Header: ZGDW
Zagreb Design Week returns for its thirteenth edition with an expanded fortnight-long programme that turns the Croatian capital into a bustling regional design hub. Centred around the theme of Friction, the festival frames creative tension, debate, and decision-making as essential forces in turning raw concepts into refined objects. Rather than viewing conflict as an obstacle, the event celebrates the moment where competing ideas collide to produce clear, purposeful work.
Citywide partner locations take centre stage
The festival opens across Zagreb with thirty partner locations—the largest network in the event’s history. For six days, galleries, fashion ateliers, creative studios, and museums open their doors to give visitors an insider’s view of the local scene right where the work happens.
Spatial and product design feature heavily throughout the city. Dizajnholik celebrates twenty years of operation with an exhibition of modern classics, while Brigada showcases modular outdoor kitchen concepts under the Evoluta brand. Visitors can explore contemporary packaging work at Bruketa&, inspect sustainable paper packaging derived from agricultural waste at -Love, Ana. design studio, or drop by the SOBA showroom for informal design gatherings.
Artistic exploration takes over several key spaces. KO:KE Space presents Hana Tintor’s illustration series Oduzeta svakodnevica, reflecting on daily routines, while the new MOON ROOM gallery debuts with Martina Moon Zelenika’s multimedia exhibition Nevidljive sile, complemented by experimental drawing sessions. Elsewhere, HDD Gallery features Jakov Habjan’s exploration of found objects and craft, Galerija Studija dizajna hosts Korana Mileusnić’s project on hygiene rituals, and Oris House of Architecture displays Tin Jakopec’s digital architectural studies of Zagreb.
Fashion enthusiasts can drop into Boudoir as the studio marks 25 years with an archival retrospective, visit MINAMI for a close look at garment construction through their new collection The Luxury of Time, or browse Scandinavian lifestyle curation at Garderoba Concept Store. Further events range from interactive screen-printing workshops with artist Kristijan Horvat at the former Sljeme factory in Sesvete to an exhibition of video game packaging art at the Video Game History Museum.
The main stage at the Academy of Fine Arts
For its second week, the festival moves to its central venue at the newly restored Academy of Fine Arts (ALU) on Ilica Street. Spanning three floors of exhibition space and an expansive outdoor sculpture park, the main venue brings together diverse international perspectives, studio features, and academic talent.
International exhibitions anchor the academy programme. Two Polish showcases, organised with the Łódź Design Festival and the Polish Embassy, examine continuity and modern craft: Polish Design: Forms That Endure pairs classic twentieth-century pieces with modern responses, while FORMA³ highlights small-batch lighting and vessels that combine digital techniques with manual skill. From the Czech Republic, Tomas Bata University presents Space to Space 2.0, pushing spatial design into digital and cosmic realms to address environmental issues. Chile’s Diego Portales University brings Material UnCommons, turning low-value waste into functional objects through low-tech casting and bio-material experimentation. Meanwhile, the Mexican exhibition Arido, curated by Pablo Aldaba, highlights student projects ranging from modular wooden candleholders to rings fashioned from bronze-casting leftovers.
Italy presents two major photographic and object showcases. Light On MADE in ITALY explores modern industrial production, materials, and sustainability across top Italian brands. Alongside it, curators Marco Meneguzzo and Enrico Morteo present 100 vasi italiani, a sweeping retrospective that uses the humble vase to trace over a century of Italian design history through iconic works by Gio Ponti, Carlo Scarpa, Enzo Mari, Ettore Sottsass, Alessandro Mendini, and Gaetano Pesce.
Alongside the central exhibitions, three independent studios—Regular Company, Clinica Studio, and Graphonaut—occupy dedicated studio spaces. Live fashion shows hit the runway on 17 September, featuring collections by Off Balance, VLAAZ, Dada i Dunda, Petit Fil, Enlogiq, and students from Profokus. Throughout the week, the sculpture park hosts the ZGDW Market alongside evening DJ sets, live performances by acts like MRFTB Trio, Sergej Snooze, Radiona, DVB, and ZEST featuring Isa Mai, a mainstage concert by indie band Svemirko, and a closing Sunday record fair.
Event summary and visitor info
By uniting historical craft, digital fabrication, material experiments, and live performance under the theme of friction, Zagreb Design Week 2026 demonstrates how creative sparks form when different ideas collide.
- Event Dates: 8–20 September 2026
- Partner Locations (Citywide): 8–13 September
- Main Stage (Academy of Fine Arts): 15–20 September
- Main Stage Location: Academy of Fine Arts (ALU), Ilica 85, Zagreb
- Academy Opening Hours:
- Weekdays: 14:00–21:00
- Saturdays: 11:00–21:00
- Sundays: 11:00–19:00
- Sculpture Park Evening Programme: Open daily until 00:00 (Midnight)
- Key Dates: ZGDW AWARD Ceremony (15 September); Italian Design Day Focus (16 September); Runway Fashion Shows (17 September); Svemirko Concert (19 September, 21:00)
For more information, go to the official ZGDW website and follow ZGDW on Instagram and Facebook.
