Seoul Design Week kicks off Wednesday, introducing homegrown designers and their products while facilitating discussions on design with some of the world’s most renowned creative minds.

The five-day design festival, co-organized by the Seoul Design Foundation, Herald Corp. and Design House, will provide programs throughout the capital city with two hub venues, Coex and Dongdaemun Design Plaza, hosting the main events.

Design product exhibitions and markets will be held at Coex and DDP from Wednesday to Sunday with a mix of innovative design products by Korean designers and brands, accompanied by meetings and talks with designers. 

Organized by the Seoul-based monthly magazine Design under the theme “Well-balanced, Healthy Design,” an exhibition and market at Coex Hall B will feature products by Korean designers and emerging brands, collaborative pieces between designers and famous brands, and talks with designers. Admission is 10,000 won ($9).

At DDP, an exhibit will go beyond design products. The Herald Design Market will showcase design products ― from living items to eco-friendly, organic food products ― which will be on sale. Talks will also be held with food stylist and caterer Peter Callahan and Park Jin, CEO of Urban Bees Seoul, which practices beekeeping in urban areas. Admission is free.

Outside the exhibition and market venues, visitors will be able to explore artistic design districts of Seoul, including Garosu-gil, Hannamdong-gil, Seochon-gil and Seongsudong-gil. Some 150 design shops and workshops in the neighborhoods will be open during the festival period. Designers and brands will run pop-up stores on the streets for visitors to easily browse and purchase their innovative and cutting-edge products. Those interested can check the opening hours of the design studios and shops at www.seouldesignspot.com.

The festival will bring together some of the most respected names in the fields of design, innovation and communication at talks about the role of design in today’s world. The talks will be held at DDP and Coex on Wednesday and Friday, respectively.

On Wednesday, key figures in architecture, urban design, advertising, fashion and art will gather to share their views with the Korean audience about the expanding role of design during the Herald Design Forum, an annual design event organized by Herald Corp., the publisher of The Korea Herald.

Some of the noteworthy speakers include architect Rem Koolhaas, fashion designer Olivier Theyskens, art toy artist Chris Riggs, food stylist and caterer Peter Callahan, and Alex Schill, a partner of the advertising firm Serviceplan Group. Registration for attending the talks closed last week.

The Friday Design Talk will bring together some of the world’s leading designers, including Lee Sung-yong, chief designer of Pearson Lloyd, and Robert Le Quesne, creative director of H-ART.

For more information on Seoul Design Week, visit www.seouldesignweek.or.kr.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)