imm cologne recently announced that original designs, intelligent solutions and sustainable products from young designers will be the main focus when the jury announces the winners. In the last 13 years, a total of 395 products from 494 designers from all over the world have been presented to the trade audience at imm cologne as part of the contest exhibitions. Many of these products have found their way into the collections of well-known manufacturers following the fair.
“The contest gave me a leg-up into the professional network in the furniture scene”, comments designer Marco Dessí. “I got to know colleagues, people from the press and Richard Lampert – who saw my Prater chair and added it to his range. For me, everything began with this contest.”
The Pure Talents Contest is unrivalled in the world. Koelnmesse, the imm cologne organizer, offers the shortlisted participants help with the organization of the special event, for which prototypes have to be produced and/or transported. They also take on the costs of staging the talent show at imm cologne.
“Our aim is to support young designers as best as possible. For us, this support starts as soon as the shortlisting and the seven-days-long exhibition of their prototypes in Hall 3.1 at imm cologne”, explains Arne Petersen, Vice President Trade Fair Management at Koelnmesse GmbH. “We invite the talented youngsters to present their designs at the event – and at no cost to them. The history of the Pure Talents Contest has shown that one or another product finds a producer and goes into serial production. Something which, of course, makes us very happy and, overall, underscores the importance of the contest for talented youngsters.
Products could be entered from the following interiors categories: furniture, home accessories, lighting, flooring, wallpapers and textiles, kitchens and kitchen accessories, as well as for the Smart Home category. Deciding on a shortlist was no easy task for the jury, who had to choose from among 444 entries. “The designers’ contributions were very inspiring, experimental, unconventional and, taken as a whole, incredibly multifaceted”, explains jury member Sebastian Herkner. “This is my first time as a member of the jury at the Pure Talents Contest and I have to say that I am overwhelmed by the creativity and the extraordinary designs. It was a real challenge for me and my fellow jurors to choose three winners from the 21 shortlisted entries.” Alongside Sebastian Herkner on the jury were Sophie Lovell (Journalist, Berlin), Rianne Makkink (Designer, Studio Makkink Bey, Rotterdam), Tobias Lutz (Managing Director and Founder of Architonic, Zurich) and Harry Paul van Ierssel (Designer, Studio Harry Camila, Barcelona).
The jurors’ decision will be announced on 16 January at 2:00 p.m. at the prize-giving ceremony on “The Stage” (Hall 3.1). All of the shortlisted products can be seen at imm cologne from 16 to 22 January in Hall 3.1.
In addition, on 17 January at 4:15 p.m., a round of talks with three participants from the Pure Talents Contest will take place on the subject of “Pure Talents Contest: the route from the contest into business”. Sebastian Herkner, Marco Dessí and Harry Thaler will talk about their experiences of the contest and their subsequent career progression.
To see a list of all of the shortlisted entries in the Pure Talents Contest 2017, click here.