The Prague International Festival Designblok is the largest design and fashion exhibition in Central and Eastern Europe. It showcases the latest products from over two hundred independent creators, studios, and established brands. The main exhibition is accompanied by a rich programme of lectures, panel discussions, industry meetups, fashion shows, and other events. Dozens of galleries, showrooms, pop-up shops, and retailers traditionally take part in Designblok, offering their own thematically curated programmes and special events throughout the festival. The theme of the 27th edition is "Courage". The six-day festival starts off with a day dedicated to the experts (Professionals’ Day) and continues with a five-day exhibition for the public which presents new projects from over two hundred carefully selected makers, studios and established brands. The festival’s curated exhibitions react to current social topics, draw attention to the work of both up-and-coming and long-established designers, and offer a creative and professional business platform which provides opportunity for the meeting of designers and companies with the expert public, suppliers and customers. Expositions are divided into two concepts. Superstudio is a space for exhibitions of companies, manufacturers and shops. All areas of design are presented here, especially furniture, lighting, and home accessories. Openstudio is a space for expositions of designers, design studios, students, and schools. Laboratory of contemporary design, where product designers, fashion designers, jewelry designers, graphic designers, and illustrators present themselves. Patricia Urquiola: Insula (Kettal) Patricia Urquiola, one of the most prominent figures in contemporary design and architecture, comes to Prague to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award and to present her latest collection, Insula, created for Kettal. The modular seating system, which reinterprets the concept of traditional Arab salons, offers versatile solutions for social gatherings and relaxation. A low sofa with a roll-backrest allows for multiple configurations and opens new possibilities for spatial arrangements. The installation will be presented by Konsepti in the Superstudio at Křižík Pavilion C. Erwan Bouroullec: Mynt (Vitra) Erwan Bouroullec, a leading French designer and long-standing innovator in the field of furniture design, will introduce his latest work Mynt, created for Vitra, at this year’s Designblok. The organically shaped chair reflects his sensitivity to detail, technological precision, and ability to transform an everyday object into a timeless artefact. Additional pieces from his own work will also be on display in the exhibition at Křižík Pavilion B. Erwan Bouroullec will further engage with the public as a keynote speaker at the Designblok Talks conference, held on Tuesday, 7 October, at the Nová Spirála space. High Craft Designblok and Vogue CS magazine joined forces to bring you a unique selection of designers and producers who combine traditional craft and innovative, environmentally sustainable production processes with the highest aesthetic standards. See the crème de la crème of Czech design in the curatorial selection of Designblok director Jana Zielinski and Vogue CS editor-in-chief Danica Kovářová. This banquet of cutting-edge design will be held in the exceptional interiors of the Neo-Renaissance Royal Summer Palace at Prague Castle. Mary McCartney: STRIKING by PLAYCE A collection of works by British photographer, documentarist, and activist Mary McCartney is as iconic as it is intimate. This unique exhibition of portraits broaches important issues, riles emotions, and tells stories reflected in the faces of famous people we thought we knew. The unexpected selection of portraits is a retrospective view of Mary’s thirty-year-long career, and will present heretofore unpublished works, providing a look into her extensive archive. The work of Mary McCartney is an homage to the art or portraiture – she always manages to establish an intimate, personal, and gripping connection with her subjects, and the viewer is invited to take part in these intimate encounters and fragile moments. Curator: Martina Lowe More