If there were an all-encompassing lens through which to view design, surely it would be material. It is the one element — and driver — of design that has been a constant since the dawn of making, and continues to develop and present new possibilities. It is at once local and global, distinguishing and unifying cultures while contributing to social reality and environments everywhere.

This universality and the open brief it implies makes material the perfect unifying theme for our selection of regional talent. Without imposing an external conception of ‘Asian design’, we find traditional materials and crafts, the waste of rapidly industrialising and urbanising environments, the improvisation that characterises many regional cities, and more besides.

We’ve gathered the design talent together under the following four pillars: Natural includes designers and pieces that utilise natural and/or local materials; Salvage includes designers and pieces that utilise waste materials, offcuts, salvaged or recycled materials; Unconventional includes designers and pieces that utilise unconventional materials, or conventional materials in unconventional ways; and Innovative  includes designers and pieces that utilise innovative materials or innovate in their use of materials.

The designers at EMERGE come from six countries across Southeast Asia; they range from emerging to established, and many have created new pieces specifically for the showcase. Most importantly, all are at the forefront of an international reframing of our existing production, commercial and economic models. Their work exemplifies their roots through — and sets new precedents on — material usage that we hope will inspire their colleagues, their communities, their clients and their end users.