Notes on Going Viral, and an LDF Explainer
Viral reels, viral fairs, and navigating the the year's most sprawling design event
Hello to you and to our new subscribers!
A quick intro: The Design Release started in 2017 when my pal Leo Lei (of Leibal) and I (Julia - hello) were working in New York, often traveling to scout new designers for Leo’s store and exhibitors for the Architectural Digest Design Fair, where I was working at the time. We kept trying to track big design fairs and exhibitions across cities and realized the resource we needed didn’t exist.
So we built it! Along with our third co-founder Zack Kollar (our tech genius), we created TDR as a calendar platform to track design shows and exhibitions around the world. And now - our newsletter :)
From our experience coming up in the NYC design scene, we know that going to exhibition openings and connecting with the community is how design lovers become design insiders. That’s still our ethos: we want TDR to be your compass for navigating the global design ecosystem. Where to go, what to see. Discover new design, be your own trend reporter, but most importantly, make new friends.
Every month we send out two newsletters: This one, which touches on something big and global happening in the design world, and then a mid-month newsletter for our paid subscribers who support our deeper dives. We explore topics that we would cover if we were consulting (social media in the design world, how to build a business, navigating fairs as an exhibitor, and stuff we deem important that might be a little more “inside baseball”).
Thank you for subscribing and thank you for you’re support! We are so happy you’re here!
It’s been a big week since our last newsletter exploring the term Collectible Design, which was late and therefore timed with Collectible Fair in NYC. A big congrats to founders Liv and Clelie for bringing an overseas show to NYC and bringing back community where it was needed, and absolutely crushing it. From my POV, everyone was there, and I’m sure that also had a lot to do with their PR, one of the best in the biz, Dada Goldberg.
In my personal life, and why our new subscribers are here, I had my first viral experience on Instagram in ten years, which was all but dead to me as of last week. Back in 2014, a popular account reposted a photo of my apartment in Chelsea, NYC, which gained me 3,000 new followers overnight, a shock at the time. It’s been a slow burn of growth since then, and a topic I revisit often: are we wasting time trying to create businesses on social media, and screaming into the void? (The answer is, mostly, yes.)
I tried many strategies over the years, as recommended by social media expert and TDR pal Julia Lola Wang, and it felt frustrating and pointless. When I created recap reels of fairs or exhibitions I visited, everything was overthought and looked amateur, basically no one cared (lol). I lack the natural hooks and video editing skills of a 14-year-old.
But it happened. My husband and I have been shopping around for a new (rental) flat in London and came across the most magical little house. Natural and low-effort filming, along with a non-scripted voice-over, helped it reach over 200k views in a week. Julia Lola was right. Reels are the only way to grow.
I’m not sure what to do on Instagram with this influx of new followers. I’m not convinced I can suddenly become the type of person who keeps it up regularly, or digs up more adorable little cottages that my husband can barely stand upright in (also - that house was truly one in a million, in terms of interior style and adorableness, and I’ve seen dozens of flats since August).
Then, thanks to a repost of our reel on Saturday night by the Men’s Fashion writer Die, Workwear, and his sharing of my husband's shoutout of this Substack, we have a lot of new readers!! And which, to be honest, means way more to me than Instagram followers. I’m a words person, after all.
So thank you, Derek. And thank you to our new readers. I hope you’ll grow with us.
And: More nice news from the week, one of our favorite international design trade newsletters, Interior Daily, wrote a nice feature about TDR, Leo, and me. TDR is truly a passion project, so the exposure the week has felt incredibly meaningful; a big thank you to them. Check it out here, and sign up for their daily newsletter for global design news.
For those in London or readers who happen to be in town, keep reading for an explainer and breakdown of what to see at the London Design Festival next week.
But first, NEWS.
In this issue:
News News News 🚨
LDF Explainer and Guide 🎡
James Malcolm Green’s Little City Guide 🍽️
NEWS NEWS NEWS
”Should designers worry about Google’s new AI tool?” No, we embrace it! A Fredrticle. BOH
Sothebys Institute (where I got my master’s lol 👀) is under federal monitoring due to questions about financial stability. Also I don’t think enough people know that SI is a licensing thing, and not really as connected to the auction house as one would be led to believe. ARTnews
'Behind Closed Doors, ' co-curated by a friend of TDR, Jillian Choi, showcases the work of 24 Korean designers that blur the boundaries between art and functionality. Wallpaper
A First Look at the Gustaf Westman x IKEA Collection. Domino
Dyson introduces its largest wave of new products to date. Yanko
As I’ve been predicting for a while, design galleries might be due for a contraction after the collectible design category exploded in popularity during COVID, as we dissected last week. Here, Kenny Schachter gets into the art world side of things. I always love his take, and he gets into the art fair ecosystem, too. Read here on artnet.
A follow-up, Leo just sent me this one. “The Storm Hits the Art Market.” artnet
The Future Perfect opens in Miami. TFP
London Design Festival Explainer and Guide
LDF is next week, and it’s a lot to cover if this is your kind of thing. About five years ago, when I attended the festival for the first time (I now live here), I was truly taken by the energy and all the great events happening simultaneously. The event was anchored by a few major trade shows (London Design Fair, Design Junction, Decorex was also happening during this time, and more). Post-covid, all these shows shut down, and Decorex moved to a different month. This left the event feeling somewhat disjointed, lacking a clear anchor point to bring people together.
To explain, LDF is an annual event that is also comprised of ten design districts (neighborhoods in London) hosting their own events within their “district,” which they organize. The smaller districts take it upon themselves to support and create activations in their neighborhoods, find sponsors, and pay for it all. I have been hearing mixed reviews of LDF and their support as a larger entity. There’s my sneaky critique of the month.
OK: 10 design districts. There are only three I will visit: Brompton Design District (South Kensington, Knightsbridge area), presenting 35 events (from my last count); Mayfair Design District, presenting 17 events; and Shoreditch Design District, which feels like the main hub now, presenting over 60 events.
If you include all ten districts, you have about 200 events. Some of them are semi-pointless, for example, showrooms showcasing whatever they debuted in Milan, basically business as usual, which is not what I care about. You want to go to the openings and events and meet cool people, and see new cool things.
Another thing to note is the introduction of a new fair concept, Design London Shoreditch. This new event takes place in three different locations. I’ll get into it below.
15 September
Mayfair Design District stays open late tonight, so this is where we will be. This neighborhood is home to most of the collectible design galleries, so anyone interested in seeing artistic furniture and more high-end design will find what they are looking for here. All their programming can be found here.
Crockery by Max Lamb + 1882 Ltd. at Gallery FUMI
Sketch Art + Design As part of its annual Art + Design exhibition, Sketch - renowned for its eclectic art-filled interiors, innovative cuisine, and extraordinary dining experiences – presents a dynamic installation of AGO Projects with Mestiz.
Also in the neighborhood: Apparatus, Holly Hunt, and Sarah Myerscough Gallery.
16 September
Shoreditch Design Triangle’s events stay open late tonight (click here for their entire programming. Here’s what we’ll be seeing:
Design London Shoreditch and its three events anchor the neighborhood (click for descriptions)
Design Culture - A curated exhibition that explores the impact of culture through design.
Design at Work by OnOffice - An exhibition that focuses on workplace design.
House of ICON - Where you’ll find design brands occupying rooms within the Grade II listed Shoreditch Town Hall. This one has a lot going on, including:
Emerging British designer Abid Javed unveils his new sculptural lighting collection. Abiogenesis: Vol. 1 reimagines forms from cellular life through hand-crafted ceramic table lamps with modular shades.
An exhibition by graduates from the MA Design Products programme at the Royal College of Art.
The British Council’s exhibition Ancient Futures
The Green Carnation, an installation by 2LG Studio
An exhibition by the independent design fair Isola
Gallery Exhibitions:
MRG x ERCOL by Max Radford Gallery - Max Radford Gallery collaborates with heritage British furniture maker Ercol on a special exhibition at Clerkenwell Fire Station, as part of Shoreditch Design Triangle. Seven designers reimagine Ercol’s archives through new works, from stools and chairs to cabinets and loungers, all produced in close partnership with the factory.
Unbound: A Salvino Marsura retrospective by Béton Brut - ‘Unbound’ explores ideas of nature uninhibited and the human impulse to restrain it. Organic metal forms – roots, tendrils, stalactites – vie against shackles and chainlink in this curated Marsuran underworld. Spanning six decades of Marsura’s furniture, lighting and sculpture, the show brings unseen works from his Treviso forge into Béton Brut’s interior landscape, celebrating the gallery’s 10th anniversary in Hackney Wick.
17 September
Material Matters returns for its fourth edition from 17-20 September 2025 at a new venue, Space House – a Brutalist icon in central London.
Launched in 2022, the fair brings together over 50 established brands and emerging designers. The event is a must-see destination for architects and designers, showcasing the latest in material intelligence and the people, products and ideas shaping the future of design.
18 September
Brompton Design District night (South Kensington area), so everything stays open until 9. Here’s what Leo and I will see. You can see all their events here.
Curious Habits at the RCA - an exploration of how design practice itself is a process of discovery and transformation.
Exhibitoins at The Lavery at Cromwell Place:
Rooms - Designers Nata Janberidze and Keti Toloraia draw on Georgian heritage to create their distinctive contemporary design language. Rooms merges ancient, medieval, and late Soviet motifs with Western European influences, reinterpreted through natural materials such as wood, stone, and metal.
Soft Worlds, Sharp Edges by Studio Charlotte Taylor - Charlotte’s first solo exhibition at Brompton Design District showcases the work of 30 female designers within the frame of a single bedroom.
Mirroring Dialogue - Fresh from collaborating with Solange Knowles earlier this year, Tione Trice exhibition at The Lavery features works by Myles Igwebuike, Darren Appiagyei, and textiles from artists within the African diaspora.
A Little City Guide
Last week, I interviewed James Malcolm Green, co-founder of Mayfair Design District, about his thoughts on the term Collectible Design. James is a man of good taste, so as part of last week’s interview, I had also asked him for a short and sweet city guide, here you go:
Favorite restaurant in London: Riva in Barnes
Favorite Mayfair restaurant: Somssi the chefs table restaurant at Mandarin Oriental, Mount Street Restaurant (great interior design here).
Favorite pub in Mayfair: The Audley Public House
Best coffee in Mayfair: Kiss the Hippo
Favorite museum or cultural spot: Royal Academy
Thank you for making it to the end!
As we mentioned, for the next In-Sites newsletter due mid-October, we will be taking your questions - any questions - relating to the design world. An advice column issue if you will.
Are you curious about how to get published, how to market yourself, which fairs align with your business goals, how to be your own PR, how to get into international markets?
On our team we have Veronica Speak (PR), Julia Lola Wang (social media), Leo Lei (retail, editorial), me (marketing, fairs), and friends and collaborators in the gallery world, production world, growth marketers, established designers, journalists, collectors, interior designers, and more, so it should be a fun one.
Send us any burning questions and we’ll get it answered!
And next month’s business-as-usual newsletter will focus on PAD in London, and Design Miami in Paris. Looking forward to seeing both.
See you soon!
Julia (and hello from Leo and Zack)
Was a good moment for design ❤️