ddp design fair

Please share your own standards of selecting products, especially as CEO of Innometsa, a brand that excites many people. 

We are living in a world full of designs, but it is very unfortunate that designs have a short life span. I am trying to avoid products with a short life cycle, from creation to extinction, which come and go easily. Innometsa import built-to-last products with high satisfaction levels for material and design. Also, for this year’s DDP Design Fair, I tried to select and evaluate products based on my personal preference because products to be launched at the DDP Design Fair have a short timeline, not long enough to show the participants’ great passion and enthusiasm.

What would be a great example of products that strike a perfect balance between material, design and practicality?

One great example is Rosendahl’s wooden monkey, a Danish classic, which was first produced in 1951 and is still loved by many people across the globe. In Denmark, this monkey doll is traditionally given as a gift for newborns. This small children's toy, which not only contains materials but also an identity in terms of value and a story handed down from generation to generation, has been loved as a lifestyle object not just in Denmark but also around the world. It is certain that the wooden monkey will also be loved by generations to come.

What makes Denmark special among many European countries?

While doing business with various countries in northern Europe, I started to open my eyes to their sensible practicality and was pretty sure that their products would be a big hit. Among them, Danish products were the most attractive to me. Of course, when I first started my business, the reaction of people around me was tepid, even downright skeptical. However, it turned out just as I expected, and design and lifestyle products with practicality started to gain huge popularity. Our products continue to draw great interest and attention from the public. As consumers have a wider range of choices, one major characteristic of recent consumption trends is that consumers are not biased toward one designer or brand.

Do you have any plans to export Korean products to customers overseas besides importing goods from overseas?

We are probably not at the stage yet to start exporting goods, but we are in the midst of preparation to make that happen. That is why participating in the DDP Design Fair as a curator is also a great opportunity for me. As the fair progresses, I would be able to see which products both have marketability and influence. I do not expect getting a huge response from the beginning as I did when I introduced European products, but I would like to steadily introduce Korean design products bit by bit, even if the results are small.

I know this is your first time, but how would you evaluate the DDP Design Fair so far?

I want designers and makers to think more broadly before they design and make products. After seeing some of the products, I had an impression that they were made to be marketed only in Korea. I hope designers and makers can bring up ideas that would also appeal to customers abroad, and I know that they already have the skills they need. In addition, they need to streamline the design for products with excessive frills since those products could be only appealing to a small audience and create difficulty in global expansion. Even though more and more people are starting to recognize the DDP Design Fair, it would be also great if experts could find designers or makers who would participate in the fair to drive further growth of the fair, other than receiving applications from candidates.

The Launching Pavilion is moving toward that direction at this year’s fair. What brand did you recommend for the Launching Pavilion?

Fl.art Object. It is a brand that aims to create a variety of works based on ceramics. I recommended the brand based on its potential growth, which extend to both domestic and global expansion opportunities. The brand’s new approach to ceramics, transforming ceramics into two dimensional images, was particularly impressive. I am looking forward to what kind of products Fl.art Object will showcase at the Launching Pavilion.

What kind of platform do you expect the DDP Design Fair to be in the coming future?

Whenever I go to similar fairs held overseas every year and talk with designers, I hear how much support they receive from their home country. I always get envious of them since I still do not think Korean designers and makers are getting enough support from the government. The small size of the domestic market itself might be one factor, however, I still feel that designers and makers are not provided with sufficient support from the government. Even though the DDP Design Fair, which marks its fourth anniversary this year, continues to grow amid high expectations, I hope the scale of the fair gets bigger than it is now with more active support.