Enriching its exhibition programme, each year COLLECTIBLE devises a diverse programme of talks addressing themes around contemporary collectible design, and invites leading figures from various backgrounds to gather together and discuss specific subjects.
MASTERCLASS
Thursday 12 March at 15:30
Trained in Fine Arts and bridging interior design and collectible design, Szymon Keller shares how he integrates collectible works into spatial narratives shaped by memory, landscape and atmosphere. A conversation on building interiors where art, design and nature coexist.
With: Szymon Keller, Designer
Free access to talks with your fair ticket.
MASTERCLASS
Thursday 12 March at 16:00
Event furniture is often anonymous, modular and forgettable. Yet events are powerful cultural stages where design, hospitality and identity intersect. This talk explores how designers can challenge the standardised aesthetics of event environments by introducing authored pieces, collectible elements and scenographic thinking. When does a temporary setting become a meaningful design statement, and how can tables, seating and spatial compositions elevate rather than flatten the experience.
With: Crystal Smets, Product Development & Marketing Manager, Options
Free access to talks with your fair ticket.
From Hype to Heirloom (Hypebeast/Hypeform)
TALK
Friday 13 March at 14:00
In conversation with Hypebeast / Hypeform, this talk explores how trend-driven culture intersects with collectible design. When does a hyped object transcend the moment and become a long-term cultural artifact? As digital platforms accelerate visibility and desire, the discussion asks what separates fast attention from lasting value, and how certain contemporary pieces shift from viral relevance to future heirlooms.
With: Alice Morby, Managing Editor, Hypeform and Anton Rahlwes, Curator & Writer.
Free access to talks with your fair ticket.
Fast Design and the Value of the Real
TALK
Friday 13 March at 15:00
As fast design brands increasingly replicate the aesthetics of collectible and independent design, the line between original and copy is blurring, echoing what happened in fashion with fast fashion. This talk examines how accelerated production and trend-driven consumption impact authorship, craftsmanship and long-term value, and asks how the design world can better articulate the difference between surface appeal and true originality. How do we help clients and audiences understand that collectible pieces are not trends to consume, but heirlooms to live with and pass on.
With: Domien op de Beeck, IP Lawyer Bird and Bird and Valerie Präkelt, Journalist & Host, Contributor AD Germany
Moderated by: Anton Rahlwes, Curator & Writer
Free access to talks with your fair ticket.
Black Design: Europe and the US
TALK
Friday 13 March at 16:00
A focused conversation on how Black design practices have evolved within different cultural and institutional frameworks in Europe and the United States. Why has visibility and market recognition developed differently, and how do history, funding structures and collecting cultures shape authorship and access today? The discussion looks at how the collectible design field can move from representation to long-term structural support.
With: Charlene Austin, co-founder OKRA, Charlene Prempeh, Writer, curator, editor and co-founder of A Vibe Called Tech, Garth Roberts, Principal, garth™ Design, Kim Munpangilaï, Interior Architect, Designer &| Professor, Parsons School of Design, NYC
Moderated by: Mzwakhe Ndlovu, Multidisciplinary Designer & Founder, SUBJECT BUREAUX
Free access to talks with your fair ticket.
Collecting Design, Starting from Contemporary Art
MASTERCLASS
Saturday 14 March at 13:00
Drawing on her experience across both the art and design fields, working closely with designers, galleries, and collectors internationally, Liv Vaisberg leads a focused masterclass for those looking to begin collecting design from an art-led perspective.
The session addresses the specificities of design, from functionality and editioning to authorship, value, and narrative, while highlighting the overlaps with contemporary art. Rather than prescribing what to buy, the masterclass proposes frameworks for reading design critically, understanding emerging practices, and building a collection with clarity and intention.
With: Liv Vaisberg, Co-founder, COLLECTIBLE
Free access to talks with your fair ticket.
TALK
Saturday 14 March at 14:00
A focused conversation positioning tablescaping as a true design discipline, where curation, materiality and spatial composition meet. Far beyond decoration, the table becomes a stage for collectible objects, narrative and atmosphere, requiring authorship and intention. The session will conclude with the announcement of the winner of the Best Table award within the Tablescape section of the fair.
With: Ann Chan, Founder and CEO of Hero Design Group, Paul-Antoine Bertin, Founder, Studio 27, Zélikha Dinga, Creative Director, Caro Diaro
Moderated by: Natalie Helsen, Journalist & Fashion Director, Sabato
Free access to talks with your fair ticket.
TALK
Saturday 14 March at 16:00
As a new generation of design biennales emerges across Europe, their impact extends beyond cultural discourse into the structure of the market itself. This conversation examines how these platforms shape visibility, create new collector networks and influence institutional and commercial trajectories. Are biennales becoming catalysts for market recognition, or do they operate as alternative systems with different values and priorities? A timely discussion on how curatorial initiatives and market dynamics increasingly intersect.
With: Anton Rahlwes, Curator & Writer, Boris Peianov, Director of Development, Beta – Bienala Timișoreană de Arhitectură and Sarah Schulten, Co-founder Design Biennale Rotterdam
Free access to talks with your fair ticket.
TALK
Sunday 15 March at 14:00
This conversation focuses on a new generation of Belgian designers redefining the country’s design landscape today. What does it mean to become an icon in a contemporary context? How is recognition built in an increasingly international and digital field? Bringing together leading voices from the current scene, the talk explores authorship, ambition and how Belgian design positions itself within the global collectible ecosystem. A forward-looking discussion on visibility, identity and the making of future icons.
With: Amber Dewaele, Designer, Linde Freya Tangelder, Artist & Furniture Designer, Scott Lippens, Gallery Director & Curator, Uppercut and Victor Verhelst, Designer & Co-founder, Sidequest
Moderated by: Dieter Van den Storm, Creation & Communications Director, MAD Brussels
Free access to talks with your fair ticket.
Enriching its exhibition programme, each year COLLECTIBLE devises a diverse programme of talks addressing themes around contemporary collectible design, and invites leading figures from various backgrounds to gather together and discuss specific subjects.
MASTERCLASS
Thursday 12 March at 15:30
Trained in Fine Arts and bridging interior design and collectible design, Szymon Keller shares how he integrates collectible works into spatial narratives shaped by memory, landscape and atmosphere. A conversation on building interiors where art, design and nature coexist.
With: Szymon Keller, Designer
Free access to talks with your fair ticket.
MASTERCLASS
Thursday 12 March at 16:00
Event furniture is often anonymous, modular and forgettable. Yet events are powerful cultural stages where design, hospitality and identity intersect. This talk explores how designers can challenge the standardised aesthetics of event environments by introducing authored pieces, collectible elements and scenographic thinking. When does a temporary setting become a meaningful design statement, and how can tables, seating and spatial compositions elevate rather than flatten the experience.
With: Crystal Smets, Product Development & Marketing Manager, Options
Free access to talks with your fair ticket.
From Hype to Heirloom (Hypebeast/Hypeform)
TALK
Friday 13 March at 14:00
In conversation with Hypebeast / Hypeform, this talk explores how trend-driven culture intersects with collectible design. When does a hyped object transcend the moment and become a long-term cultural artifact? As digital platforms accelerate visibility and desire, the discussion asks what separates fast attention from lasting value, and how certain contemporary pieces shift from viral relevance to future heirlooms.
With: Alice Morby, Managing Editor, Hypeform and Anton Rahlwes, Curator & Writer.
Free access to talks with your fair ticket.
Fast Design and the Value of the Real
TALK
Friday 13 March at 15:00
As fast design brands increasingly replicate the aesthetics of collectible and independent design, the line between original and copy is blurring, echoing what happened in fashion with fast fashion. This talk examines how accelerated production and trend-driven consumption impact authorship, craftsmanship and long-term value, and asks how the design world can better articulate the difference between surface appeal and true originality. How do we help clients and audiences understand that collectible pieces are not trends to consume, but heirlooms to live with and pass on.
With: Domien op de Beeck, IP Lawyer Bird and Bird and Valerie Präkelt, Journalist & Host, Contributor AD Germany
Moderated by: Anton Rahlwes, Curator & Writer
Free access to talks with your fair ticket.
Black Design: Europe and the US
TALK
Friday 13 March at 16:00
A focused conversation on how Black design practices have evolved within different cultural and institutional frameworks in Europe and the United States. Why has visibility and market recognition developed differently, and how do history, funding structures and collecting cultures shape authorship and access today? The discussion looks at how the collectible design field can move from representation to long-term structural support.
With: Charlene Austin, co-founder OKRA, Charlene Prempeh, Writer, curator, editor and co-founder of A Vibe Called Tech, Garth Roberts, Principal, garth™ Design, Kim Munpangilaï, Interior Architect, Designer &| Professor, Parsons School of Design, NYC
Moderated by: Mzwakhe Ndlovu, Multidisciplinary Designer & Founder, SUBJECT BUREAUX
Free access to talks with your fair ticket.
Collecting Design, Starting from Contemporary Art
MASTERCLASS
Saturday 14 March at 13:00
Drawing on her experience across both the art and design fields, working closely with designers, galleries, and collectors internationally, Liv Vaisberg leads a focused masterclass for those looking to begin collecting design from an art-led perspective.
The session addresses the specificities of design, from functionality and editioning to authorship, value, and narrative, while highlighting the overlaps with contemporary art. Rather than prescribing what to buy, the masterclass proposes frameworks for reading design critically, understanding emerging practices, and building a collection with clarity and intention.
With: Liv Vaisberg, Co-founder, COLLECTIBLE
Free access to talks with your fair ticket.
TALK
Saturday 14 March at 14:00
A focused conversation positioning tablescaping as a true design discipline, where curation, materiality and spatial composition meet. Far beyond decoration, the table becomes a stage for collectible objects, narrative and atmosphere, requiring authorship and intention. The session will conclude with the announcement of the winner of the Best Table award within the Tablescape section of the fair.
With: Ann Chan, Founder and CEO of Hero Design Group, Paul-Antoine Bertin, Founder, Studio 27, Zélikha Dinga, Creative Director, Caro Diaro
Moderated by: Natalie Helsen, Journalist & Fashion Director, Sabato
Free access to talks with your fair ticket.
TALK
Saturday 14 March at 16:00
As a new generation of design biennales emerges across Europe, their impact extends beyond cultural discourse into the structure of the market itself. This conversation examines how these platforms shape visibility, create new collector networks and influence institutional and commercial trajectories. Are biennales becoming catalysts for market recognition, or do they operate as alternative systems with different values and priorities? A timely discussion on how curatorial initiatives and market dynamics increasingly intersect.
With: Anton Rahlwes, Curator & Writer, Boris Peianov, Director of Development, Beta – Bienala Timișoreană de Arhitectură and Sarah Schulten, Co-founder Design Biennale Rotterdam
Free access to talks with your fair ticket.
TALK
Sunday 15 March at 14:00
This conversation focuses on a new generation of Belgian designers redefining the country’s design landscape today. What does it mean to become an icon in a contemporary context? How is recognition built in an increasingly international and digital field? Bringing together leading voices from the current scene, the talk explores authorship, ambition and how Belgian design positions itself within the global collectible ecosystem. A forward-looking discussion on visibility, identity and the making of future icons.
With: Amber Dewaele, Designer, Linde Freya Tangelder, Artist & Furniture Designer, Scott Lippens, Gallery Director & Curator, Uppercut and Victor Verhelst, Designer & Co-founder, Sidequest
Moderated by: Dieter Van den Storm, Creation & Communications Director, MAD Brussels
Free access to talks with your fair ticket.
