This month is well-known for its packed itinerary of events activating the creative circuit, from the upcoming London Design Festival to Sydney Design Week. In particular, fall in New York City witnesses heightened social interactions and creative dialogues. With the sun still shining warmly and the summer heat whittling away, September here languidly heralds the freezing winter to come, a gentle, cool persona nurturing ideal pockets of gatherings and networking. It’s a short window, blissful, pleasant, exciting. As part of the creative preamble of NYC’s fall, international design fair COLLECTIBLE made its anticipated debut in the bustling American city, underscored by its commitment to being "a one-of-a-kind platform for the showcase and discovery of the best in collectible design today."

Since 2018, the international event dedicated exclusively to contemporary collectible design with an experimental approach, has marked a noteworthy presence in Brussels, Belgium. In its past seven editions, COLLECTIBLE has placed itself as a sturdy platform spotlighting a plethora of galleries, design studios, independent designers and creative institutions from the world over. For its inaugural edition in the United States that ran from September 5 - 8, 2024, it collaborated with Water Street Projects (WSP) and hosted the fair at Water Street Associates (WSA) in Downtown Manhattan, just a few minutes walk from the Charging Bull in the Financial District and overlooking the East River. As a media partner, STIR reveals a glimpse of COLLECTIBLE’s NY edition, where expressions of more than 100 exhibitors were arranged across the two floors of WSA.

A rich red-carpeted lobby space, with walls dressed in mirrors and red curtains and a mirror-panelled ceiling welcomed visitors to its NY edition. As I stepped onto the stairs curving from this space, I was met with hidden speakers from Silence Please, marking the beginning of my COLLECTIBLE experience. The stairs to the next floor, clad in more mirrors, led me to an elevator to the fair’s first stop.

As I navigated through the design event, I found myself entering the gallery space on the building’s third floor, its raw industrial interiors taking me by surprise. With the exposed walls, ceiling, service pipes and imperfect finishes for the company, I stepped into the first booth that caught my attention - Studio S II. A monstrous glass hand perched atop curved steel table design was surrounded by some intriguing pieces by emerging artists and designers such as Mark Malecki, Yolande Milan Batteau, J McDonald and Nima Jeizen. I was also increasingly drawn to the booths of Mexico-based Sofia Alias Studio, Berlin contemporary glass practice Analog Glass and the Female Design Council.

All the studios in that cluster (except the Female Design Council) were categorised under ‘NEW GARDE,’ a section dedicated to galleries and collectives conceived within the past three years. There didn’t seem to be a singularity in the design style of these creative studios, a pattern or a predictable trend. On the other side awaited the ‘BESPOKE’ section, a staple one to COLLECTIBLE along with ‘MAIN,’ encompassing and spotlighting international galleries and independent design studios.

At ‘BESPOKE', US-based transdisciplinary design studio unown with its table on the walk made a presence, facing Dubai-based collectible design brand Kameh’s black chairs which contradicted its white backdrop. Subtle and calm, Lucie Claudie’s glass flowers was a notable piece of glasswork, while Berlin-based DERZOST conjured an experience compiling motion pictures, art and design. Curated by Sonya Tamaddon and scenography by designer and co-founder of Savvy Studio, Rafael Prieto, the ‘CURATED’ section featured singular works from independent design studios, such as Charlap Hyman & Herrero, Marte Mei and Sophie Wahlquist.

At this point in my COLLECTIBLE experience, as I headed towards the elevator to the next floor, I was confronted with a question that frequently crossed my mind: ‘What is design? Is it the idea, the process, or the final output? Is design a reaction, a response or a whim? Does it need to be functional?’ From what I’ve experienced and heard from differing perspectives, many subscribe to ‘form follows function’ or tip towards ‘form follows beauty’—COLLECTIBLE reminded me of its less famous sibling, 'form follows happiness'. Many of the contemporary designs showcased at COLLECTIBLE New York 2024 simply did not chase practicality or timelessness. Some seemed technically and conceptually fragile. Some were maximalist and clear, others minimal and questioning.

With these thoughts, I reached the fourth floor and was greeted by shimmering, velvet pink curtains lazily reaching the ground to hold three objects from Room 57 Gallery. All the galleries from the ‘MAIN’ section, along with the ‘FASHION’ section and ‘ARCHITECT’ took residence on this floor, bringing to mind my earlier query - what is design? Lyle Gallery, while sandwiched between French Cliché and AALVO Gallery, emphasised the works of female designers they represent. Right around the corner to this trio was Tuleste Factory, which seemed to be gaining the attention of many with its colours of comfort and those looking for a big mirror. Adjacent to this and in a compact space, Montreal-based Verre d’Onge’s booth flaunted a visual treat with many textures, forms and languages of glass. In the ‘ARCHITECT’ section, Mexico-based GARZA grabbed eyeballs with their new piece, ironically titled Move a Little Bit Further.

Among all the exhibits at COLLECTIBLE, Nicholas Devlin’s first large-scale immersive outdoor sculpture, The Alchemist's Folly! was a personal favourite. This bias might have stemmed from observing a functional art designer transition to larger-scale models. Despite maintaining his signature design style, he demonstrated an understanding of the challenges and limitations associated with scaling up.

A pattern that emerged at the COLLECTIBLE design fair is this sense of individual style that seemed to find myriad expressions. The pieces here are not solely made to cater to ergonomic needs or reflect socio-economic paradigms. They simply represented what design means to who creates it. Throughout my experience of COLLECTIBLE NY 2024 and my recurring query, what also came to focus was an inclination to define what ‘collectible’ design encompasses—while the design remains inherently subjective, its core is rooted in function. The moment it finds an intersection with art, it transcends into expression, which is where collectible design begins to form definition.