France Design Week takes flight

Last September, the whole French territory was resonating on a design frequency: companies, studios, associations, schools, and public institutions organized exhibitions, round-tables and open houses under the same banner –  “France Design Week”. The aim of this unique event, which will be repeated every year, is to build a national dynamic around French design all over the country. The idea was born during the “2019 Design Conference”, held under the auspices of the Ministries of Culture, Economy and Finance, in the presence of many representatives of this eco-system. France Design Week is held in September, at the same time as Paris Design Week, which is enthusiastically associated with it, even though the organizations are separate. FDW is supported by APCI, the Agency for the Promotion of Design, which is recognized as being of public utility. Dominique Sciamma, its president, looks back on this "number zero" that emerged with considerable energy, despite the first lockdown. He talks about the next edition that will take place September 7 to 28.

Six months after the first France Design Week, what is your assessment?

First of all, it was a triumph that this edition simply existed! We held our first meeting two days before the first lockdown, but the lockdown didn't stop anything. What is extraordinary is the tenacity and the continuous enthusiasm of the participants to make this first edition happen despite everything. There was a feeling that we were doing something important, something that had never been done before and that made a lot of sense.

In concrete terms, what happened?

More than 250 events were organized throughout the thirteen French regions and 60 cities. It was the first time that design was talked about all over the country, and not just in Paris. The particularity of our organization is that the APCI does not finance anything; it simply coordinates and creates a common signature. In terms of the rest, everything done out in the field is conducted independently. In each region, organizations are promoting the event: Lyon City demain and the Cité du Design in Lyon, the Ecole de Design Nantes Atlantique in Pays de Loire...The participants are not executors; they are the generators of a national and local event. They’ve been clever. The projects were financed by corporate sponsorship or territorial communities.

Who is France Design Week aimed at?

We want to make all fields of design shine, which obviously concerns spaces and objects, but also the design of organizations and strategies. Everyone must realize that design is not just beautiful, but also useful. It creates value and is a vector of economic, social, cultural, and environmental development. In this sense, we are addressing the public, but particularly companies and institutions that have much to gain by adopting this vision for the benefit of the inhabitants of their region.

What will the 2021 edition look like?

We have a greater ambition. We’ve received grants from the Ministry of Culture and are looking for sponsors. JC Decaux is already providing us with a number of billboards in 60 cities. We’ve gone from a budget of zero to several hundred thousand euros.  We’ll provide the regions with a large amount of signage, with the beautiful identity created by the Lonsdale agency. And lastly, the event's website has been developed, and everyone can be listed on it.  Applications are open. We want this to be one of the great events of the year. In addition, we’re working with the French Institute to make France Design Week available internationally. We’ll be in Milan when the show is held in September, if all goes well. We’re thinking about participating in other Design Weeks around the world: we’re thinking big!

Photo: France Design week 2020 ©Léonard de Serres