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Design festival promotes Leipzig's creative industries

DDP/The Local
DDP/The Local - [email protected]
Design festival promotes Leipzig's creative industries
Photo: Ken Panda from Designers’ Open

Hoping to step out of Berlin's shadow, the eastern German city of Leipzig will host its fifth annual Designers’ Open event this weekend to highlight the city's up-and-coming creative scene.

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Taking place from October 23-25, the event is showcase for more than 150 national and international participants working in fashion, industrial and interior design.

More than 10,000 visitors are expected to attend the festival, which will include not only design and art exhibitions, but also lectures, fashion shows and workshops.

The Designers’ Open is part of the Saxon city’s effort to compete with Berlin's burgeoning creative scene. And for many young designers, Leipzig has become an attractive alternative to the German capital.

For Anna-Magdalena Wendt, a 26-year old fashion designer who will be displaying new items from her label, living in Berlin is not an option. "My studio and my clientele are in Leipzig," she said, describing the opportunity to participate at the Designer’s Open as an "fantastic enrichment."

The founders of Designers' Open, Jan Hartmann and Andreas Neubert, said their aim is simply to highlight Leipzig's "huge creative potential" while also contributing to the business development of the region in an unconventional manner.

The city is certainly making an effort to brand itself as vibrant place for designers to work and live. In November, Leipzig hopes to be awarded an EU "Creative City" grant worth €500,000 over the next three years to support local initiatives.

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