Space for a new generation
Talent once again takes centre stage at DDW. The festival features both students and designers who have already taken their first steps in the industry. From promising newcomers to the latest festival discoveries, we’ve rounded up the talent you’ll want to keep an eye on.
Dutch and international design schools
This year, students and alumni from Dutch and international design schools present their latest work. Among them are Finland’s Aalto University and the Swedish School of Textiles. At the Graduation Show 2026, near Eindhoven Central Station, a new generation of designers from Design Academy Eindhoven (DAE) presents more than 200 graduation projects.
25 years of Industrial Design
TU/e’s Department of Industrial Design celebrates its 25th anniversary with twenty graduation projects and two labs open to visitors. Explore their projects: 25 years of Industrial Design and TU/ecomotive VENTRA – Capturing Particulate Matter.
100 years of HEMA
HEMA is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a special edition of the HEMA Design Competition. The ten finalists have now been announced and will present their products at this exhibition. Discover the stories behind the designs, meet a new generation of design talent and vote for your favourite HEMA design.
More than 200 graduation projects
More emerging design talent can be discovered at the Young Graduates HUB | DDW x Design Perron. Here, a new generation of designers presents more than 200 graduation projects, including Tools for Collapse, a project that encourages reflection on how we respond to ongoing ecological disruption, and Visible Women, a vision for creating more space for women in Dutch society.
Secrid Talent Podium
For five years, Secrid has offered a platform for designers contributing to social and ecological transitions through the Secrid Talent Podium. During Dutch Design Week, Secrid puts seven talented designers in the spotlight: creatives whose innovative approaches help their industries evolve. Each designer also receives coaching and financial support. This year’s selected talents are:
- Ifeoluwa Afolayan & Wangyang Hu with Aeropod by Muju Earth – a biodegradable pod that bursts open to aerate compacted agricultural soil.
- Karlheinz Samenjo with Chloe Innovations – a medical device for safe and dignified pain relief in gynaecological care.
- Vincent & Rick Eurlings with Aumens – a compass that always points towards home.
- Bobby Kolade with Buzigahill – new Ugandan fashion made from discarded Western clothing.
- Thomas Linssen & Jana Flohr with House of Thol – functional products that help reduce food waste.
- Christien Meindertsma with Local Linoleum – transforming hidden material streams into new applications for local raw materials.
- Maartje Dros & Eric Klarenbeek with .unusual – living organisms as building blocks for a new production landscape.
Dutch Design Awards
Dutch Design Awards presents its Class of 2026: 15 Emerging Talents nominated by an international jury for pushing the boundaries of design. They are bound by bold experimentation, strong perspectives, and a distinct red thread of radical thinking.
Dutch Design Awards will announce the three winners of the Emerging Talent Award on Saturday 17 October. A dedicated exhibition in Building TX offers a closer look at the 15 nominees.
Several nominees also present standalone projects at DDW26. Among them:
- Ori Orisun Merhav experiments with insect-produced biomaterials, exploring both craft and new manufacturing processes.
- Gijs Schalkx builds and designs vehicles—ranging from a car running on upcycled plastic waste to an electric flying bicycle.
- Jun Fujisaku runs a temporary chair alteration workshop with fellow designers, and presents Constellation of Small Things at United Cowboys.
- Maggie Laylon Saunders founded Striptopia, a design initiative that brings underground cultures into public discourse. They bring their intersection of technology and performance to WAAG.
- Julia Janssen presents Chadding, interrogating what it means to remain human within the automated margins of algorithms
