Young designers showcased at Habitare again in 2023 – the call for Protoshop and Talentshop exhibitions now open

The Block, the Habitare area dedicated to new design, will again feature the Protoshop and Talentshop exhibitions, showcasing young design talent.

Protoshop and Talentshop are curated and produced by the designer group Imu Design. The group includes Elina Aalto, Krista Kosonen and Saara Renvall, who have been the masterminds behind both exhibitions from the beginning.

Protoshop connects product ideas and producers, while Talentshop introduces four rising names in design

The purpose of Habitare’s Protoshop is to find great product ideas, present them to audiences and companies, and connect products and potential manufacturers. Protoshop has been organised 12 times, and the exhibition has enabled dozens of product ideas to make it into production. For example, one from a selection of designs by Ida Korsström showcased in 2022, the Chess blanket, is in production with the Lapuan Kankurit weaving company.

More than one hundred product ideas are submitted to Protoshop every year, from which Aalto, Kosonen and Renvall of Imu Design shortlist a dozen of the most promising designers and their prototypes for future products.

Other examples of designs that were presented in Protoshop and that made it into production are Anni Pitkäjärvi’s Lempi shelf (for Hakola), Maija Puoskari and Tuukka Tujula’s Pi-No-Pi-No vase (for New Works, a Danish design company), and Aoi Yoshizawa’s Aino blanket (for Lapuan Kankurit).

Talentshop features some of the most interesting emerging designers. Talentshop 2023 will feature four selected designers who are in the early stage of their career, but who have already established their own strong, recognisable designer identity and shown proof of their skills. Talentshop has been part of Habitare six times.

The call for the 2023 Talentshop and Protoshop is open

Applications are now being accepted for next year’s Talentshop and Protoshop. The call is open until 27 January 2023. Talentshop is seeking four designers, while Protoshop is calling for approximately ten product ideas.

For instructions on how to apply, see Imu Design or Habitare.

“Protoshop and Talentshop provide an important springboard for young designers on their way to becoming independent professionals. Over the years, these special exhibitions and the entire area that is The Block have grown into a recognisable part of Habitare that the audience knows to gravitate towards for new designers and ideas. This synergy between The Block and Habitare provides a fertile platform for the growth of new Finnish design”, says Imu Design’s Elina Aalto, who is responsible for curating Protoshop and Talentshop.

Protoshop has been part of Habitare since 2009, and Talentshop since 2015. Imu Design, the company responsible for curating the exhibitions, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

More information:

Habitare, creative director Laura Sarvilinna, laura.sarvilinna@messukeskus.com

Imu Design, designer Elina Aalto, elina.aalto@imudesign.org

Instagram: @protoshop_talentshop | @habitarefair

Habitare

Habitare, the largest furniture, design and interior decoration event in Finland, will be held at Messukeskus in Helsinki, from 13 to 17 September 2023. Habitare offers experiences and ideas on interior decoration, and on the functioning and look of homes and other spaces. Habitare highlights the ideas and works by a new generation of designers, and sparks discussion.www.habitare.fi | @HabitareFair | facebook.com/habitare | #habitare2023