3 London Design Festival Destinations to Prioritise
September is shaping up to be one of the busiest months in the design calendar. From new festival districts and material innovation to emerging talent and thought-provoking exhibitions, London is preparing to welcome thousands of architects, designers and specifiers for a week of inspiration, collaboration and discovery. Here’s a look at three of the events and programmes set to define this year’s London Design Festival.
Material Matters 2026, Prima Materia, Photo: Tom Carter
Material Matters London Celebrates Five Years with Shoreditch Move
Material Matters returns for its fifth London edition from 15–17 September 2026, moving to UNLOCKED Shoreditch, a multi-level former industrial warehouse on Curtain Road at the heart of Shoreditch Design Week.
The fair will bring together around 50 exhibitors selected for their commitment to material intelligence, alongside special features and a new Café Conversations talks programme. This year also sees outdoor brand Berghaus join as official Thought Leadership Partner, helping shape the talks programme and offering insight into its approach to material innovation and performance.
Across the event, exhibitors will explore materials grown, reclaimed and reimagined. Highlights include FRONT® and Biomason’s bacteria-grown Mimmik Tile™, Carbon Cell’s carbon-negative biochar alternative to polymer foams, Phyta Biodesign’s wildlife-integrated façade systems and The Or Foundation’s products made from post-consumer clothing waste.
Timber also takes centre stage, with work from Josh Ling Studio, David Colwell, Fallen & Felled and the 2026 Wood Awards, while studios including Stoksel and Helena C Williams showcase craftsmanship through experimental processes and repairable design.
Free to attend, Material Matters London will once again celebrate designers and innovators exploring how materials can contribute to a more thoughtful, regenerative future.
London Design Festival Welcomes Soho District for the First Time
Soho will join the London Design Festival for the first time this September, becoming a new focal point for events, installations, talks and collaborations celebrating the district’s distinctive creative identity.
Taking place from 12–20 September, the Soho District programme will bring together architects, designers, property developers, hospitality specialists, branding agencies, makers and other creative voices shaping London’s built environment.
Led by Anna King, CEO of Informare, the new district aims to harness Soho’s longstanding reputation as a centre for creativity, culture and collaboration. Its programme will explore the intersection of design, commerce and community while highlighting the area’s continuing influence on the capital.
The district’s visual identity, created by Informare Creative Director Nicky Young, draws inspiration from Soho’s cultural history, including its neon signage, rebellious counterculture and connections to the music and creative industries.
The addition of Soho to London Design Festival reflects the neighbourhood’s evolving role within the city, celebrating both its rich heritage and its position as a forward-looking hub for design and innovation.
Further details of participating partners, events and hospitality collaborations will be announced ahead of the festival.
Above: The ‘Voices of Shoreditch’ design cohort on behalf of Shoreditch Design Week Back Row Standing, Left to right: Freya Bolton (Mitre & Mondays); Andu Masebo; Josef Shanley-Jackson; Jordan Cluroe (2LG); Jutta Guessl; Russell Whitehead (2LG); Lee Broom; Finn Thompson (Mitre & Mondays); Alexandra Gerber; Shay Alkalay (Raw Edges); Ollie Olanipekun; Martino Gamper; Rio Kobayashi Front Row Seated, left to right: Donna Wilson; Yael Mer (Raw Edges); Bethan Laura Wood
Shoreditch Design Week Unveils Its 2026 Programme
Shoreditch Design Week returns from 15–20 September 2026, bringing together more than 100 showrooms, exhibitions, installations and events across London Design Festival’s largest design district.
This year’s programme places emerging talent, inclusive design and creative collaboration firmly in focus. New additions include ND Selects at Kachette and Neuroplaces, alongside returning highlights such as Design at Work, Isola Design, 2LG Studio and Raw Collaborative.
ND Selects will spotlight some of Britain’s most promising young design businesses, giving visitors an early look at independent studios in their first five years of trading. Design Burger will also launch its first publication, The Product Design 100, through a six-day exhibition celebrating contemporary industrial design.
Elsewhere, AHEC presents Wood for the Trees, exploring responsible forestry and sustainable timber, while Neuroplaces examines neuroinclusive and accessible design across workplaces, hospitality, public spaces and transport.
At House of Icon, 2LG Studio returns with You Can Sit With Us: Messy Heart, celebrating emotion, individuality and human connection through design. With activity spanning dedicated exhibition spaces, studios and showrooms, Shoreditch Design Week offers a broad snapshot of the ideas, materials and creative voices influencing design today.