Future Forward winners munich 2025
We celebrate and support great design!
BLICKFANG is a stage, a chance, and a networking platform for emerging talents in furniture and product design. Together with the D.E.S.I.G.N. Foundation, we will once again present the Future Forward Award in 2025—an accolade honoring young designers who are shaping the future of design with sustainable ideas, fresh perspectives, and a bold creative spirit. In Munich, two particularly promising labels will be showcased—we’re delighted to introduce them here.
DESIGNVERSE ZURICH
Jean-Paul Brkovic of DESIGNVERSE ZURICH believes in a kind of design that doesn’t demand attention, but instead integrates seamlessly into the lives of its users—flexible, durable, and responsible. His stackable furniture objects are made from recycled plastics such as ISO-certified HIPS or low-carbon PET and are produced in small batches in Wales, Germany, and Switzerland.
DESIGNVERSE sees design as a way to foster greater awareness in everyday life. A key piece is the UTO series, inspired by Zurich’s local mountain, the Uetliberg. Its clear form and low-to-the-ground use invite a more mindful experience of living spaces. The furniture promotes “ground-level living”—a lifestyle that understands closeness to the earth and reduction as a form of luxury. DESIGNVERSE celebrates the understated through technical sophistication and quiet poetry. This subtle radicalism has been recognized at events such as Salone Satellite in Milan and Paris Design Week, and is widely regarded as a promising vision for a new generation of sustainable design.
Luis Gimeno
Barcelona-based designer Luis Gimeno creates furniture and lighting that resonate through organic forms, tactile materials, and sustainable processes. He draws inspiration from the design history of the 1960s and 1970s, reinterpreted with a contemporary twist. His work is not about nostalgia, but about telling new stories—always with deep respect for the environment and craftsmanship.
The Knot Stool, made from solid red oak, is a striking example of his technical and design precision. Its refined construction of four identical elements appears minimalist, yet is complex in execution and particularly resource-efficient thanks to its modular logic. Another highlight is the Onigiri Sofa, named after the Japanese rice ball. With its soft curves, corduroy upholstery in warm tones, and deliberately unpretentious appearance, it conveys a sense of comfort and perfectly embodies Gimeno’s vision of personal, expressive living. His objects don’t chase trends—they create authentic spaces filled with texture, color, and personality.
