ADDRESS Design Show, a highly curated four-day event, showcased North America's finest designers and makers last weekend at Vancouver's Eastside Studios. The show, founded and produced by Kate Duncan and curated by Amber Kingsnorth, elevates work from a diverse selection of makers across North America. The show features 27 female-founded brands (out of 40), of which 25% are queer-identified designers.
"Men dominate the design industry, furniture making especially, and I think the tradeshow scene really perpetuates that," commented Founder Kate Duncan, "More than a decade ago now, I wrote my masters thesis on gender equitable programming and I actually believe that equality is the only thing that can get us out of this collective mess we're in. Ensuring the exhibit represents a myriad of voices is, and has always been a big part of my mandate."
Returning for its sixth year, the event featured a host of new exhibitors, including the work of Los Angeles-based queer artist, Nike Schroeder and trans sculpture and furniture maker Djuna Day. In total, 40 designers showcased furniture, artwork, jewelry, sculpture and more in a unique ADDRESS-specific format focused on curated vignettes comprised of multiple products, contrasting the traditional trade show booth format. Visitors could envision their own spaces and projects complete with the works of all the designers and makers on display.
ADDRESS has been picked up by DesignTO and will run for a week as part of the Toronto Design Festival in January 2020.
Photos: Courtesy of ADDRESS