Polish Design Forum: Locality. A special event in the making

We have signed a cooperation agreement with the Łódź Voivodeship. From 5 to 11 October 2026 we invite you to a special event devoted entirely to Polish design, craft and the local. Full programme and open calls: 1 September 2026.

“Polish Design Forum: Locality” is our chance to work on the subject we consider most important in Polish design right now. We understand locality broadly: as craft, tradition, material and the history of a place, all of which can be used to build something contemporary. At the same time we are working on the future anniversary edition of Łódź Design Festival.

The agreement was signed at Fuzja by Joanna Skrzydlewska, Marshal of the Łódź Voivodeship, and Michał Piernikowski, Director of Łódź Design Festival.

What we are preparing

The programme will feature design and craft from across the region: Opoczno striped textiles, ceramics from Bolimów and many less obvious threads.

Among other things we are preparing the exhibition “Wool. Local Sources and Potential”, showing both kilims and surprising uses of the material. The second exhibition, “With Tenderness. Contemporary Polish Design and Heritage”, will gather twenty objects and collections whose makers draw on traditional craft techniques, local iconography and native materials. After Łódź we will show it at Barcelona Design Week, 22–24 October 2026. The programme also includes other events and presentations: talks, a conference on the power of heritage, workshops in traditional techniques and reviews of regional materials and practices.

make me! with no age limit

Together with the Łódź Voivodeship we are preparing a special edition of the make me! competition under the theme “Heritage of the Future”. This time there is no age limit, so we invite designers, craftspeople, folk artists, design studios and companies. The brief: an object rooted in tradition, or a contemporary reinterpretation of it. The jury will select 20 to 40 projects for the post-competition exhibition.

Regional category

There is also an additional, optional call for an object promoting the Łódź Voivodeship, drawing on its culture, industry, nature and craft traditions. Entrants will choose one of two variants: a short, more exclusive run or production in a larger edition. The winning design has a real chance of going into production. Detailed conditions for both variants will be published together with the competition rules on 1 September.

Łódzki Nurt

An installation called “Łódzki Nurt” is taking shape at Fuzja and will be officially unveiled in October. It draws on Łódź’s rivers and the history of the site, combining light, materials and a layer of augmented reality.

“Locality does not mean shutting yourself in the past. We treat it as a resource for building contemporary, attractive and competitive design,” says Michał Piernikowski, Director of Łódź Design Festival.

What next

On 1 September 2026 we will publish the full programme, the complete make me! competition rules, and open the call for entries.