A select group of young designers from across Southeast Asia is poised to shine at EMERGE @ FIND Fair 2025 (11 to 13 September), the region’s premier showcase for cutting-edge modern Asian design. This fourth edition of EMERGE @ FIND — presented by the DesignSingapore Council (DSG) as part of FIND – Design Fair Asia — takes place in conjunction with Singapore Design Week 2025 (11 to 21 September) and features tomorrow’s design visionaries. Out of the 11,000-square-metre exhibition space within FIND – Design Fair Asia — where 250 brands representing nearly 20 countries will showcase products — a dedicated 800-square-metre exhibition zone for EMERGE @ FIND will be transformed into a dynamic representation of Asia’s creative future. The fair will house 100 works from 70 innovative designers from Indonesia to Vietnam.
At LUXUO, the remarkable creations of these trailblazing young designers and creators who utilise their craft as a storytelling tool are explored, boldly innovating to reimagine lifestyle solutions. Drawing on their diverse fields of expertise, cultural heritage and pressing global issues, they are creating works that push the boundaries of design, provoke thought and spark dialogue. Get ready to be inspired. The new blood representing the future of design is here — and it is everything but conventional.
Indonesia: Just Studio — “Keep Me Close” spoons
Just Studio — a Jakarta-based company founded by Jesslyn Sutisna — produces jewellery, furniture and home goods that are both aesthetically pleasing and functional. It emphasises deliberateness and slowness, which produce designs that are sincere and elegant. Each piece combines modern design with traditional craftsmanship through collaboration with local craftspeople.
An experimental line of sterling silver spoons and incense containers, the Silverware series employs the age-old lost-wax casting technique to explore liquid-like forms by utilising the material’s ability to take on irregular and organic shapes. Every piece begins as a piece of hand-carved wax. After that, it is manually cast, sanded and finished.
Indonesia: Studio Dapur — “Penjor” pendant lamps
Based in Singaparna, Indonesia, Studio Dapur is a design-led social enterprise founded by Mega Puspita. It collaborates closely with talented craftspeople in Mount Galunggung to produce premium home and kitchenware using sustainably harvested, locally grown bamboo. The environmentally friendly products foster environmental resilience and assist the community.
Inspired by the traditional penjor, which are curled and adorned bamboo poles found throughout Indonesia. Studio Dapur’s lamp features a bamboo dust paper lamp cover with upcycled bamboo strip ornamentation. It worked with Singaparna bamboo craftspeople to produce a product that combines contemporary practicality with Indonesian customs.
Indonesia: Zulyo Kumara — “Sangkar” rattan coffee table
Kumara’s multidisciplinary practice combines craftsmanship, artistry and a love of traditional materials to create a diverse range of products — including furniture, interiors and more. His meaningful and intentional designs, inspired by the idea of reintroducing the human element to design, reflect both Indonesian culture and classic modernity. Every project — which has its roots in solving design challenges — has a purpose and a narrative that is brought to life by creativity, cultural heritage and modern sensibilities.
The Sangkar coffee table draws inspiration from birds, which expertly construct nests to protect themselves from threats such as predators and adverse weather conditions. Kumara’s symbolic gesture of defending handicraft against technological threats is reflected in this collection.
Philippines: Clark Mendoza — “Bangko” bench
Inspired by the calm beat of Bataan and the bustle of Manila, industrial designer Clark Mendoza crafts items that evoke the textures of traditional crafts, traditional community customs and locally available Philippine materials. His ideas are grounded in place and he designs with empathy. Mendoza’s artwork has been shown at Manila FAME, Style Fair Bangkok and Salone del Mobile.
Mendoza reimagines the bangko — a basic bench that is prevalent in houses and outdoor areas throughout the Philippines — as a basahan or doormat. Both items are modest, handcrafted and ingrained in everyday life. The bangko represents the warmth of gathering, rest, joy and connection while the basahan — which is woven from leftover materials — tells tales of thrift and care. These products embody the principles of pragmatism, humility and friendship by fusing these regional customs.
Philippines: Senseware — “A Love Supreme” lighting sculpture
Senseware — a developing design practice aimed at establishing a new Filipino sensibility — was founded by Meyte Szita Chan, a Filipino designer and third-generation Capiz craftsman. Its main media is capiz — a delicate, glowing shell that is used to tell tales about memory, materiality and cultural renewal.
The lighting sculpture — crafted from glowing capiz shells — was created during a period of significant personal transformation. Tension between heaviness and lightness, remembrance and reinvention, is held at every turn — echoing the tides of loss and revelation. The final product captures the emotional burden of change.
Singapore: Emeline Ong — “Fruit Drops” lamp
Ong — an industrial designer based in Singapore — has a colourful and whimsical perspective on the world. Her creations convey a world full of wonder and excitement, frequently inspired by her fondness for sugar and confections. In addition to being featured in international media outlets such as Dezeen and Design Milk, Ong’s work has been showcased at prominent global events, including Milan Design Week.
The delight of enjoying childhood candies that are brimming with flavour and colour is captured in the Fruit Drops collection. Its gentle, calming presence infuses any area with liveliness. Each lamp has a candied shell, pastel colours and a nostalgic glow.
Singapore: Studio Karyn Lim — “So Plast!c” lamp
Karyn Lim’s Singapore-based studio experiments with a range of materials. The studio launches items ranging from furniture and objects to apparel and accessories, working directly with brands and artisans.
The “So Plast!c” lamp — which is made from recycled plastic — breathes new life into waste. Every piece has a distinct texture that reflects its origin and demonstrates how trash can be transformed into something lovely. It prompts one to reevaluate the value of everyday items and the importance of disposing of waste properly.
Vietnam: LAITA Design — “WV” shelf
LAITA Design is an interdisciplinary design studio founded by Nguyen Thi Thai Hang that applies architectural ideas. The company has received honours from Red Dot Design, iF Design and Good Design, and several of its pieces are in collections at design museums in the USA, Singapore and Europe.
The WV shelf utilises industrial materials to challenge conventional notions of artisanship, employing 5mm acrylic panels and precision-bending processes. The structure of folding fans serves as inspiration for the design, which utilises thin acrylic sheets to support multiple layers of high-density tempered glass.
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