The 21st Disainiöö Festival takes place at the Põhjala Factory from September 28 to October 4, with “The Future of Product Design” as this year’s main theme.
The festival explores how sustainability, adaptability, inclusivity, and material awareness shape the next generation of products and services. The Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) is once again participating in the festival with a diverse program featuring exhibitions, fashion events, discussions, and special lectures.
EKA’s Department of Product Design presents the exhibition “Well Made” at the Põhjala Factory. The festival also showcases “1982,” an exhibition of car sketches by EKA lecturer Björn Koop; this exhibition opens on September 28 in Hangar 1 of the Põhjala Factory.
The fashion program presents the work of EKA fashion designers. On September 28, the full-length recording of the fashion show “Finiśage” premieres at the Artis Cinema. From September 28 to October 4, a pop-up shop and exhibition titled “Fashion Show” (Moeetendus), featuring EKA fashion designers, will be held at the Solaris Centre. Stella Runnel’s fashion show “DOM – Design is in Fashion” is also associated with EKA.
The festival program pays tribute to Bruno Tomberg—a titan of Estonian design and an EKA professor emeritus—with the exhibition of the Estonian Product Design Award Bruno 2026. Additionally, visitors can explore the current state of Estonian design education through the exhibition “Estonian Design Schools.“
Designers and lecturers affiliated with EKA are participating in the discussion program. Stella Runnel and Cärol Ott will take part in a conversation titled “What Makes a Product Valuable?” The conversation “Aus and Ballone: The Future of Product Design” explores potential future directions for the field.
EKA is also contributing to the design history and theory program. The Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design is hosting an exhibition and a special lecture series titled “The Whole World is Bauhaus,” featuring a talk on the Bauhaus by Andres Kurg.
The 21st Design Night Festival will take place from September 28 to October 4, 2026, at the Põhjala Factory and other locations across Tallinn. EKA’s events offer an opportunity to examine how the design sector relates to the future through the lenses of product design, fashion, design education, and design history.