Czech Design Heads to Paris: Industry Gathering and Debate with Patrick Norguet at the Czech Embassy in France

A business and networking event bringing together Czech and French design professionals will take place on 18 September 2025 at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Paris. The highlight of the afternoon will be a panel discussion featuring leading figures of European design, including French designer Patrick Norguet, Roman Vrtiška of the renowned Czech design duo Vrtiška & Žák, and David Karásek, prominent Czech designer of urban furniture and founder of mmcité.

On Thursday, 18 September 2025, the embassy will host a meeting of leading Czech design manufacturers and French professionals from across the creative industries – including designers, architects, retailers and industry representatives. The central panel discussion will offer both Czech and French perspectives on contemporary industrial design, creating space for sharing insights, inspiration and new cross-border collaborations.

The guest of honour and keynote speaker will be Patrick Norguet, an internationally acclaimed French designer who, among other projects, designed this year’s new product for the Czech brand TON – the Cissy armchair. He will be joined by Roman Vrtiška, one of the most prominent Czech designers today and co-founder of Vrtiška & Žák, a studio behind a number of successful products for AČPD member brands. The third speaker will be David Karásek, Vice-Chairman of the Association of Czech Industrial Design, designer and founder of mmcité, a global leader in urban furniture.

The event is organised in cooperation with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Paris, the French industrial design association APCI, the Association of Czech Industrial Design, and the hospitality-focused trade fair EquipHotel.

Czech Design Day 2025 aims to present the best of contemporary Czech design while fostering collaboration between Czech manufacturers and French designers, architects, interior designers and distributors.

An integral part of the programme will be an exhibition of products by 16 Czech manufacturers, showcasing furniture, lighting, glass, acoustic panels and other design objects. The exhibition will take place in the representative spaces of the embassy, located near the Eiffel Tower, and will also be open to the public as part of the European Heritage Days on 20 September 2025.

In addition, an outdoor exhibition on the embassy fence will present leading Czech design brands associated with AČPD throughout the entire month of September.