Header: Exhibition detail from “Eventually Everything Connects: Mid-Century Modern Design in the U.S.” at Cranbrook Art Museum. Photo by PD Rearick.
This September, Detroit once again takes center stage on the global design map as Detroit Month of Design returns for its 15th edition. From September 1–30, 2025, the city will transform into a month-long festival of creativity, uniting designers, makers, innovators, and visionaries from across the globe.
Over the course of 30 days, Detroit, proudly recognized as the first and only UNESCO City of Design in the United States, will showcase the incredible depth of its design culture. With more than 95 events and installations featuring the work of over 1000 designers, the festival offers something for everyone: immersive exhibitions, bold product launches, outdoor installations, hands-on workshops, guided tours, fashion shows, film screenings, and thought-provoking talks. Whether online, outdoors, or in some of Detroit’s most iconic venues, the program is designed to spark dialogue, inspire imagination, and connect communities.
Highlights include “Eventually Everything Connects,” a mid-century modern furniture exhibition at Cranbrook Art Museum, “Detroit Warehouse Art & Design Fair” at the historic Boyer Campbell Building, and the annual “Design Jam,” a hands-on product design workshop centering on adaptive solutions for the limb-loss community. The energy spills into every corner of the city, reaffirming Detroit’s reputation as a hub of innovation and design excellence.
A Festival Built by the Community
What makes Detroit Month of Design stand apart is its commitment to inclusivity and collaboration. Unlike most design festivals, it is co-created with the community, ensuring that diverse voices help shape its identity each year. A multidisciplinary curatorial committee carefully reviews applications, selecting projects based on storytelling, authenticity, collaboration, and alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
The 2025 curatorial committee brings together leaders across design, art, community development, and sustainability, including interior designer Rachel Nelson (Concetti), artist Dorota Coy (ArtClvb, Hygienic Dress League), visionary planner Lauren A. Hood (Institute for AfroUrbanism), builder and community leader Tanya Saldivar-Ali (AGI Construction/DFO313), designer Patrick Ethan, cultural advocate Michael Scamardella, youth mentor Keith Butler, visual artist Laura D. Gibson, environmental innovator Brittanie Dabney (Ecosphere Organics), engineer Kirsten Jordan (Ford Motor Company), UX specialist Sara Fallahi (Stellantis), and brand strategist Joshua A. Smith (Who’s That?). Together, they have shaped a program that celebrates Detroit’s unique design DNA while addressing global challenges through creative solutions.
Produced by Design Core Detroit
The festival is produced by Design Core Detroit, the steward of the city’s UNESCO designation. Based in Detroit’s historic New Center, Design Core champions design as a driver of economic growth, social impact, and cultural identity. Through programs, visibility opportunities, and business development initiatives, Design Core empowers creative entrepreneurs, strengthens Detroit’s design ecosystem, and amplifies Detroit’s role as a global design leader.
Save the Dates
With its combination of global perspective and local heart, Detroit Month of Design has become one of the city’s most anticipated annual events. From its very first day, Detroit Month of Design 2025 sets the stage with Motown Masala 2: Ingenuity and Jugaad in Detroit at Red Door Digital (September 1), celebrating cultural ingenuity rooted in Detroit’s diverse heritage. On September 3, Shape Your World: Beacon Park Interactive Experience turns Beacon Park into an interactive installation merging design, play, and technology, while Waste Reimagined: Design and Circularity at CCS Taubman Center opens important conversations around sustainability. Culinary creativity arrives with The Art of Taste (September 4), a roaming food and cocktail experience, followed by two major openings on September 5: the month-long Designing Detroit Exhibition at the Valade Family Gallery and 40 Years of C.A.N. Art Handworks (September 6), honoring Detroit’s legacy of metal craftsmanship. That same weekend, the 6 Mile Street Festival activates the McNichols Corridor with art, design, and community gathering, while BUILD: Enzo Mari Chair Workshop at Buffalo Prescott (September 7) invites participants to construct an iconic DIY chair design. Mid-month highlights include Common Thread: A Design Dialogue at Pophouse Studio and Waste to Wonder 2025: Design in Motion at Urban Tech Xchange (both September 10), as well as Paper, Place, Power: The Global Language of Posters at the Scarab Club (September 12). The professional design community will gather for the IDSA International Design Conference and Symposium at the College for Creative Studies (September 16), while one of the festival’s signature moments, Eastern Market After Dark (September 18), transforms the historic market district into a late-night showcase of installations and performances. Later in the month, Futures in Formation: Designing the Imaginative City at Michigan Central Station (September 19) envisions new urban possibilities, and the Detroit Fiber Festival (September 28) closes the program with a citywide celebration of textile design inside the iconic Fisher Building.
2025 marks the 10th anniversary of Detroit’s designation as the first and only UNESCO City of Design in the United States, and this year’s Detroit Month of Design promises to showcase the city’s creative spirit in full force. Alongside beloved highlights such as Eastern Market After Dark—which transforms one of the nation’s oldest open-air markets into a vibrant night market filled with artists, designers, gallery pop-ups, and live music, attracting over 30,000 visitors, several other key events stand out. The Little Village Design Tour will offer a neighborhood-centered exploration of design-driven spaces and businesses, while Immersion Detroit invites audiences to experience experimental and interactive works. The festival’s fashion-forward side shines through For the Love Of, a runway event spotlighting Detroit’s style community, and Candy, a Black hair spotlight and fashion experience that celebrates creativity, culture, and identity.
Mark your calendars for September 1–30, 2025, a month where Detroit will once again prove why it is a city like no other, a place where creativity fuels progress, and where design is woven into the very fabric of community life.
For the full calendar of events, visit www.detroitmonthofdesign.org.
