Singapore marks 60 years of independence with Future Impact 3: DESIGN NATION at Milan Design Week

The past, present and future of Singapore design will be explored in an expanded showcase across three exhibitions, highlighting the role of design to elevate everyday lives and address urgent societal issues.

25 February 2025, Singapore – DesignSingapore Council returns to Milan Design Week with Future Impact 3: DESIGN NATION at Chiesa di San Bernardino alle Monache, located in the historical Cinque Vie district from 8 – 13 April 2025.

With 2025 marking 60 years of Singapore’s independence, the third installment of the series – launched in 2023 – will celebrate Singapore’s distinctive vision for innovation and creativity that has led its transformation into a successful global economy, famed for being one of the most seamlessly-designed city-states in the world. 

Curated by Tony Chambers, Maria Cristina Didero, and for the first time a Singaporean co-curator, Hunn Wai of Lanzavecchia + Wai, Future Impact 3: DESIGN NATION will be presented as a three-part showcase reflecting on the nation’s evolving design identity and development through the lens of design. The showcase will look at the country’s past, present and future while spotlighting the brilliance, ideas, and individuals who shape this story.

“Singapore is well-known for thriving through ingenuity and resourcefulness, developing solutions in energy, housing, economy, education and more – serving as a model for others. As a first-generation DesignSingapore Council Scholar 20 years ago, I am deeply honoured to be appointed as co-curator for the 2025 edition of Future Impact 3: DESIGN NATION. This brings me full circle – proudly showcasing the design excellence of our Lion City to the world at Milan Design Week,” said Hunn Wai, co-curator for Future Impact 3: DESIGN NATION.

Examining where people live, what they need, and how they use it, visitors will be taken on a design journey through Singapore across the three-part showcase. Little Island of Brave Ideas will first set the stage by highlighting the milestones that define Singapore through an inquiry into design’s crucial role in nation-building, from policies to systems design over the past six decades. 

Taking the centrestage will be Future Impact 3 featuring Singapore’s most relevant and forward-looking designers today. Showcasing works that harness the power of design and technology to elevate everyday lives and address urgent societal issues, these works explore redefining care in the city, utilising alternative methods or materials, and new ways of living sustainably.

Virtuoso Visionaires, the third part of the showcase, will take a leap into the future with the next wave of Singaporean designers. It will feature emerging talents who are using design to tackle critical priorities confronting their generation, such as humanising technology and post-consumer waste.

“Since debuting at Salone del Mobile in 2023, Future Impact has gone from strength to strength showcasing the quality and variety of Singapore design talent. It’s a joy once again to shine a light on them in Milan. We hope that visitors will see how good design can play a key role in addressing the greatest challenges of our age,” said Tony Chambers, co-curator for Future Impact 3: DESIGN NATION.

“Following two years of success and captivating showcases in Milan and Singapore, Future Impact continues to set new standards in thoughtful innovative design, championing sustainability and transformative technology while proudly sharing the essence of Singapore’s unique design DNA with the world,” added Maria Cristina Didero, co-curator for Future Impact 3: DESIGN NATION. 

Future Impact 3: DESIGN NATION will be on display within the cathedral setting of Chiesa di San Bernardino alle Monache, located within the Cinque Vie (5vie) district, one of the most vibrant areas for culture and design in central Milan, a short walk from the Duomo. Presented by the DesignSingapore Council, the showcase brings Singapore’s design talents to the global stage and shines a light on Singapore’s unique position as a global hub for design innovation.

“This special edition of the Future Impact series spotlights Singapore’s unique design journey as our nation turns 60. As a Nation by Design, necessity drove Singapore’s design-led development. Today, we are a prototyping hub that pioneers solutions for global challenges. Future Impact 3: DESIGN NATION is a showing of Singapore’s creative confidence, design maturity and relentless pursuit of impactful innovation across generations of Singapore design,” said Dawn Lim, Executive Director of DesignSingapore Council. 

Participating designers and their works will be announced shortly, alongside a programme of activations and events that will be hosted within the space.

Notes to Editors
Future Impact 3: DESIGN NATION is a three-part showcase presented by DesignSingapore Council, with curators Tony Chambers, Maria Cristina Didero, and Hunn Wai. 

Press Preview: 7 April 2025, Monday, 12pm – 5pm
Showcase details:
Address: Chiesa di San Bernardino alle Monache at Via Lanzone, 13, 20123 Milano MI, Italy
Open daily from 10am to 7pm on 8 – 13 April 2025.

For images and more information, refer to the press kit here.

About DesignSingapore Council
The DesignSingapore Council’s (Dsg’s) vision is for Singapore to be an innovation-driven economy and a loveable city by design. As the national agency that promotes design, our mission is to develop the design sector, help Singapore use design for innovation and growth, and make life better in this UNESCO Creative City of Design. Dsg is a subsidiary of the Singapore Economic Development Board.
designsingapore.org

About Tony Chambers
Tony Chambers is the founder of creative agency TC & Friends and co-founder, with artist Ryan Gander, of OTOMOTO – the design, art, and ideas platform. He is the editor and creative director of the definitive monograph of designer Paul Smith published by Phaidon and the Co-Chair of Brainstorm Design, Fortune magazine’s design & business conference.
From 2003 to 2018 Tony served as Editor-in-Chief and Creative Director of Wallpaper* magazine, for which he still contributes. He also served as Art Director of British GQ and Art Editor of The Sunday Times Magazine.

He has twice been named the PPA Designer of Year and twice Editor of the Year by the BSME. He is a recipient of the Mark Boxer Award for outstanding services to the Publishing Industry – the most prestigious honour in British publishing.

About Maria Cristina Didero
Maria Cristina Didero is an independent design curator, author, and consultant. She has worked for Vitra Design Museum and collaborated with magazines including Domus, Vogue Italia, and was editor-at-large of ICON Design from 2018 to 2020 and most recently served as the Milan editor for Wallpaper* magazine until 2024. 

Maria Cristina has contributed to many publications and collaborated with companies such as Vitra, Lexus, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Valextra among others.

Based in Milan, she works internationally, curating exhibitions for institutions, fairs and events dedicated to design. 

About Hunn Wai
Hunn Wai is the Director and Co-founder of Lanzavecchia + Wai (L+W), an internationally acclaimed design studio based in Milan and Singapore. Since 2010, L+W has worked at the intersection of industrial design, spatial narrative design, and luxury craft, collaborating with brands like Zanotta, Cappellini, Hermès, and Vacheron Constantin.

The studio’s body of work is intelligent, inquisitive and thought-provoking, earning prestigious accolades such as the President*s Design Award (Design of the Year, 2023) and the Red Dot Award.

A thought leader in contemporary design, Hunn speaks at global forums such as Milan Design Week and at institutions like School of Visual Arts and Rhode Island School of Design. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor and Senior Fellow at Singapore University of Technology and Design, where he teaches in Architecture, Sustainable Design, and Design & AI while leading executive training programmes.