From Paris to Mexico City: Unique Design X is Bridging the Global Creative Dialogue

Unique Design X returns to Mexico City at a pivotal moment. As the city cements its reputation as a global design destination, its deep-rooted cultural heritage and dynamic contemporary scene are making it the go-to place for collectible design, functional art, and creative cross-pollination. Following its successful debut last year, this year’s edition takes place from February 6-9, 2025 at Expo Reforma, alongside Material Art Fair during Mexico City Art Week, reinforcing its role in this growing landscape.

Mexico City’s rise as an international design capital has been accelerating in recent years. With the success of ZONAMACO, and prominent gallery expansions, the city has become a magnet for collectors, designers, and institutions from across the globe. Leading names such as Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Almine Rech, and emerging studios like EWE and ATRA have set their sights on Mexico, drawn by its rich artisanal traditions, progressive design community, and increasing global visibility.

For Morgan Morris Sans, founder and CEO of Unique Design X, the city’s creative pulse is undeniable:

“Mexico City is the embodiment of home, with a rich cultural landscape, history, and pulse. As we curate and explore the nuanced nature of our interior worlds through objects and functionality, the warmth we are embraced with here is a collective expansion into the artistry and emotive exploration each of our participants showcase.”

As international players seek fresh perspectives beyond traditional art and design capitals, Mexico City offers a unique blend of craftsmanship, cultural legacy, and experimental design thinking. Unlike other cities where the market is saturated, Mexico thrives on reinvention, allowing artists, designers, and galleries to push new narratives while remaining deeply connected to history.

This year’s Unique Design X is anchored in the manifesto “CECI N’EST PAS DU DESIGN – THIS IS NOT DESIGN”, a bold homage to René Magritte, challenging the very essence of design and its evolving definition. The fair moves beyond the typical dialogue of form versus function, instead exploring the poetic and conceptual dimensions of objects.

Among the many highlights of this edition, Almine Rech and Unno Gallery collaborate on a solo presentation of multidisciplinary Parisian artist Garance Vallée, whose work dissolves boundaries between architecture, art, and object-making. ATRA introduces “Echoes of Tomorrow”, an immersive installation envisioning a post-human world where nature reclaims human-made remnants, offering a meditation on decay, renewal, and humanity’s impermanence. EWE Studio, a defining force in Mexico’s contemporary design renaissance, continues its exploration of artisanal traditions through avant-garde craftsmanship. Carpenters Workshop Gallery presents collectible works from Vicenzo De Cotiis, Ingrid Donat, Rick Owens, and Nacho Carbonell, further solidifying Mexico City’s standing within the global functional art ecosystem. Esteban Tamayo makes his debut in the collectible design world with “Under the Sun”, a series reflecting on heritage, modernity, and sustainability, while ColAAb brings functional art pieces by contemporary artists, reinforcing Mexico’s role in the ever-evolving conversation between design and artistic expression.

As Mexico City continues to shape the future of collectible design, fairs like Unique Design X highlight the city’s evolution into a global design hub, not just through exhibitions but by fostering critical conversations, cultural exchange, and sustainable creative practices. With a long-term vision to build a bridge between Paris and Mexico City, Unique Design X is more than an event – it’s a movement that positions Mexico at the center of the next design era.