The 13th edition of Romanian Design Week, organized by The Institute and presented by UniCredit Bank, marks a paradigm shift: the festival continues to foster collaborations, shared ideas, and partnerships within Bucharest's creative spaces, solidifying its role as a catalyst in the local network of cultural initiatives. Under the theme "Design Tomorrow Today," RDW 2025 offers a program curated exclusively through collaborations with organizations, embassies, cultural institutes, studios, and brands from Romania and Europe.
This year's approach aligns with the direction assumed by The Institute – the founder of Romanian Design Week – whose work is grounded in collaboration, trust in communities, openness to new working models, and a constant commitment to the local creative industries.
"At Romanian Design Week 2025, we believe that the design of tomorrow is something we create together. This edition marks a true shift in perspective — one where Bucharest becomes a living laboratory of collaboration, and creativity turns into both a shared language and a powerful force for transformation," says Andrei Borțun, CEO of The Institute.
Thus, RDW becomes a natural extension of The Institute's mission: to support the development of a sustainable, internationally connected, and contemporary creative ecosystem. This year's edition brings together over 150 organizations that, over ten days, will transform an open Bucharest into a stage, a laboratory, and a living gallery. Design goes beyond traditional formats and becomes a dialogue and collective transformation tool.
RDW Exhibitions – Curated selections from contemporary Romanian Design
For the first time, some of the exhibitions in the program are not selected through an open call but built in partnership with creative organizations from across the country. The festival highlights valuable, long-standing projects relevant to today's creative industries landscape. Notable exhibitions include:
The Order of Architects of Romania – Bucharest Branch with "Sustainable Bucharest," showcasing nominated and awarded projects from the 2024 Bucharest Architecture Annual;
FABER with "Woven Secrets," presenting artifacts, stories, and multimedia installations that deepen our understanding of the textile industry;
BETA – Timișoara Architecture Biennial with "10 Years of Beta – A Retrospective", celebrating a decade of urban innovation through a capsule exhibition;
Local Design Circle with "ABCDG," making graphic design accessible to everyone;
Transylvanian Design Week with "The New Middle Ages," curated by Oláh Gyárfás;
Romanian Association of Luthiers with "From Craft to Music," supported by Rompetrol, showcasing handcrafted instruments made from local materials at various stages of production;
Mercedes-Benz Bucharest Fashion Week presents collections from 19 established and emerging designers from Romania, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Moldova, and Italy;
Mihai Popescu Studio with "Fratelli XX" – a modular plant-like installation and celebratory space marking the 20th anniversary of the Fratelli community.
Additionally, RDW Exhibitions introduces a dedicated showcase structure for product and industrial design. Six Romanian brands – ASKIA, Meze Audio, Optimef, Lunet, Mind the Gap, and Kairos – will present their latest collections in pop-up capsules that highlight the creative and production processes. Rather than focusing solely on the final product, the showcase explores the people, choices, and values shaping each brand's identity.
For over twenty years, Rompetrol has supported education and culture through initiatives that have a real impact on local communities. In 2025, they will join RDW Exhibitions, a format that celebrates local creativity and collaboration.
RDW Design Flags – Design as a Universal Language
Supported by Purcari, RDW Design Flags brings together 12 organizations – embassies, institutes, cultural centers, and local entities – to present internationally flavored exhibitions exploring global themes through design: from sustainability to inclusion, smart cities to reinvented crafts. Participants include:
Royal Danish Embassy – "Common Copenhagen"
Spanish Embassy – "Design Thinking: Raising Public Awareness About the Importance of Functional Design"
Instituto Cervantes Bucharest – “Concéntrico: 10 Years of the Logroño Architecture and Design Festival”
Embassy of Sweden – "Granland: Circular Design from Recycled Wood"
Italian Embassy, Italian Cultural Institute, Italian Trade Agency – "Accessible and Inclusive Design"
Liszt Institute – Hungarian Cultural Centre Bucharest – "Future: Back to the Roots"
Czech Centre Bucharest – "Posters for Mondays and Tuesdays"
French Institute in Romania – "Verdure Tapestry"
Austrian National Tourist Office – "Austriada: 70 Years of Illustrated Travel"
Artcor (Moldova) – "Woven Hills"
Project1, Intro, and Vitra (Romania) – "Eames Roadshow"
Retros Gallery (Romania) – "Eternity Began Yesterday"
RDW & the City – Design That Transforms the City
One of this edition's newest formats, RDW & the City, brings design installations into public space—right into the city's heart, on Calea Victoriei. Four impactful projects transform the pedestrian area into a spectacular urban route:
Studio An-An with "Me Apunto!", one of the winners of the international open call "Objects in the City," a collaboration with the Concéntrico Festival;
BAZA. Deschidem Orașul, part of the Romanian-Polish project "Design is our shared language" with Łódź Design Festival, under the Polish-Romanian Cultural Season;
Order of Architects of Romania – Brașov-Covasna-Harghita Branch with "Human ± Nature," urban furniture engaging nature and the built environment;
ASAP Romania, in partnership with BAZA and De-a Arhitectura, presents a street installation encouraging exploration and sustainable use of public space.
Design GO! – A City-Wide Network of Creativity
Over 100 independent spaces – galleries, studios, hubs, cafés, and showrooms – join the festival through RDW Design GO!, allowing the public to (re)discover the city through local design. This format is where the creative community meets the public in unexpected corners of Bucharest.
Architecture's Night In– Meet the Future Where It's Being Designed
This year, 20 architecture studios in Bucharest opened their doors, inviting the public to discover their processes, teams, and projects. In this nighttime tour, visitors can explore how ideas around urban design, sustainable architecture, and space regeneration are born, transforming the city into an open studio.
A Festival That Inspires, Connects, and Supports
Romanian Design Week 2025 envisions a future built together through authentic collaborations, visibility for independent projects, and a natural integration of design into city life. This edition is about what we can create together through ideas, forms, and visions. At the same time, RDW sets a collaborative, inclusive, responsible, and open working model rooted in The Institute's values, supporting design that not only imagines the future but actively shapes it.
RDW 2025 takes place May 16–25 in Bucharest.
The full program will be available at www.romaniandesignweek.ro, on the official Facebook and Instagram pages, and in the RDW app on the App Store and Google Play.
Access is ticket-based, with a 50% discount for participants paying with a UniCredit Mastercard. Students get 50% off at the on-site ticket office with a valid student card, while pupils, retirees, and persons with disabilities enjoy free access. The main partner, UniCredit Bank, supports student and pupil discounts.
The participating organizations and RDW partners reflect the festival's collaborative philosophy, contributing together to a celebration of local creativity and international dialogue – from UniCredit Bank to the Ministry of Culture, Bucharest City Hall through ARCUB, the Romanian Cultural Institute, Sector 1 City Hall, and private sector brands like IQOS, Rompetrol, Mega Mall, Promenade, NEPI Rockcastle, Regina Maria Health Network, Pepsi, Purcari, Kozel, and 5 to go.
Romanian Design Week is part of World Design Weeks.
Romanian Design Week is a project by The Institute.
Presented by: UniCredit Bank
Cultural project financed by: Ministry of Culture
With support from Bucharest City Hall via ARCUB
Cultural Partner: Romanian Cultural Institute
Exhibition Partners: The Order of Architects of Romania – Bucharest Territorial Branch, Bucharest Architecture Annual, Faber, Beta – Timișoara Architecture Biennial, Romanian Association of Luthiers, Mercedes-Benz Bucharest Fashion Week, The Order of Architects of Romania – Timiș Territorial Branch, Local Design Circle, Transylvanian Design Week, The Order of Architects of Romania – Brașov-Covasna-Harghita Branch, Human ± Nature Co-lab, Baza. Deschidem Orașul, Studio An An, Royal Danish Embassy, Embassy of Spain in Bucharest, Instituto Cervantes Bucharest, French Institute in Romania, Liszt Institute – Hungarian Cultural Centre Bucharest, Embassy of Sweden, Austrian National Tourist Office, Czech Centre Bucharest, Embassy of Italy, Italian Cultural Institute, Italian Trade Agency, ARTCOR, Project1, Intro & Vitra, Retros Gallery, and Fratelli Group.
Strategic Media Partners: PRO TV, Kiss FM, Euromedia, YOOH
Media Partners: Radio România Cultural, Igloo, Haute Culture, Revista BIZ, Revista Zeppelin, Molecule F, Designist, Modernism, feeder.ro, munteanurecomandă.ro, Propagarta, Revista Atelierul, IQads, RADOR, Agerpres, Zile și Nopți, Spotmedia, PRwave, Glamour, The Woman, Happening, Arthood, Metropolis, ALIST Magazine, Dreamingof.net, Les Dedans, RIDA Magazine
Communication Partner: 5 to go
Creative Team: Claudia Draghia, Sebastian Pren
Advertising Campaign: Gavrilă & Asociații
Exhibition Design: Atilla Kim Architects
Digital Partner: Land of Web
Monitoring Partner: MediaTrust
About The Institute
The Institute aims to support Romania's modernization by promoting the cultural and creative industries and civil society. With over 25 years of experience, The Institute has built a community of entrepreneurs, professionals, and audiences passionate about Romania's creative industries. It supports the community's interests in state institutions and international organizations, helping develop a strong infrastructure for creative entrepreneurship nationally and internationally. It is the founder of Romanian Design Week, DIPLOMA Show, Civil Society Gala, Internetics, Cartierul Creativ, combinat.ro, and the initiator of ASAP Romania.
About UniCredit Bank
UniCredit Bank is part of UniCredit, a successful pan-European commercial bank offering integrated Corporate and Investment Banking services through a unique network spanning Western, Central, and Eastern Europe. In Romania, the group includes UniCredit Bank, UniCredit Consumer Financing, UniCredit Leasing Corporation, UniCredit Insurance Broker, UniCredit Leasing Fleet Management, and UniCredit Services.