Design For Craft

Guta Moura Guedes curated and lead the Artistic Direction of Design for Craft, a New Platform for Contemporary, Design-Driven Craft at FIA Lisbon International Crafts Fair.

FIA Lisbon, the second largest fair in Europe and the largest in the Iberian Peninsula, presented a new vision for the future of crafts in 2025 by launching the platform Design For Craft. This initiative, conceived, curated, and led by Guta Moura Guedes, marked the beginning of FIA’s new strategy, anchored in the dialogue between craft and contemporary design.

With both national and international ambition, Design For Craft affirms—starting from Lisbon—the role of design as a driver of sustainability for crafts, both socially and economically. The programme seeks to expand markets, attract new generations, highlight traditional know-how, and promote sustainable practices at the intersection of material culture and innovation.

The first manifestation of this platform was an inaugural exhibition held in Pavilion 1 of FIA Lisbon 2025, presented at FIL from June 28 to July 6. It served as a statement of intent and a starting point for the work to be developed in the coming years, bringing together pieces exclusively produced by Portuguese artisans in collaboration with contemporary designers, both national and international.

“Craft has accompanied the evolution of humanity—it is naturally sustainable, but in many cases is at risk of disappearing or becoming seriously weakened. Design is the operative discipline of the present century and must serve craft, in a relationship that holds real potential to protect and innovate it, while ensuring its economic sustainability. In this first edition of Design For Craft, we presented around 70 pieces produced exclusively by Portuguese artisans, with interventions by both national and international contemporary designers. The combination of these two disciplines gave rise to something new—where the mastery of the hand, the culture of a territory, the power of materials, and the projectual capacities of design are all recognised.”
— Guta MG, June 2025

Artisans featured in 2025:
Abílio Pereira, Aida Bairos, Alcídio Andrade, Álvaro Nogueira, Analide Carmo, Beatriz Canha, Carlos Lima, Cristina Fonseca, Domingos Vaz, Fernando Martins, Fernando Nelas, Francisco Dias, Françoise Lenet, Graça Carvalho, Horácio Raposo, Isabel Martins, Isidoro Ramos, Jorge Dória, Jorge Fonte, Júlia Laurência, Jürgen Cramer, Margarida Cortez, Maria José Ramos, Mariana Lucas, Marina Mendonça, Natacha Nunes, Nuno Palma, Odete Dias, Pedro Piedade, Ricardo Lopes, Sónia Mendez, Susana Mendez, Teresa Lima, Teresa Romão, Toino Abel, Xana Monteiro and 105 Ceramic Lab

Designers featured in 2025:
Antónia Labaredas, Christian Haas, Eneida Lombe Tavares, Estúdio Campana, Fernando Brízio, Filipe Alarcão, Henrique Ralheta, Hugo da Silva, Ivo Oliveira Rodrigues, Jasper Morrison, Joana Astolfi, João Abreu Valente, João Xará, Jorge Carreira, Macheia, Marco Sousa Santos, Margarida Lopes Pereira, Michael Anastassiades, Miguel Soeiro, Miguel Vieira Baptista, Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, Sam Baron, Soraia Gomes Teixeira, Susana António, Toni Grilo, Vanessa Domingues, Vítor Agostinho and Yves Béhar.

Projects featured in 2025:
A Avó Veio Trabalhar, Bora, Fazer Bem, Fundação Ricardo Espírito Santo, Loulé Criativo, Made in Situ, Passa Ao Futuro, Primeira Pedra, Rara, and Vicara

Companies featured in 2025:
Fátima Stones, Formas de Pedra, and Gárgula Gótica

The platform’s graphic identity was designed by Portuguese studio R2 Design.