Blog

How Antwerp Design Week came to life Antwerp Design Week started with a simple idea. What if Antwerp’s design world could come together, not only in spirit, but in place. That idea grew gradually and with intention. From a shared vision to a shared guide More than fifteen years ago, Geert-Jan Van Cauwelaert of XLBoom and Philippe Delaisse of Ethnicraft launched a curated guide featuring Antwerp based design brands and the city as a design destination. The guide became a

This interview features Geert-Jan Van Cauwelaert, Chairman of Antwerp Design Week, and Emma Vanbeckevoort, the event’s Project Manager. Together, they are the driving force behind Antwerp Design Week: a compact team, yet boundless in energy and determination. In 2025, they successfully hosted the third edition of the event, bringing together more than 85 design brands from Belgian to international, from furniture to accessories. It’s been almost three months since the 2025 ed

We believe that a strong community is the key to elevating both individual brands and the design industry as a whole. Through shared spaces, cross-industry collaborations, and special events, ADW creates opportunities for brands to connect with each other and with a wider audience. This sense of community is what sets ADW apart and drives us to keep innovating every year. By building this sense of community, we also aim to give a platform to emerging talent, such as students