W Hotels Worldwide continues its successful collaboration with Design Miami/ Basel with the announcement of the 2011 Designers of the Future Award. This event marks the second occasion that the two organisations have collaborated on the award, having announced the coveted award along with their partnership at Salone del Mobile in Milan one year ago.The Designers of the Future Award, originally launched by Design Miami/ Basel in 2006, recognises young, emerging designers whose work reflects exceptional innovation and beauty in limited-edition design. The winners will go on to present their special commissions at Basel in June. W Hotels, a leader in design and innovation, further backs the award by allowing for the award winners to carry out their legacy in various W Hotels around the world.
“We are very excited to take the partnership with Design Miami/ Basel and the W Hotels Designer of the Future Award into its second year,” said Eva Ziegler, Global Brand Leader of W Hotels Worldwide and Le Méridien. “Recognising the W Hotels Designers of the Future in Milan during the Salone del Mobile and presenting their projects at Design Miami/ Basel in June is a great introduction to the next stage of their careers.”
The 2011 “W Hotels Designers of the Future Award” looks beyond traditional product and furniture design, seeking work that is truly groundbreaking and innovative. This year, the recognised designers draw inspiration from “Conversation Pieces,” a theme provided to the design candidates by Design Miami/ Basel. The 2011 Award winners include: UK-based designer Asif Khan, Austrian design team Mischer’Traxler, and Studio Juju in Singapore.
The 2011 Designers of the Future international jury was comprised of Wava Carpenter, Associate Director, Design Miami/; Aric Chen, Beijing Design Week; Li Edelkoort, Edelkoort Inc.; Marcus Fairs, Editor-in-Chief, Dezeen.com; Alexis Georgacopoulos, Director of the Ecole cantonale d’art de Lausanne; Constance Rubini, School of Decorative Arts, Paris; Kenya Hara, Creative Director, Muji; Konstantin Grcic, KGID; Zoe Ryan, Art Institute of Chicago; and Mike Tiedy, SVP, Global Brand Design & Innovation, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc, W’s parent company.
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