FranklinTill at Heimtextil

Recently opened in Frankfurt, Heimtextil is the go-to trade show for future thinking in the textiles industry. This year design and research agency FranklinTill has developed the show’s ‘Theme Park’ trend exhibition, investigating how increased global urbanisation will affect the built environment, the demand for design and human behaviour more widely.

According to UN statistics, more than half the world’s population will live in cities by 2030. The prediction of such dramatic growth has fuelled FranklinTill’s research for its ‘The Future is Urban’ exhibition, a collection of nine immersive, multi-sensory pavilions and installations currently on show at Heimtextil.

“Rather than approach this major global trend on a macro level and discuss the relevance to architecture and urban planning, we wanted to take a more human-centred approach – to explore how our increasingly urban future will affect the spaces in which we live, work, consume, play and socialise,” says FranklinTill’s Caroline Till.

The exhibition is split into two succinct areas: the big ideas that will change how we live in the future, and the micro-trends in colour and spatial design that will become visible in the coming months.

One of four Lifestyle Trends, The Flexible Space is an exploration of modular and multi-functional living designed for an increasingly nomadic population, and includes a micro-home designed by Studiomama. For The Healthy Space, FranklinTill has developed a Green Workspace that demonstrates how to integrate plants into environments for better wellbeing and focus. The Remade Space is a library of the inventive materials generated from waste and the pioneering techniques behind them. And finally, The Maker Space probes the manufacturing revolution driven by digital-fabrication and how it can further democratise design in the future.

The five design and colour trend pavilions (including Relax / Recharge, Perfect Imperfection, Soft Minimal, Adapt & Assemble, and Urban Oasis) sit alongside the Atelier and the Fab Lab. At the Atelier, visitors can create their own natural dyes with interdisciplinary designer Lola Lely and contribute to a collaborative tapestry with The Bristol Weaving Mill; and at the Fab Lab, they can delve into the digital DIY revolution with Convivial Studio, Opendesk and The Post-Couture Collective.

“We want visitors to feel truly inspired by the experience, to learn something new and take away tangible insights and ideas that can be put into practice in their business,” says Caroline. “These might be short-term actions, or insights into the future of textiles and materials that provide them with a perspective that can support longer-term strategy or innovation.”