ZAGREB, 18 Aug (Hina) - Zagreb Design Week (ZGDW) will take place from 9 to 21 September with the theme  of this year's edition "Realities We Share" and Catalonia as the focus region, and alongside other exhibitions, visitors will have the opportunity to explore a showcase of the past hundred years of Catalan design.

The twelfth edition of the festival will be held under a new concept, with an emphasis on multiple locations and diverse programmes that reflect this year's theme. "Realities We Share" explores how design can bridge the gap between individual and collective experiences, human innovation and sustainable development, different cultures and a shared future, the organisers emphasise.

The official opening ceremony will take place at Jadran Film, where the ZGDW AWARD, an international design prize, will be presented. Visitors will be able to view the exhibition of the award finalists until Sunday, 14 September, alongside design exhibitions from Catalonia, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Mexico, and Slovenia. In addition, Jadran Film will also host fashion shows, lectures, panel discussions, workshops, and documentary screenings.

The second week of the festival is dedicated to partner locations, including galleries, studios, and pop-up spaces in central Zagreb, where design will be presented through daily events, each in a different neighbourhood.

Catalonia and its capital Barcelona, the organisers note, have a rich history of exceptional design, shaped by its most renowned artists such as Salvador Dalí and Antoni Gaudí, who contributed to the development of a strong design scene that is showcased at this year's ZGDW.

The Catalan design exhibition presents works from the past hundred years, with organisers highlighting André Ricard, aged 96, as perhaps the best embodiment of this legacy.

Visitors will also be able to explore the exhibition “Sustainable Challenge: Gender Perspective in Fashion”, an annual project aimed at generating knowledge and proposals to promote sustainability in the fashion industry, organised by MODA-FAD, a non-profit organisation supporting sustainable fashion.

As part of ZGDW, a new programme called Studio Space will be introduced, presenting Croatian design studios. This year's participants are Dig Studio, SH&T, and Bekar Haus.