HDW Main Venue: Suomitalo

This year, just like Helsinki Design Week, Design District Helsinki celebrates its 20th anniversary. Through Design District, the cornerstone of Helsinki design is within reach every single day of the year. The 20-year-old association brings together a diverse group of creative professionals – design, fashion, jewelry, vintage, antiques, art, restaurants, hotels, and other service providers. Design District Helsinki will take the stage at Suomitalo with a discussion program on creative entrepreneurship (in Finnish). Anna Tiula, board member of Design District Helsinki, will be joined by Salli Raeste, PR and communications expert of Gigle. In the creative field, entrepreneurial roles rarely stay the same for long. But stories – they matter. Together, we’ll explore what creative entrepreneurship and leadership look like right now, and what kind of voice we use to talk about it.

What could the world look like – not just what should it look like? Speculative design challenges present-day assumptions and opens doors to alternative futures. This lecture offers an inspiring introduction to the thinking and practices of speculative design. It is suitable for anyone interested in expanding the role of design as a catalyst for societal dialogue. 45-minute lecture + 15-minute discussion with Antero Kivikoski .

Discussion on the development of artificial intelligence in the public and private sectors and its impact on Finnish society and citizens.
How can Finland maintain its competitiveness in AI development compared to other countries? How can equality and accessibility be ensured, so that the digital divide does not deepen and overall wellbeing does not decline? Transparency and explainability in algorithms – how much does a citizen have the right to know? The impact of automation and AI on jobs: will Finland create new employment opportunities or lose existing ones? The EU AI Act and its effects in Finland – what is the right balance between promoting innovation and protecting citizens? How can trust in AI be built? Involving citizens in the development process as a means of empowerment and reducing fears – technology should not only come from the top down, but also grow from the grassroots level.

Panelists: Hannu Ikäheimo, Director of the Democracy Innovations Programme, Sitra; Pekka Horo, CEO, Reaktor; third to be announced shortly. Moderator: Jarkko Kailanto, Principal Coach and Trainer, Reaktor. More details can be found here.

Cucina Povera LIVE

The question of the soul has fascinated people throughout history. It is associated with many different beliefs and philosophies. The discussion on the Suomitalo stage will consider whether an object or a work of art can have a soul or spirit. Why are some objects beloved and others even repulsive? By better understanding the spiritual values of objects and works of art, we can form a more sustainable relationship with the environment, ourselves and each other. Spirituality is one of the central concepts of human existence. The aim of The Sense of Spirituality exhibition trilogy and the related discussion is to be part of a new kind of value system, where spiritual values have greater social significance.

The discussion will be moderated by Jussi Laine, interior architect, designer and co-founder of NEMO architectural office. Discussing The Sense of Spirituality exhibition are Piia Jalkanen (designer, interior architect, curator, teacher), Aimo Katajamäki (graphic designer, visual artist), Anna Pirkola (designer, curator, AD) and Merileena Reunanen (ceramic artist, graphic designer, psychologist).

The Sense of Spirituality exhibition is a partnership event of HDW and will be held at Studio Bom from 11 to 14 September. The exhibition examines spiritual phenomena of our time. The theme of the final part of the exhibition trilogy is the soul and it takes its visitors deep into the spiritual and experiential dimensions of design.

In conversation with Stine Liv Buur (Vitra).

Stine Liv Buur has worked at Vitra since 2013 in the role of Design Manager Classics. In this position, she is responsible for developing the company’s collection of classic furniture and interior objects, as well as for collaborating with renowned design families, including those of Charles and Ray Eames, Jean Prouvé and Verner Panton. Stine holds a PhD with a background in architecture. Her research focuses on the concepts of luxury, quality, and modern furniture history. Alongside her work at Vitra, she is an accomplished author and design researcher, contributing to numerous book and article publications as well as exhibitions at the Vitra Design Museum.

CIRCLE invites six compelling societal voices to gather around the same table to discuss life’s big questions – such as money, love, power, beauty, and sustainable living.

Speakers: Leena Huovinen, Helmi Kekkonen, Susani Mahadura, Hassan Maikal, Tero Saarinen ja Julia Thurén.

The discussion topics are revealed to the participants only once seated at the table. In front of each speaker lies an envelope containing a single word. The conversation begins when someone chooses to open the first envelope. The revealed word sets the starting point for the dialogue. Anyone at the table can shift the evening’s direction by opening a new envelope.

CIRCLE offers a rare opportunity to witness a profound and honest exchange of ideas, free from roles and pretence. The opening remarks will be delivered by Jani Toivola, founder and artistic director of the TOIVOLA Festival. After the circle, the audience will also have the chance to join the conversation, reflecting on the themes and insights that emerge. You are warmly welcome to join the shared circle of discussion.

The Finnish National Museum is the national museum of cultural history, responsible for the country’s most extensive cultural-historical collections and for exhibitions and public activities at its museum sites across Finland. One of these is the National Museum in Töölö, Helsinki, where a major extension – providing facilities for diverse, modern and high-quality museum activities – represents the largest renewal project in the museum’s more than hundred-year history.

The new section, to be constructed mainly underground, together with the renovation of the historic building, constitutes the most significant state-funded cultural investment of our time. The renewed museum complex will open to the public in spring 2027.

The discussion features Dr Elina Anttila, Director General of the Finnish National Museum, and architect Samuli Miettinen, founding partner of JKMM Architects.

During the spring of 2025, Aalto university’s Fashion, Clothing and Textile Design (FaCT) MA students completed a group design project, where each group was assigned a chair by legendary designer Yrjö Kukkapuro as a starting point for a three look collection. Each group was also tasked to construct one look from cotton, for which they received fabrics provided by DOV, an Inter-Branch Organization of Greek Cotton. The results are not only visual interpretations of Kukkapuro’s chairs, but careful investigations of the purposes of the chairs and their relationship to the human body.

The seminar consists of a presentation of EU COTTON by Panos Sofianos, Cotton Expert of the EU COTTON team, and a panel discussion about the results of the project with Giorgos Kitras, representative of EU COTTON,  Isa Kukkapuro-Enbom, producer and writer, and Aalto FaCT students who participated in the project. Welcoming words and moderation by Ervin Latimer, professor of practice in fashion practice at Aalto University.

The project was a part of Fashion Collection Project, an elective course in FaCT studies at Aalto, and made possible by EU COTTON, a three-year European Union-funded promotional program aimed at raising awareness about European Sustainable Cotton.

A conversation about the future of Fashion Design. Speakers include Stina Randestad, Tilde Herold Winther and Juha Vehmaanperä. Following the talk, a fashion show will take place. More details can be found here.

The themes of the HAPPINESS Main Exhibition will be discussed in a symposium with international keynote speakers, more details can be found here. The symposium is arranged in collaboration with the City of Helsinki, to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of HDW.

The final conversation of the Symposium will be between the Helsinki Design Award Winner and the Chief Design Officer of the City of Helsinki, Hanna Harris. The award is a joint project between The City of Helsinki and HDW, this year highlighting the 20th anniversary of the festival. More details can be found here.

A hugely popular evening event where five architects each give a talk about their favourite residential building or apartment. Only projects designed by their colleagues will be presented. Speakers include Pekka Pakkanen, Miina Kontuniemi, Jouni Kaipia, Maiju Suomi and Aaro Artto. More details can be found here.

Designers play a key role in shaping the future via the creation of products, services and strategies. In this panel discussion, we invited design educators and practitioners to share their perspectives on adopting futures perspectives into design. 

Panelists:
Susanna Björklund (LAB University of Applied Sciences) – Teacher responsible for the Future Foresight course  

Namkyu Chun (Aalto University) – Teacher responsible for the Design Futures course  

Minna Vigren (LUT University) – Researcher in the Imagining Sustainable Digital Futures project  

Anni Leppänen (Futures Mundane, Falay Transition Design) – Designer working with futures integration  

Moderators / moderaattorit :
Paulo Dziobczenski, Jenni Niemelä-Nyrhinen – Design for Futures Research Group at LAB University 

Saturday evening begins in the company of Moomin Arabia’s designers.
HDW’s Programme Director, Anni Korkman, will be joined by Parvati Pillai, senior illustrator of the beloved Moomin mugs and ceramics, and Annika Tickle, Moomin Arabia’s Head of Design & Creative. What is it about the world of the Moomins that continues to inspire year after year, and what opportunities does Tove Jansson’s rich body of work offer contemporary designers? The quickest guests will receive a Moomin Arabia gift bag.

Helsinki Design Night will be held as the grand finale of HDW in the attic of Suomitalo, the festival’s main venue.

Read more about the event here.
Please note that tickets must be bought separately.

RE:SONANCE is a DJ-led sound meditation experience focused on deep listening to music and full-body relaxation. During the session, guests are invited to lie down and be immersed in body tingling soundscapes, calming scents, and simple grounding techniques. No previous experience needed. Soft surfaces and pillows provided, just bring comfortable clothes with you. Hosted by DJ Essi Eirene.

Register by filling out the form below. Please note that an entry ticket must be purchased separately. You can buy a Sunday ticket or a Festival Pass for Helsinki Design Week’s main venue, Suomitalo, here.