Belgium is design

‘Belgium is Design’ is a declaration of passion for design, highlighting the unique characteristics of Belgium’s creative production. A joint declaration between the three different regions in the country, it recognizes that Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia are host to various talented designers that transcend cultural, linguistic and sociological differences to form a unique style. It is an approach that qualifies the statement ‘Belgium is Design’.

‘Belgium is Design’ is a common label for the collective actions organized in Belgium and abroad by the following institutions: Wallonie-Bruxelles Design Mode, Design Flanders, and MAD Brussels - Centre of Fashion and Design. And it is also enthusiastically supported by the Flemish, Walloon and Brussels export promoting organizations: Flanders Investment & Trade, AWEX and Brussels Invest & Export.

Each year many Belgian firms attend Milan Design Week, largely at Salone del Mobile’s fairground site.

In the Belgian federal system, promotion of export is predominantly a regional concern. Each region, Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia, attends the Milan Design Week through its own initiative and has done so for many years. In this crowded event, however, it is vital to find a way to stand out and get maximum exposure. Since the whole is more than the sum of its parts, the regional agencies for the promotion of design joined forces with those for international entrepreneurship. In the beginning, by communicating jointly on the Belgian presence in Milan, giving an overview of the different public and private initiatives, but since 2011 a common approach has evolved further. The various government initiatives have now been integrated into a single presentation, always under the auspices, of course, of ‘Belgium is Design’. This year, as in 2012, the design of Belgium has chosen the fittingly emblematic location of La Triennale di Milano to showcase its talents. While the SaloneSatellite, the international platform for emerging design promoted by Cosmit at the fairground, continues to be an effective springboard for many Belgian designers that has been supported by the regional institutions for nearly a decade.

The ‘Belgium is Design’ logo has been created by the graphic designer Raf Thienpont, who lives and works in Brussels. It is an elegant statement, minimal but strong, in itself symbolic of the common ground in the otherwise very diverse and rich Belgian design scene. With a subtle touch the Belgian tricolour is added, suggesting the reserved Belgian character, which is nevertheless warm, vivid and open.

From April 9th to 14th at La Triennale di Milano, will take place the exhibition organized by Belgium is Design and curated by Giovanna Massoni: "Belgian Design & the Art of Making: A Tribute to Henry van de Velde".

Products, process and technical excellence contribute to a portrait of the mastery of Belgian design. A production of simple and honest objects: ironic and measured, ethical and authentic, just as Henry van de Velde imagined.