The world's most trendsetting meeting place, the SoHo neighborhood in New York City, added a touch of Estonian design

Last week marked the kickoff of NYCxDESIGN, North America's largest design week, with a lively party and a catwalk show. On Friday, an Estonian exhibition titled UPMADE IN ESTONIA and a pop-up store of the Estonian Design House were opened in SoHo, New York. Throughout the week, visitors can explore the creations of 30 Estonian designers at the brand-new gallery The Canvas in SoHo. 

New York Design Week brings together innovative designers from around the world. For the second consecutive year, the Estonian Design House is also represented at the festival. The festival provides a great platform to showcase Estonia’s success stories in sustainable design. The exhibition features a mini-version of the international touring exhibition UPMADE IN ESTONIA, demonstrating how old objects can be given new life. Exhibited works include Angela Orgusaare's jewelry made from broken auto glass, Urmas Lüüs's brooches from Soviet-era enamel pots, Laura Saksi's earrings made from eggshells, Sandra Luksi's clothing from denim lace, WOH's textile waste-based clothes hangers, and Raili Keivi's concrete and porcelain tableware — all showcasing the creativity and ingenuity of Estonian designers. 

At the grand opening of the showroom, a fashion show was held accompanied by Latin American rhythms, produced by local photographer Mauricio Zelaya and DJ Tiburon. Surya Vanka (President of the Industrial Designers Society of America, IDSA) also attended, and a long-term cooperation agreement between the two countries was signed during the event. Additionally, over the weekend, the Scandinavian House in New York hosted the "Baltic Design Exhibition," which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary, in collaboration with Lithuanian designers. Visitors had the opportunity to participate in textile workshops with Reet Aus and leatherwork workshops with Eva-Karlotta Tatar. The event was also attended by Madli-Liis Parts, the Estonian Republic’s cultural attaché in the USA, whose support continues to promote design diplomacy beyond the festival. 

Project leader Ilona Gurjanova mentioned that designers gain valuable feedback and international collaboration experience from foreign markets. The NYCxDESIGN festival offers Estonian designers a unique opportunity to showcase their design philosophy and strengthen international relations. Reet Aus, a researcher and designer at EKA, emphasizes the importance of the recently established contacts with New York universities such as Parsons, Pace, and NYU, to continue research collaborations and invite students to Estonia. The dialogue with these newly formed contacts will continue this fall at the Tallinn Design Festival, Disainiöö. 

Participating designers include: Reet Aus, Xenia Joost, Kirill Safonov, Stella Soomlais, Cärol Ott, Oksana Tandit, Karlotta, Sandra Luks, HYTI, Franz Raver, No(N)s, Luxe Hapsal, Helena Tikunova, Alpaka Design, Nordhale, TUUB, Tie & Apron, and Sokisahtel.