Design Parade

Now entering its fifth year, Design Parade has become an essential international forum, exploring new ideas and experimental approaches in contemporary creative design. Prototypes by competing young designers are shown alongside the work of the previous year's winner, plus exhibitions by established names, and a series of talks.

This year's festival opened with Logorama, an animated film exploring the globalised world of logotypes and Hollywood blockbuster films, by the art directing collective H5.

Canadian Jerszy Seymour took over the Villa's swimming pool and squash court, creating installations based on simple, everyday materials, in record time. The competition's Grand Prix was awarded to Antoine Boudin for his outdoor seating in coloured aluminium and fabric. 2008 laureate Michel Charlot exhibited his collection of vessels, which has since been produced by the Manufacture de Sèvres.

The competition gives carte blanche to creative designers. The prize is inspired by "insolence, irreverent elegance, the difficulty of making yourself understood, joy" says curator Catherine Geel, honouring the avant-garde spirit of the Villa Noailles.

This masterpiece of 1920s architecture was built by Robert Mallet-Stevens for Marie-Laure and Charles de Noailles, social figureheads of the Roaring Twenties, and important patrons of the arts who dedicated their lives to giving artists the means to express themselves in complete freedom.

The Fondation d’entreprise Hermès continues the tradition of patronage established by the house of Hermès, demonstrating its significant commitment to the world of design with support for this nursery for rising young talents.