On 18 November 2018 in The LALU Hotel of Nanjing the awards ceremony of the King’s Festival was held. This festival was the fifth national competition of the Mango Prize and China Overall Case Design Award.
The Prize aims to focus on the growth of young designers and promote the progress of the design sector, helping young artists to identify themselves.
Dino Zoli Tessuti, which has been working in the fabric manufacturing sector in China for 20 years, was the only Italian company to be invited to attend the event, as an ambassador for Italy, connected to the creativity and beauty of the national heritage, through its links with the craft, with the company, with the arts, with the local area and with the historical memories that have a cultural identity value as well as economic, recognized internationally.
The invitation to the event consisted in the participation of Nadia Stefanel, Director of the Dino Zoli Foundation and Cultural and Communication Manager of the Dino Zoli Group, as speaker in a presentation entitled “Art or design?”, a speech that ran through the history of Design in relation to Italian art, as a way forward in the quest for creativity, understood as the capacity for innovation through imagination in design.
At the event 12 famous designers attended as members of the international jury, including Jean Pierre Heim, Founder of JPH Architecture & Design, Mr. Jubin, the founder of HSD, Mr. Kinney Chan, founder of Kinney Chan and Associates, Sun, Chien-Ya, founder of Shanghai YAYI Interior Design, Tang Chung-Han, director of design in Taiwan Dainterior, Mr. Lai Xudong, the founder of Chongqing Niandai Yingchuang Interior Design, Mr. XieTian, the dean of YASHA Design Institute, Mr. David Chang, the founder of David Chang Design Associates, Mr. Meng Ye, Director of Design at Meng Ye Design Associates, Lai Yanan, founder of the natural brand DOMO, Ong Sheng Keat, CEO of Nota Design Group and Nadia Stefanel, art director of the DINO ZOLI GROUP.
The judges and VIPs in the room presented the excellent design projects in the competition to the young designers in the audience.
Famous names in Chinese media were present: Hu Yanli, chief editor of Netease Home, Mr. Meng Hui, the chief editor of the South area of Sina Home, Feng Hui, the chief editor of OBJEKT Asia, Wang Sifei, the chief editor of La casa di Qing, Zhao Yuling, the founder of “ID + C” Magazine and Feng Mei Media.
The live stream on the official website of SHI JIAN FANG, Netease Home and TouTiao, recorded 90,000 clicks and the gallery where photos of the event were published received 43,000 likes.
During the ceremony, the directors of the SHI JIAN FANG brand, Marco Zoli for Dino Zoli Tessuti, KEYSPACE, official sponsor of the award, U + and SAN BU QU took the stage to sign an agreement for strategic cooperation in 2019.
133 trophies were awarded, including four winners of a commercial prize and a residency for the Mango Prize and China Overall Case Design Award.
The Mango Prize will continue in 2019 and SHI JIAN FANG will progress together with the design industry.