Handpicked from 233 candidates, eight young designers will be vying for the ultimate prize in the 2017 MIFF Furniture Design Competition presented by Southeast Asia’s biggest industry event, Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF).
The panel of international judges led by China-based Malaysian designer and consultant Philip Yap had a busy time in October and November to whittle down the entries which doubled the number received for the 2016 contest.
The shortlisted finalists have entered the crucial final stretch to prototype their designs for the final round judging scheduled on March 7 and showcased during the MIFF 2017 at the Martrade Exhibition and Convention Centre (MECC), the co-venu of the trade show with PWTC from March 8 to 11.
The MIFF Furniture Design Competition 2017 with the theme “Table2Gather” was opened to young talents up to 30 years of age. Competitors were required to incorporate wood in the challenge to design a table and chair set for any setting. The 2017 winners will be announced at the MIFF Prize Presentation Ceremony on Mar 10.
Held for the eighth year, the competition continues to be supported strongly by local manufacturers who are working closely with the designers to prepare the prototypes.
The competition was launched in 2010 to attract and groom young talent to sustain Malaysia’s export-driven furniture industry. Ms Karen Goi, General Manager of MIFF comments, “The MIFF FDC 2017 has produced designs which are practical with high market appeal. The finalists put a lot of thought in creating lifestyle pieces that can be expanded into collections. The prototyping process is a steep learning curve that offers them important lessons on furniture construction and material use. I must thank the manufacturers who have stepped forward to build the prototypes when they are busy preparing their exhibits for MIFF 2017 as well. Credit goes to the judges too for spending a lot of time to vet the large number of entries received.”
Philip Yap, owner of PYD Associates with offices in China and Malaysia, is the Chief Judge for the third year. The others in the six-member panel are Shinichi Mitsuki (Mitsui Designtec Co Ltd, Japan), Lu Ke Yan (Tian Di Ru Feng, China), Tommaso Rodolfo Masera (Masera Design, China/Italy), Ar Lim Wei Hong (Arkitek WHL, Malaysia), Hamidah Abdullah (Malaysian Timber Council, Malaysia) and Dr Eric Leong (The One Academy, Malaysia).
The MIFF FDC showcase is open to the public via pre-registration on www.miff.com.my. More information and updates on MIFF 2017 is available on the same website.
Here’s a video of last year’s Furniture Design Competition (FDC) 2016
