogusława Bronowicka, Michał Piernikowski
• “Charades. The Weaving Mystery”, curators: Magdalena Gołębiewska, Zaria Mielińska, Ewa Alexandrowicz
• “Pojęcia / Concepts”, curator: dr hab. Agnieszka Ziemiszewska
• “FORMA³”, curatorial team composed of: Bluba Studio, Derive, Gibki Design, Lines & Lines, NOWO by Oliwia Ledzinska, OBJ, UAU, Yam Yest Design
• “Material LAB”, curators: dr hab. Anna Pohl, dr Katarzyna Pełka-Bura
• “Art of Observing Art”, curator: Paweł Pomorski
• “Project Bulwa”, curators: Arkadiusz Szwed, Maria Krześlak-Kandziora
• “Beyond the Senses: Exploring Perception”, curators: dr hab. Patrycja Ochman, Daria Wyrębska
• “The Experience Project”, curator: Dominika Krogulska-Czekalska, with support from Anna Grabowska and Paulina Soltyszewska
• “The Human Garden. Katarzyna Moczulska’s paintings in the context of applied art projects: Pani Jurek, Roman Modzelewski, Arkadiusz Szwed, Oskar Zięta”, curator: Adriana Usarek
• “House for Culture”, curator: Yuval Yasky

_make me! 

The 18th edition of the international make me! competition in 2025 received 221 entries, including from Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Germany, Slovakia, South Korea, Estonia, Italy, Slovenia, Montenegro, Romania, Taiwan, Croatia, Hungary, Kosovo, Spain, Iceland. For the finals, the jury composed of: Kamil Białas, Maciej Głowacki, Maja Musznicka-Janiec, Agnieszka Polkowska, Jacek Ryn, Michał Piernikowski, selected 26 projects. The finalists competed for a total prize pool of PLN 50,000 from Lodz Design Festival, LPP and Interprint. The post-competition exhibition make me! 2025 – Innovation Labo, designed by Katarzyna Ludwisiak, was presented at the Festival Center in the Art_Inkubator at the Fabryka Sztuki in Łódź. The sponsor of the prizes in the make me! competition was the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

The winner were:

• 1st place and a cash prize of PLN 15.000: UNI – Objects that support social interactions in local urban spaces, design: Angelika Brzóska (Poland)
• 2nd place [Ex aequo] and cash prize of PLN 10.000: Stabilizing harness for dogs with behavior disorders during basic veterinary care, design: Agnieszka Szmyd (Poland)
• 2nd place [Ex aequo] and cash prize of PLN 10.000: Sono, design: Konstantin Diehl (German)
• LPP Award and cash prize in the amount of PLBN 10.000: Zmiana (Change), design: Dawid Fik (Poland)
• INTERPRINT Polska Award and cash prize in the amount of PLN 5.000: UMA – tableware that boosts taste, design: (Żaneta Korsak, Paweł Lasota) (Poland)

_must have 

266 products were submitted for the 15th edition of the 2025 plebiscite, and the Board of Experts, consisting of: Kamil Białas, Anna Chwalińska, Agnieszka Gruszczyńska-Hyc, Anna Grużewska, Krzysztof Miruć, Michał Piernikowski, Hanna Rydlewska, awarded the must have quality mark to 65 of them, which respond to the needs of modern users, combining aesthetics, functionality and responsibility. An exhibition presenting selected finalists of the plebiscite, which was designed by the Ferwor design studio, was held at the Festival Center in the Art_Inkubator at the Fabryka Sztuki in Łódź.

The plebiscite celebrated its 15th anniversary. On this occasion, the Łódź Art Center Foundation – the organizer of the Łódź Design Festival – established two special anniversary awards. The first, funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, went to Maja Ganszyniec – a designer whose consistent approach to design and numerous awards make her one of the most important figures in contemporary design in Poland. The second award went to the Noti brand – a manufacturer that has won the most must have titles over the years, becoming a symbol of quality and innovation.

_events and guests

During 19th ŁDF took place e.g.:

• ARCHIBLOK, 10th anniversary of the event, guests: Flip Springer, Aleksandra Kulinska, Agnieszka Labus, Magdalena Milert, Jakub Szczęsny, Marcin Wojciech Żebrowski
• Design Polish design, guests: Agnieszka Polkowska, Tomasz Pydo, Rene Wawrzkiewicz, Ewa Golębiewska, Aleksandra Szymańska, Monika Głowacka.

• Talents – Elle Decoration talks, guests: Anna Chwalińska, Aleksandra Żeromska, Mateusz Machalski, Katarzyna Borkowska, Tomasz Pydo.

• Design is our common language, guests: Michal Piernikowski, design studio BAZA, design studio 2×3 Studiio

• Accessibility-washing: when is “accessibility” just a facade? How is it that we delight in designs “for all” that in practice are not so at all?, presenters: Magdalena Storozhenko-Polak, Blanka Przedpełska

• Project for Life: the Interior Design Profession, guests: Justyna Siejka, Anna Olga Chmielewska, Aleksander Jankowski, Magda Koziej, Paweł Sokół, SAW Association members, representatives of Home&Living brands

• Who I am and how I design, presenters: Anna Olga Chmielewska, Małgorzata Szczepańska, Edyta Paul, Justyna Siejka

• The future in space? It depends on who’s asking, presenter: SPLOT Institute

• “Urban Entity – Bring the City to Life” collage workshop, led by: Mateusz Sobierajski

• Building an accessible city – architecture and design workshop for children, leading: Magdalena Storożenko-Polak, Blanka Przedpełska

_festival 

The organization of the 19th Łódź Design Festival was possible thanks to the support of the Łódzkie Centrum Wydarzeń and the City of Łódź, under the honorary patronage of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The National Center for Culture was a co-organizer of the event. It was subsidized by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage within the framework of the Cultural Program of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2025. Partners included: Art_Inkubator at the Fabryka Sztuki, World Design Weeks, Centrum Rozwoju Przemysłów Kreatywnych, LAB 60+ Foundation, LPP, Inteprint Poland, Nowy Styl, Student Radio Żak of the Technical University of Lodz, ES System K, Akademickie Centrum Designu. Media patrons of the event included: Architektura-murator, Bizesmeble.pl, Czas na Wnętrze, Design.doc, Dom Wprost, Elle Decoration, Urządzamy.pl, Weranda, White MAD.