When Design Mumbai 2025 opens its doors later this month, the conversations may prove as compelling as the exhibits themselves. The design event’s three-day talks programme, known as the Design Mumbai Exchange, will gather distinguished international names in the architecture and design industry alongside influential creatives from the Indian subcontinent who will discuss how creativity, sustainability and urbanism are evolving and how design impacts global culture.

Curated by Caro Communications and running from November 27-29, 2025, at the Jio World Garden in Mumbai, the sessions hope to explore how design responds to the contemporary cultural, environmental and social realities. The programme’s direction was announced earlier at Istituto Marangoni Mumbai by co-founders Ian Rudge, Michael Dynan and Piyush Suri, who described it as a space for sharing ideas and experiences that transcend disciplines.

The talks will open with a keynote by Vinu Daniel, Principal Architect of Kochi-based Wallmakers—a practice whose work transforms constraints into creative potential. Known for his site-specific buildings, such as the Chuzhi House, which is built from excavated earth and debris and the Toy Storey House featuring discarded toys, Daniel will speak on how architecture can adapt to its environment and resources. The keynote will be moderated by Cameron Bruhn, CEO of the Australian Institute of Architects, setting the tone for the days to follow.

On day one, the panel Designing Locally: Indian Materials, Craft and Climate-Responsive Workplaces will be presented by the Sustainable Design Collective UK. Curated by Harsha Kotak, founder of Women in Office Design, it will bring together Pinakin Patel of Pinakin Patel Designs, Roshni Karekar of SJK Architects and Chinmayee Ananth from Adrianse. The discussion will consider how India’s longstanding traditions of resourcefulness and craft can help create workplaces that are ecologically and culturally responsive, showing how materials such as mud, bamboo, lime and reclaimed wood can find renewed relevance in contemporary design. Another session curated by Kotak will continue the conversation further, expanding on how ideas of transparency, circularity and wellbeing are shaping the future of workplace design alongside Joanna Knight, Alex Webb of TFP and Johan Lindau of Blå Station.

The session, Rethinking Hospitality: Context over Concept, will invite Lucas Muñoz Muñoz—the Spanish designer behind Design Mumbai’s café created in collaboration with THE Park Hotels—to join Priya Paul, Chairperson of Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels, alongside Harsh Vardhan of Studio Lotus and Sunita Kohli, founder of K2India. The conversation will examine how hospitality spaces can root themselves in place through reuse, adaptation and cultural continuity, instead of chasing novelty.

Another highlight, Reimagining Resilient Rivers and Coastlines, will look at the impact of rising sea levels and extreme weather on urban and ecological systems. The panel will feature Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu of London-based Tonkin Liu, who will be joined by Nandini Sampat of Mumbai-based firm Somaya Sampat and Saiqa Iqbal, Assistant Professor, Brac University and Partner and Director of Studio Morphogenesis Ltd in Dhaka. The session will explore how cities can adapt to changing coastlines while continuing to sustain communities and ecosystems.

Closing the first day, the talk Right to the City will be hosted by Open City—the UK-based charity dedicated to accessible, inclusive design. Led by Manijeh Verghese, CEO of Open City, the discussion will include Ananya Singhal of Studio Saar, Soumitro Ghosh of Mathew & Ghosh Architects, Jennifer Nichols of Open House Hobart and the Australian Institute of Architects and Tallulah D’Silva, an architect and activist based in Goa. Together, they will discuss how urban space can foster participation and how events and storytelling can build a stronger sense of belonging.

Among the highlights of day two is Going with the Grain: Developing Design Conversations and Collaborations. The panelists—comprising Adam Markowitz, Melbourne-based architect and furniture designer, Deepak Srinath of Phantom Hands, Roderick Wiles of the American Hardwood Export Council and Luke Hayward of Atelier Luke—will throw ideas on how exchange between designers and makers across countries can lead to richer, more sustainable forms of creativity. The discussion, moderated by Sneha Ullal Goel—a Mumbai-based independent brand-storyteller and marketing communications specialist—will trace how knowledge and craft travel between studios and workshops and how collaboration can strengthen both local and international design culture.

Another discussion titled Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Supercharging India’s Green Infrastructure will converge Manisha Bhartia of BDP, Qutub Mandviwala, Founder and Principal Architect of Mandviwala Qutub &Associates, Samantha Cotterell, professional architect, masterplanner and urbanist and Nishant Prakhar of GPM Architects in conversation. The panelists will reflect on how the country’s expanding transport networks can grow sustainably—from metros and airports to pedestrian links and green streetscapes. Moderated by Manijeh Verghese, the session will delve into how design can help build infrastructure that supports both mobility and environmental balance. Following this, London-based designer and consultant Chris Lefteri will lead Liberating Materials, an in-depth talk on understanding material behaviour and narrative in which Lefteri will outline 10 principles that connect the technical and emotional aspects of material design, showing how texture, story and innovation come together in contemporary making.

On the final day, Shaping Continuity: Tradition, Technology and the Future of Material Craft will bring the focus back to the process. Moderated by Samta Nadeem, Curatorial Director of STIR, the discussion will bring together Bhakti V Loonawat of Anomalia, Mike and Anna Liu of Tonkin Liu, Suyash Sawant of Anomalia, Philippa Abbot of Pelagic Earth and Lucas Muñoz Muñoz to explore how emerging technologies can complement handcraft and how traditions can evolve without losing their essence. The session will ask what lessons can be drawn from existing craft practices and how they can inform modern production.

The panel Minimalism Reimagined, moderated by independent design curator and creative brand strategist Kamna Malik, will bring forth Ekta Parekh of reD Architects and Kumpal Vaid of Purple Backyard, both of whom have developed a distinctive approach to calm, material-focused design. The conversation hopes to unpack how restraint and clarity have become central to India’s new design language, reflecting a search for balance rather than excess.

The talks will close with Colour: Science and Sensibility, a session moderated by Kamna Malik that brings together graphic designer Juan Gerstl, Ajay Shah of Industrial Playground and Vandana Saxena of Studio IV for an exploration of how colour and pattern influence emotion and behaviour across architecture, interiors and product design. The session hopes to highlight how visual rhythm and sensory design are increasingly shaping the way people experience contemporary spaces.

Across the three days, Design Mumbai Exchange looks forward to opening up a series of tightly focused discussions that link material intelligence, cultural context and social responsibility. Each talk is designed to encourage practical reflection rather than abstract theory. By connecting makers, architects and thinkers from around the world, the programme hopes to position the design event as a living conversation about what design can do and how it continues to evolve within and beyond India.

STIR, as a media partner, features the best of designers, studios, brands, talks and special projects to watch out for at the second edition of Design Mumbai taking place from November 26 – 29, 2025, at the Jio World Garden in Mumbai, India. Explore our full coverage here.

Visitors can register for tickets to the show here. Use code S2T0I2RD5M for an exclusive 30% discount.