By Jeremy Got
Published: Nov 20, 2025 04:59 PM HKT | 5 MIN READ
As seen on www.prestigeonline.com

Business of Design Week 2025 (BODW 2025), to be held from December 1-6 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, will offer fresh insights into creativity and innovation in design. 

Coinciding with 55 years of diplomatic ties between China and Italy, BODW will explore how curiosity fuels Italian innovation in art, architecture, fashion and manufacturing, while highlighting Hong Kong’s role as a bridge between East and West. At the heart of the event is the BODW Summit, which will feature more than 50 design leaders from Italy, the UK, the US, Japan and beyond. Highlights include Dr Carlo Ratti, who will unveil his torch designs for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo; architect Tereza Šváchová discussing architecture and national identity; and Buccellati CEO Nicolas Luchsinger, who will share how historic luxury brands innovate to preserve their legacies.

Dr Carlo Ratti – Urban Technology & AI‑Driven Design

A founding partner of the international architecture and innovation practice CRA and Professor of the Practice of Urban Technology at MIT, Ratti heads the Senseable City Lab. His research “bridges the gap between people, technology and the city,” using digital video and artificial intelligence to uncover hidden patterns and overlooked spaces.

At BODW 2025 he will reveal his torch concepts for the 2026 Winter Olympics, showing how AI‑enhanced design can turn data‑driven narratives into tangible symbols of national pride. Ratti will urge designers to “let data guide design, and design spark imagination,” underscoring the role of civic curiosity in reshaping urban life.

Tereza Šváchová – Glass, Light & Architectural Identity

Born into a glass‑making family in the historic Bohemian region of the Czech Republic, Šváchová is a member of the European Society of Light & Glass and chairwoman of the Eliáška Endowment Fund advisory board. Her practice treats glass as both material and metaphor, pushing the boundaries of architecture and design.

“Glass lives on the edge of tension. So does curiosity – the urge to break borders, to create, to live awake,” she explains. In her talk she will explore how the translucency and fragility of glass can articulate national identity, opening new discourses on how materiality shapes cultural narratives.

Michele de Lucci – Heritage, Lighting & Multidisciplinary Design

The head of Olivetti Design and creator of the iconic Tolomeo lamp (Compasso d’Oro 1987), de Lucci was awarded the title Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana in 2000. As founder of AMDL CIRCLE, he champions a multidisciplinary approach that fuses architecture, interior design and art. De Lucci describes curiosity as “the engine of human evolution,” a force that drives the discovery of natural phenomena and continuous innovation. His presentation will demonstrate how interdisciplinary collaboration and relentless inquisitiveness enable designers to redefine the limits of knowledge and craft objects that endure across generations.

Nicolas François Luchsinger – Luxury Heritage & Contemporary Innovation

Since taking the helm of Buccellati in 2024, Luchsinger has drawn on a diverse background that includes a decade in public‑relations at Christie’s New York, a stint as President of Van Cleef & Arpels Asia‑Pacific (2018), and service as a Swiss Army captain. He argues that “creativity and artistic excellence demand that we look outward, embracing a curious mindset.”

For Luchsinger, curiosity “invites both courage and vulnerability… fuelling inspiration, collaboration and innovation.” His talk will examine how historic luxury houses can stay relevant by daring to experiment while honouring the craftsmanship that defines their legacy.

Angelica Ruspoli Visconti – Luxury Fashion, Heritage & Forward‑Looking Curiosity

Vice‑Chairman of the Ferragamo Group, Visconti blends an elite academic foundation (NYU and Kellogg) with two decades of global luxury experience. After leading Ferragamo’s Global Wholesale and Travel Retail division, she now oversees the Heritage division (including the Fondazione, Museum and Archive) and the Silk, Textiles and Accessories division. Visconti stresses that “curiosity is a very powerful engine to foster creativity and innovation; it pushes boundaries to experiment with new materials and techniques.” She will illuminate how this mindset fuels the development of new collections, drives sustainable practices, and sustains Ferragamo’s storied heritage in a rapidly evolving market.

Running alongside the summit, two high‑profile concurrent programmes deepen the city‑wide design buzz. Maison&Objet Intérieurs Hong Kong, co‑presented by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and France’s Maison&Objet, debuts at the Convention & Exhibition Centre with a “Design Factory” and “Design Showcase” that spotlight sustainable interiors, traditional craftsmanship and cutting‑edge trends. Simultaneously, DesignInspire – also organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council – hosts interactive exhibits, masterclasses and workshops under the theme “Where Connections Spark Inspiration,” drawing global design elites and brands to a Business‑to‑All platform that mirrors BODW’s curiosity‑driven ethos.

As the summit gathers this international cohort, BODW 2025 fulfils its role as Asia’s premier design and innovation event. More than a series of talks, it becomes a dynamic platform where the theme “Curiosity Ignites Design Innovation” is put into practice. The dialogue between Italian heritage and Hong Kong’s kinetic energy does not simply celebrate the past; it sketches a tangible blueprint for the future. By weaving together insights from the likes of Ratti, Šváchová, de Lucci, Luchsinger and Visconti, the summit demonstrates how curiosity – whether expressed through AI‑enhanced urban artefacts, the translucency of glass, interdisciplinary lighting design, daring luxury reinvention, or forward‑looking fashion – can translate into concrete, market‑ready solutions. 

This is the essence of global collaboration: sparking new ideas that ripple out from the summit, through city‑wide public initiatives, and into the studios of the next generation of talent. Here, in this confluence of minds, Hong Kong cements its position as a creative capital – not merely by hosting a conversation, but by actively building the connections that will define what comes next.

Find out more about Business of Design Week here.