The 2024 World Design Cities Conference is slated to take place from Sept 27 to 30 at the Shanghai Expo Urban Best Practices Area. It aims to serve as an international stage for emerging brands and young designers to shine, said the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, a co-organizer of the event, at a press briefing on Sept 20.

The conference will consist of one opening ceremony, two exhibitions at home and abroad, three major forums, four industrial sessions, five specialized forums, and several citywide activities, according to the event organizers.

With the theme "Design Reframing Growth", the four-day event will bring together international industry professionals, influential enterprises, and emerging fashion brands to unveil new design products and delve into the latest trends and innovations within the design sector.

Spanning an area of 20,000 square meters, the major exhibition will focus on the fashion and light industries. It will showcase nearly 500 brands with 3,000 products.

Zhang Ying, director of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, said that the exhibition aims to explore a pathway to new quality development driven by innovative design, adding that 70 percent of the brands featured at the exhibition held in Shanghai will be emerging ones.

The winners of the Shanghai Design 100+ global competition will also be revealed, with the list of winners selected from more than 2,700 works from 19 countries. Upon the request of the co-organizer, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, there will be three categories of awards in the field of artificial intelligence, sustainability, and creative culture.

Chen Juanling, the spokesperson of the Shanghai-based cosmetics brand Chando, stressed the need to cultivate young designers in incorporating the ideas of sustainability in design, which the rising generation is now pursuing.

She expressed that the idea of sustainability can only be passed down to the public when the designers of the products themselves are focused on and prioritizing it.