Talents celebrate an anniversary at Ambiente: 25 years of fresh design and new perspectives

Frankfurt am Main, November 2025–

What drives young design? Which approaches will shape designs in the future? And which names should we definitely remember? Since 2001, the Talentsprogramme has been promoting young international designers and providing valuable insights into relevant developments and newcomers. To mark its 25th anniversary, Messe Frankfurt is bringing together the works of former Talents, now internationally established designers, as well as emerging new participants in an interdisciplinary future lab. The special presentation will be presented at Ambiente, from 6 to 10 February 2026, in Hall 3.1.

What solutions do contemporary designers offer for the challenges of our time? The successful Talents support programme at Ambiente provides exciting answers to this and many other questions. In its anniversary edition, Messe Frankfurt presents a curated showcase in which 15 former and 10 new Talents will present their approaches and products to an international professional audience.

Design Icons & Newcomers
The Ex-Talentsinclude Mark Braun, Martino Gamper, Laura Straßer, and the design studios L + W Design Consultancy, Polka, and Speziell. Also returning is Sebastian Herkner, who presented his much-acclaimed lamp Nan16in 2008. In 2026, he will showcase his new OF.LINE collection for Decor Walther. The focus of this collection is on an striking mix of materials, combining innovatively processed aluminum and handmade porcelain. The French designer Marlene Huissoud introduced her project From Insectsin 2015, an avant-garde series of vessels made from the natural material propolis. To this day, she has remained true to her theme: the beauty and importance of biodiversity. Her artwork, Cocoon Cabinet #1, which she will present in 2026, is based on thousands of silkworm cocoons from the Peace Silk movement, coated with a thin layer of natural, organic bee resin. In his remarkable series TRACES, Finnish master carpenter and designer Antrei Hartikainen examines landscapes influenced by humans, viewed from varying distances. The details, scale, shapes, and textures of his furniture pieces change depending on the perspective.

German designer Mareen Baumeister is new to the Talents program. In her interdisciplinary project FLOCK, she combines robotics with traditional craftsmanship. In this way, she transforms wool waste into attractive mono-material objects with heterogeneous properties. Adrian Grabow focuses on destigmatization. In his project CHARMS, he elevates stigmatized fidget tools into tactile everyday companions. The selected materials and organic forms of his skill tools create a calming, concentration-enhancing experience while at the same time giving them the appeal of desirable design objects. How do we find calm and focus? Japanese designer Ryoji Takahashi(Studio VITRO) places this question at the center of his lighting object DEW. He brings together light, water, and movement to create a new meditative element offering moments of calm in an increasingly fast-paced world.

A complete list of all Talents 2026 can be found on the Ambiente website. 

25 Years of Talents
Launched in 2001, the “Talents”programme connects young designers with the international design and manufacturing community. Unlike many other support programs, participants in Frankfurt benefit from a free exhibition stand and active guidance in preparing for their often first international showcase.

Upcoming trade fair dates: 

The next editions of the consumer goods fairs will once again take place simultaneously at 

Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre in early February. 

Ambiente/Christmasworld:  06 to 10 February 2026 

Creativeworld:                     06 to 09 February 2026