SHANGHAI --(ASIA TODAY)-- China’s leading international consumer goods trade fair, Interior Lifestyle China, opens in Shanghai next month for the 10th time, with some of the industry’s leading companies confirmed to take part. As the country’s only trade event focused solely on the mid-range and premium sectors, it attracts some of the best brands from China and abroad, with around 380 exhibitors from 14 countries & regions featuring at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre from 20 to 22 September 2016.
Five overseas country and region pavilions will feature this year from the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Korea and Taiwan. In the German Pavilion, well-known brands such as Leonardo, BWT water + more, Wesco and Fashy take part, while new participants Felix Solingen and Warimex will look to make their mark in the Chinese market. Felix Solingen is one of the oldest knife manufacturers in the world, and their products have won a Gold iF Product Design Award amongst others in the past. Warimex will bring their Stoneline® range of cookware to the fair which is refined year after year to ensure it features up-to-date technology.
The Italian Pavilion also houses some of the country’s biggest brands such as Alluflon and TVS, while newcomer to the fair Mopita also joins. Mopita is a relatively new manufacturer of kitchenware products that are entirely made in Italy. The Czech Republic Pavilion features amongst its participants Moser which was founded in 1857. Their luxury crystal products have graced the halls of royalty throughout the world, making them known as the ‘Crystal of Kings’.
Other overseas exhibitors, as well as top Chinese brands, are grouped by the fair’s three main product categories: Dining, Giving and Living. In the Living section, Bellaluna-home is returning after a successful debut at last year’s fair. With their brand Alessi, they have become one of the leading producers of Italian design over their 95 years of existence. Dutch firm Brabantia will showcase a wide range of timeless products for the kitchen and home, while two Chinese distributors will also offer an extensive selection of overseas brands – Genesis with the brands Timolino, Asvel, Oster and Trudeau, and LivingKitchen with KitchenAid, Blendtec, Microplane, Sage, Lightair, WESCO and Anchor. A number of new Chinese companies are in this year’s Living section, including Mexarts with its high-end home solutions for urban elite. Using Japanese and Danish designers, they follow a design concept which combines functionality with comfort to create products that are sold in Europe, Asia and Australia. LAVIE HOME is another new participant offering everything from bedding, furniture, bath & toilet appliances and fragrances to children’s products, carpets, decorations and stationery.
The Dining section also includes a mix of long-standing and new exhibitors, as well as the best from China and overseas. Bilbran, which is returning for the sixth time, is one of China’s largest household goods importers and cooperates with more than 100 international lifestyle brands to offer over 100,000 lifestyle products. New exhibitor TDHH Network will present two American brands at the fair: Lodge and OXO. Lodge is currently the only cast iron cookware company with a production plant in the US, while the well-known OXO brand is famous for its easy use.
Kitchenspring from Taiwan now has over 110 locations in Mainland China and Taiwan, and will feature the Danish SCANPAN-brand of cookware again this year. The UK is also well represented this year. The Portmeirion Group will be showcasing its iconic British brands Portmeirion, Spode & Royal Worcester, while new exhibitor Denby has been making pottery in the English countryside for over 200 years, and will showcase premium stoneware ranges at the fair. And French brand Peugeot will also be at the fair with its range of dining and giving products that are exported to more than 80 countries.
In the Giving category, a wide range of products is on offer. Keiki Kids is showcasing brands for trendy baby and toddler products including ifefactory, aden + anais, ZoLi, Sistema, Modern – twist, Zoku, MyNatural, Zoobug, UPPAbaby and BuggyLOVE. And first-time exhibitor Heshi Baineng is a fragrance distributor with brands including Yankee Candle and Greenleaf from the UK as well as Ashleigh & Burwood from the UK.
Fair’s theme ‘Encounter the Beauty of Life’ a central part of fringe programme featuring new events and displays
Interior Lifestyle China has always been about more than just the products, with the fair’s fringe programme again including new features to ensure it provides participants with the most relevant information. In a special event to mark the fair’s 10th anniversary, a display area and forum named ‘The Way of Life’ will be the showpiece of the fringe programme. Alan Chan, Qu Guangci, Ben Wu and Zhong Song, prestigious Chinese artists and designers, will meet to interpret, from their distinctive perspectives, the dual meaning of ‘Dong Xi’ – a Chinese word which refers to everyday objects, as well as implies the cultural integration of the East and West.
The fair’s overarching theme for this year, ‘Encounter the Beauty of Life’, is another focus point of the fringe programme. This theme reflects the fact that in China the consumption of food in high-end venues outside of the home is growing, and that people can ‘Encounter the Beauty of Life’ in well-designed restaurants, cafes and bars. Further elaborating on this idea, the Theme Display Area follows a concept of ‘Culture meets Gourmet’ and features both a working restaurant and conceptual displays. This setup allows the Area to combine dining experiences from different cultures with products related to food.
With dining culture – including the presentation of dishes, the setting of a table and the packaging of a product – such an important topic for the industry, the ‘You Look Delicious’ Design Display features at the fair for the first time. A number of domestic and overseas designers have created products that focus on topics such as tableware design, organic food products and packaging display forms. These designers will also be on-hand to interact with visitors to explain their creations and discuss these topics.
Following on from this idea is the Tmall Global Celebration of Houseware. Tmall, owned by the Alibaba Group, is China’s largest B2C online retail marketplace with a market share of around 50 per cent, and is the fair’s exclusive e-commerce partner. In this area, visitors will be able to eat and converse with star guest chefs and celebrities while enjoying special dishes made by them. Participants can learn how to cook the dishes themselves, all the while experiencing well-designed, high-technology kitchenware from all over the world, and using tableware with Eastern and Western originality to enjoy a delicacy for the soul.
Jury for Home Style Award by iF confirmed
After the success of this award last year, which saw the debut cooperation between Interior Lifestyle China and iF DESIGN ASIA Ltd, the 2016 edition returns as the only competition of its kind in China’s household products industry. The award is a chance for participants to increase their profile in the Chinese and Asian markets. The recently confirmed jury for the award comprises some of the industry’s leading experts, including:
• Rossana Hu (Taiwan): co-founder of neri&hu design and research, she also established Design Republic and was named one of the ‘40 under 40’ designers in Greater China by PESPECTIVE magazine.
• Nicolette Naumann (Germany): as Vice President Ambiente, Nicolette is responsible for the leading consumer goods show in the world as well as the expansion of the Ambiente brand on an international level.
• Mark Sanders (UK): founder and managing director of MAS Design Products, Mark began his career as an engineer at Rolls Royce and now teaches design at different universities around the world.
• Gen Suzuki (Japan): founder of Gen Suzuki Studio, Gen has won numerous international awards, including iF Design Awards and the Good Design awards. He was also featured in The Independent as one of the young designers to watch.
• Eddie Wei (Taiwan): Assistant Vice President & Director of Product Design of Taiwanese firm Test Rite International, which owns the retail brand HOLA.
• Jamy Yang (China): founded Yang Design in 2005, a forward-thinking design consultancy, as well as YANG DESIGN MUSEUM in 2013, China’s first private industrial design museum. He is also a guest professor at Tongji University.
More information about the awards can be found here: http://ifworlddesignguide.com/home-style.
Interior Lifestyle China 2016 is organised by Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd. For more information about the fair, please visit http://interior-lifestyle-china.hk.messefrankfurt.com.
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Media contact
Liam Rodden
Tel +852 2230 9217
liam.rodden@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com
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