Curiosity Becomes Culture at Business of Design Week (BODW) 2025

by Monisha Sivanesan

From Italian craftsmanship to Hong Kong ingenuity, global powerhouses of design gathered at BODW 2025 to prove that curiosity remains the most powerful engine of innovation.

Organised by the Hong Kong Design Centre, co-organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR, Business of Design Week (BODW) 2025—Asia’s premier annual event on design, innovation and brands since 2002—was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 3 to 5 December 2025. Themed ‘Curiosity Provokes Design Innovation’, this year’s summit, which attracted over 15,000 live participants and a global online viewership, partnered with Italy, inviting inspiration from the region to pollinate Hong Kong’s design landscape that has historically thrived on a blend of Eastern wisdom with Western influence.

During the opening ceremony, Steve Leung, Vice Chairman of HKDC, stated that ‘Italy’s rich design tradition and vibrant creative energy beautifully complement Hong Kong’s bold spirit of innovation and experimentation in design. We look forward to witnessing the dialogue between the two cultures during the summit, sparking new ideas and innovations to the benefit of creative professionals, businesses and society.’ Well, it looks like that aspiration became a living reality. According to Carmelo Ficarra, Consul General of Italy in Hong Kong and Macau, this impactful collaboration showcased the inimitable role of design in promoting international cultural exchange and future-ready innovation. During closing remarks, he said, “For all the work that we have done together in the past 12 months, I think we have started something important, which is long-term cooperation. I received a lot of positive feedback from participants and speakers who participated in the event this year.”

BODW 2025 convened nearly 50 design experts and business leaders from leading global brands across diverse fields, including eyewear, jewellery, automobiles, yachts, and sporting events such as the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Some of the big names that excitedly attended and generously contributed comprised Dr Carlo Ratti, co-founder of Carlo Ratti Associati (Italy); Michele De Lucchi, founder of AMDL Circle (Italy); Angelica Visconti, vice chairman of Ferragamo (Italy); Patricia Viel, architect and co-founder of ACPV ARCHITECTS (Italy); Nicolas François Luchsinger, CEO of Buccellati Holding Italia S.p.A. (Italy); Ole Scheeren, founder and chief designer of Büro Ole Scheeren (Germany); and Tim Marlow, chief executive and director of the Design Museum (UK).

Centred around six key topic pillars, which were Urban Visions, Mobility Revolution, Crafted Living, Luxury Reimagined, Innovating with AI & Technology and Cultural Innovation & Creativity, these figures engaged in keynote speeches, panels and fireside chats that highlighted how precisely curiosity—a spirit prevalent in the ‘Made in Italy’ standard of long-standing design excellence—drives creativity and fuels design and innovation. To facilitate seamless exchanges, the summit introduced large-scale, AI-powered live interpretation in 10 languages, alongside live English captioning.

On top of that, the bodw Future Lab was a brilliant concurrent programme that ran alongside the main event, partnering with creative consultancy INSTILL to create a new space for experimental, collaborative and creative exchanges. Global participants shared forward-looking ideas on emerging technologies and brainstormed new collaborative avenues across design, business and innovation, with a special focus on generational exchange and collaboration between Hong Kong and Italy. Together with a local illustrator, live sketches were captured in the “bodw Future Lab Report” and “Visual Record”, documenting insights and creative outcomes for the wider industry.

During the closing ceremony, Prof. Viveca Chan, also Vice Chairman of HKDC, shared, “We’ve worked so closely together over the past year, doing exhibitions, workshops and training together. Participants and designers I talked to were very inspired by the rich heritage, culture and history of Italy, which they blend with modern design and technology. On the other hand, our cross-cultural discipline and cross-sectoral exchange in Hong Kong, dynamism and entrepreneurship also inspired our Italian delegation. Altogether, it has been an extremely fruitful and rewarding experience for both sides.”

Looking towards the near future, the 2026 edition of BODW will witness Switzerland as the official partner country for the very first time, introducing renowned Swiss design masters, creative leaders and industry pioneers to the city during the summit and the year-round series of design initiatives. Daniel Freihofer, Consul General of Switzerland in Hong Kong, remarked, “We think this collaboration [with HKDC] is perfectly complementary, as Hong Kong and Switzerland share many similar traits, characteristics, and are all positive. We are looking forward to spotlighting Swiss excellence in design across multiple disciplines here at BODW next year, underpinned by Switzerland’s globally recognised characteristics like precision, high-quality craftsmanship and reliability.”

For more information on BODW 2025, please visit www.2025.bodw.com