Italian design fair Capsule Plaza is expanding internationally with Capsule Plaza Tokyo, which will “celebrate Tokyo as the ultimate destination for design lovers” during the Designart Tokyo design week.
The event will take place at six venues across the city, including furniture brand Karimoku’s showroom and the T House New Balance concept store designed by architect Jo Nagasaka.
Founder Alessio Ascari is bringing Capsule Plaza to Tokyo
Capsule Plaza, which is run by the Capsule design platform and magazine, chose Tokyo for its first international event because of the ubiquity of good design in Japan. The publication also takes its name from a Japanese icon, the Nakagin Capsule Tower.
“When we decided that, after three successful editions in Milan, it was time for the Capsule Plaza format to travel to other cities, it felt like a great opportunity to celebrate Tokyo as the ultimate destination for design lovers,” Capsule Plaza founder Alessio Ascari told Dezeen.
The Skwat Kameari Art Centre (above and main image) is one of the venues
“In recent years, Tokyo’s creative community has flourished, and the city’s design and art week – that Capsule Plaza is timed to coincide with – is on the rise,” he said.
“It felt like the right moment to bring the notion of “radical design for today” to Japan’s capital, igniting new and unexpected dialogues.”
Six highlights from Designart Tokyo 2024
The event will be different from Capsule Plaza’s Milan edition, which traditionally takes place during Milan design week at its Spazio Maiocchi headquarters, where the platform invites global brands to showcase their work as part of one big exhibition.
“Milan design week is an unparalleled global summit – nothing matches its scale and ambition,” Ascari said. “For Capsule Plaza, that translates into a unique opportunity of working with a wide variety of companies from all over the world.”
“In Tokyo, on the other hand, the focus on the furniture industry and brand partnerships is subtler; we’re prioritising collaborations with design and architecture studios.”
Karimoku Commons’s showroom is taking part in Capsule Plaza Tokyo
The Tokyo event will “feel more like a city-wide festival, celebrating Tokyo’s many creative facets”, he added.
It will be held at galleries StandBy and Skwat Kameari Art Centre, the Karimoku Commons Tokyo showroom, design stores T House New Balance and Cibone, and restaurant Tokyo Burnside.
The Stand By gallery spaces will show works during the event
While Capsule currently doesn’t have any firm expansion plans, the platform hopes to bring its events to more cities in the future.
“We’d love to bring Capsule Plaza to the United States in 2026,” Ascari said.
“With each new edition – while always intended as a hybrid between a fair and a collective exhibition – we imagine the format evolving. We will constantly adapt to the unique fabric of each city and market, fostering dialogue with the visionary creators shaping local cultural scenes.”
The photography is courtesy of Capsule Plaza.
Capsule Plaza Tokyo takes place across Tokyo from 30 October to 9 November during Designart Tokyo. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
AloJapan.com