Liv Vaisberg & Clélie Debehault: Relevance

Since its inception, COLLECTIBLE has been driven by a shared curatorial vision between the two of us—always striving to give a platform to what design can become, rather than what it already is. We created a fair on purpose because we wanted to push the market and stimulate art collectors to engage with this type of design. A fair gathers a large audience and offers scale, which allows us more freedom and impact. But it is not a regular trade show. COLLECTIBLE is a curated fair where every booth is treated as content. We pay close attention to how projects sit next to each other and make sure there is no random mismatch. All the side activities (talks, performances, VIP visits) also follow our ethos. This is how you create and sustain a real ecosystem.

This is true. For us, “collectible” is not just about price or exclusivity. It is about relevance. A collectible object captures its time, it pushes boundaries in material, form, or concept.

They are essential. A photo online cannot replace the feeling of encountering a piece in space. Scenography at COLLECTIBLE is about creating environments where people slow down, connect, and see things with fresh eyes. That is where real memory and desire are built. In Brussels, each year we dedicate the entrance of the building to a scenographer of our choice and push them to go beyond limits. It sets the tone immediately, people understand that COLLECTIBLE is an immersive universe. It is important for us to always seek new scenographers and give them free rein and a platform.

We look for boldness and authenticity. Whether it is a gallery or a young designer, what matters is the voice behind the work and the meaning of the booth as a whole. We care about vision and coherence. In other contexts, designers focus too much on marketability or trends, but at COLLECTIBLE we know people show pieces that feel personal and risk-taking. We also look for intention: why does this work matter now, and what conversation does it open? Those are the questions that guide us.

It has become a community for sure. Some people call it a summer camp, they look forward to seeing each other again. People come to show, but they stay because of the relationships they build. They collaborate afterwards. This year in New York, three exhibitors who were neighbours in Brussels decided to share a booth. Two others merged their booths into one to create an amazing listening room (Silence Please and Tang Thousand). We also had museums showing next to designers, which directly led to exhibitions. The community is larger than just design, it now includes people from fashion, art, and more. We are also working on formats beyond the fair, such as long-term visibility platforms, more intimate gatherings, and CLUB COLLECTIBLE, a closer community for interior designers.

We have the responsibility to show what matters now and to give space to voices that might otherwise be overlooked. A platform like COLLECTIBLE can shift perceptions and help define what design means today and tomorrow. It is also about accountability: not just reflecting trends, but encouraging experimentation, diversity, and risk-taking. Above all, we are responsible for defending this type of design. When we started nine years ago, many collectors and magazines did not even know what it was. Today COLLECTIBLE is considered a fixed feature, but we need to keep our relevance, to ensure our designers stay visible and the market continues to grow despite all challenges.

Designers need to create honestly. Not just to please the market, but to reflect their vision of the world and in the end this is also how they will reach the market. Their responsibility is to bring new perspectives and dare to challenge conventions, which is something design has not always been expected to do. Today, more than ever, design is also about ideas, positions, and stories.

Every city has its rhythm and context. Brussels is more rooted and consolidated, New York is fast paced and experimental, and Hong Kong is a curated exhibition under the wings of Maison & Objet, a dialogue between Asia and Europe, where clichés of each other meet and where past and present collide. What surprises us is that despite these differences, there is always a hunger for design that feels genuine and new. The conversations shift: in New York it is often about pushing limits, in Brussels it is about depth and dialogue, and in Asia it is about bridging heritage with new forms. The common ground everywhere is a search for authenticity.

They are drawn to stories. Younger collectors do not just want a beautiful object, they want to know who made it, why it exists, and what it contributes. They want designers who are engaged and bold, who have something to say. Transparency and authenticity matter more than pedigree, and they are open to discovering new voices.

Hard question! Every year we do “run away” with a few pieces. Liv would say the lamp by Romain Basile in Fashion, or a large piece of furniture by Kiki Goti at Toro Manifesto, though that is more difficult to carry in your hands. Or maybe the entire scenography by Kat Snodgrass in Curated (a wallpaper she made with curator Hannah Martin in collaboration with Wallpaper Projects). She wants it in her own room! As for Clélie probably the resin chair by Marcela Cure, organic, poetic, and quietly powerful. It was part of her first collectible design collection, launched at COLLECTIBLE and she made cute bags for everyone to take home.