Italian design fair Capsule Plaza is making its first international expansion with Capsule Plaza Tokyo, marking a significant milestone for the Milan-based event. The Tokyo edition aims to celebrate the Japanese capital as the ultimate destination for design enthusiasts and will take place during Designart Tokyo design week.
The event will be hosted across six distinctive venues throughout the city, showcasing the diversity of Tokyo's creative landscape. Participating locations include the prestigious Karimoku furniture brand showroom, the T House New Balance concept store designed by renowned architect Jo Nagasaka, galleries StandBy and Skwat Kameari Art Centre, design store Cibone, and restaurant Tokyo Burnside. This multi-venue approach represents a departure from the traditional single-location format used in Milan.
Capsule Plaza founder Alessio Ascari explained the strategic decision to choose Tokyo for the platform's first international venture. The fair, operated by the Capsule design platform and magazine, selected Japan's capital due to the widespread presence of exceptional design throughout the country. Notably, the publication itself draws its name from a Japanese architectural icon, the Nakagin Capsule Tower, creating a symbolic connection between the brand and Japanese design culture.
"When we decided that, after three successful editions in Milan, it was time for the Capsule Plaza format to travel to other cities, it felt like a great opportunity to celebrate Tokyo as the ultimate destination for design lovers," Ascari told Dezeen. He emphasized that Tokyo's creative community has experienced remarkable growth in recent years, with the city's design and art week gaining increasing international recognition and momentum.
The Tokyo edition will offer a distinctly different experience compared to its Milan counterpart, which traditionally takes place during Milan Design Week at the platform's Spazio Maiocchi headquarters. In Milan, the event functions as a large-scale exhibition where global brands showcase their work in a centralized location. Ascari acknowledged that Milan Design Week remains an unparalleled global summit with unmatched scale and ambition, providing unique opportunities to collaborate with companies from around the world.
In contrast, the Tokyo event will adopt a more distributed and collaborative approach. "In Tokyo, on the other hand, the focus on the furniture industry and brand partnerships is subtler; we're prioritizing collaborations with design and architecture studios," Ascari explained. The event is designed to feel more like a city-wide festival that celebrates Tokyo's diverse creative facets, integrating with the existing cultural fabric of the city rather than creating a separate exhibition space.
The venues participating in Capsule Plaza Tokyo each bring their own unique character to the event. The Karimoku Commons Tokyo showroom will provide a sophisticated furniture-focused environment, while the StandBy gallery spaces will showcase contemporary works. The Skwat Kameari Art Centre offers an alternative art space perspective, and the T House New Balance concept store represents the intersection of design and retail innovation.
While Capsule Plaza doesn't currently have concrete expansion plans beyond Tokyo, the platform envisions bringing its events to additional cities in the future. Ascari expressed particular interest in expanding to the United States, stating, "We'd love to bring Capsule Plaza to the United States in 2026." He emphasized that each new edition will be designed as a hybrid between a traditional fair and a collective exhibition, with the format continuously evolving to adapt to the unique characteristics of each city and market.
The platform's approach focuses on fostering dialogue with visionary creators who shape local cultural scenes, rather than imposing a standardized format across different locations. This philosophy aligns with the Tokyo edition's emphasis on collaboration with local design and architecture studios, creating authentic connections with the city's creative community.
Capsule Plaza Tokyo is scheduled to run from October 30 to November 9, coinciding with Designart Tokyo, the city's premier design week. This timing allows the event to benefit from the increased international attention and visitor traffic that Designart Tokyo attracts, while contributing to the overall celebration of design in the Japanese capital. The event represents a significant step in the globalization of design fair formats and demonstrates the growing importance of Tokyo as an international design hub.
