As the warmth of summer embraces us, it’s the perfect time to infuse our living spaces with vibrant energy and refreshing style. GDD has curated a series of shots for the exquisite Italian handmade glassware brand Ichendorf Milano, capturing those stunning summer moments that brighten our lives.

Photograph by YiQuan Xiong, YiGang Cai

Photo edited by YiGang Cai

From June 12 to July 31, 2024, Global Design Distribution (GDD) has curated an accessory-focused display featuring iconic designs from the artisanal Italian leather home brand Pinetti and ZAHA HADID DESIGN (ZHD) at the home-furnishing store PAAD11 in Shanghai, creating a warm and tactile living space.

Leather is the soul of Pinetti. Every everyday home item is transformed into a rich-textured decoration through top-quality leather and exquisite craftsmanship. Zaha Hadid Design, known for its iconic fluid and futuristic design language from Zaha Hadid, continues to push the boundaries of home decor with its implementation of the latest technological and material advancements through a thorough methodological approach.

The soft, warm leather of Pinetti juxtaposed with the metal, glass, and ceramics of Zaha Hadid Design’s works creates a subtle resonance through visual contrast and tactile difference. This interplay weaves soothing moments of everyday life and sparks unexpected joys and surprises.

Visit PAAD11 to find new inspirations for home decor in this immersive setting.

Photograph by YiQuan Xiong, YiGang Cai

Photo edited by YiGang Cai

About PAAD 11

As an expansion of the art & design home-furniture store PAD 11, PAAD 11 is located in the upscale  1000 TREES mall, transformed by architect Thomas Heatherwick along the Suzhou River in Shanghai. Unlike PAD 11's avant-garde style, PAAD 11 offers a sophisticated selection of artistic home decor, conveying a fresh attitude of pursuing individuality and freedom. It serves as a guide in building contemporary ideal residences.

From May 28 to August 18, 2024, home furnishing products from home decoration brands L’OBJET, ICHENDORF MILANO, and MICHAEL ARAM have been presented in the pop-up store "I Apologize for the Mess" at the A4 Art Museum in Chengdu, vividly recreating slice-of-life scenes and showcasing the fun and creativity found in "chaos."

About A4 Art Museum

A4 Art Museum is a contemporary art institution dedicated to activating creation through art and connecting with a wider public. It continues to promote new artistic practices, support the development of artists, and enable more people to participate in artistic creation.

GDD is thrilled to announce a strategic partnership with Casamania, a prominent designer furniture brand, to exclusively distribute its products in the United States. This collaboration marks a pivotal moment for both companies and promises to redefine the landscape of designer furniture distribution in the US market.

GDD is in the process of establishing a CASAMANIA stock in New Jersey and will service you directly, rapidly, and efficiently. By streamlining the distribution process and leveraging GDD’s extensive network and market insights, we ensure that our partners — furniture distributors, architects, and interior designers — can meet their clients' demands with greater ease, efficiency, and confidence. GDD's goal is to not just supply furniture but to provide solutions that enhance spaces, inspire guests, and support the creative vision of the professionals we work with.

Gianfranco Melcarne, Co-owner and Director of Marketing and Sales at CASAMANIA, commented on the partnership, stating:

"I'm excited to unveil our new alliance with Global Design Distribution (GDD), a premier distributor renowned for its fresh and distinct approach to curating design brands for a worldwide audience. GDD's global footprint, extending from Asia through the US to Europe, combined with the deep industry insight of its founders, Yu Wang and Xiao Lu, guarantees that our designer furniture collection will be presented to the perfect audience both creatively and effectively. We trust GDD’s ability to navigate the complexities of the US market, thanks to their cross-industry expertise and a broad sales network. This partnership not only signifies our entry into new territories but also aligns with our vision of bringing unique design pieces to more hospitality venues and offices across America. We are confident that GDD will help us achieve our goals and look forward to a fruitful collaboration."

Founded in Los Angeles by Mr. Yu Wang and Ms. Xiao Lu, GDD has earned international acclaim for its distinguished contemporary design collection. GDD is a leader in the rapidly escalating art and design market, thereby becoming one of the premier resources for design. In addition, GDD distributes art objects to a broader audience through its direct collaboration with design brands, including but not limited to Gufram, Zieta, Michael Aram, Slamp, and others.

GDD is confident in providing our US dealers with outstanding quality in supply chain management, marketing, training, sales, and after-sales services.

Global Design Distribution (GDD) and JIANGNANBUYI (JNBY) are thrilled to announce a strategic partnership with Established and Sons (E&S), a leading design and innovation company. The two prominent investors, GDD and JNBY, will jointly own a majority stake in E&S. This exciting collaboration marks a significant milestone in E&S 's journey, opening doors to unparalleled opportunities and accelerating growth on a global scale. 

Established & Sons is a British brand representing all that is innovative in contemporary design. By supporting the best creators of our time, it has built a collection for people who are passionate about design, presenting imaginative products with style and personality. E&S has partnered with over fifty globally renowned designers, creating countless products that blend aesthetics with practicality. With a global presence, its products are highly regarded in both residential and commercial projects. Adhering to the spirit of E&S, GDD and JNBY will remain dedicated to its core values of creativity, innovation, and design excellence.

GDD, headquartered in the vibrant city of Shanghai, is a powerhouse in global design distribution, renowned for its commitment to fostering creativity. With an extensive network and deep industry knowledge, GDD brings invaluable expertise to E&S, ensuring enhanced market reach and access to new, diverse audiences.

JNBY, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Market, is a dynamic and forward-thinking company that shares E&S passion for innovation and design excellence. This strategic investment underscores its confidence in E&S vision and aligns with its commitment to delivering groundbreaking products and experiences.

Together, GDD, JNBY and E&S are poised to embark on a journey of collaborative innovation, setting the stage for the next chapter in design excellence. This partnership will bring together diverse perspectives, ideas, and talents from both Eastern and Western design sensibilities, fostering a rich and inclusive creative environment. With the support of GDD and JNBY, E&S aims to solidify its position as a market leader, setting new standards for design excellence and innovation. This partnership will leverage the strengths of each entity, fostering synergies that will drive creativity, elevate our design portfolio, and create a lasting impact in the global design landscape. 

About Established & Sons

Established & Sons is a British brand representing all that is innovative in contemporary design. By supporting the best creators of our time, it has built a collection for people who are passionate about design, presenting imaginative products with style and personality. Taking a unique approach to collaboration, the company develops and produces work by leading practitioners and nurtures the careers of young designers. Designers and artists are afforded the freedom to explore their own language, advancing pioneering ideas that deliver exceptional furniture and lighting collections. Combined with Established & Sons’ commitment to skilled craftsmanship and cutting-edge manufacturing techniques, this produces intelligent designs that are at the same time diverse in the extreme and united in their quest for the extraordinary. The Established & Sons collection includes some of the most important examples of 21st-century design. Many of the pieces have been acquired by international museums, galleries, institutions, and private collections. These designs have often set the tone for the global conversation on design and mirror the essential character, style and identity of London – the birthplace and home of Established & Sons.

About Global Design Distribution (GDD)

GDD is a brand distribution business who is committed to offering a contemporary design brand matrix with unique aesthetics to the global market. Headquartered in Shanghai, the company has established offices across Asia, the United States, and Europe, strategically connecting and integrating their global resources. Thanks to the years of experience of the company's founders, Yu WANG and Xiao LU, in the fields of art & design and the retail industry and combined with the core team's cross-industry expertise and diverse perspectives, GDD provides its partners with comprehensive and efficient distribution services, brings innovative operational models to the industry, and offers unique choices to the market.

The brand matrix of GDD encompasses four major categories: designer furniture, home decor, lighting, and leisure lifestyle. GDD has successfully expanded a broad and high-quality sales network in the Chinese market for over thirty design brands; utilising efficient and diverse marketing strategies, GDD tailors 360-degree marketing plans for each brand; while ensuring reliable warehousing and logistics services and providing operational service support through the independently developed ERP & CRM system, DesignPod.

About JIANGNANBUYI (HKEX: 03306)

JNBY is a leading designer brand fashion house located in Hangzhou, China. Founded in 1994, the Company is now ranked No.1 in the Chinese designer brand fashion industry in terms of total retail sales, and well recognized by its noteworthy progress made with ESG as an integral part of its business strategy, innovation, and operations.

Holding to the mission of “Better Design, Better Life”, the company is dedicated to building a living environment by providing high-quality fashion apparel, footwear, accessories and home products under a portfolio of brands including JNBY (women's wear), CROQUIS (men's wear), jnby by JNBY (kids' wear), LESS (women's wear), POMME DE TERRE (kids' wear), JNBYHOME (home decor and lifestyle) and RE;RE;RE;LAB (a sustainable-lifestyle brand).

The Company has nearly 2,000 stores located in 12 markets worldwide, serving a global customer base. While celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Company is aiming to go beyond to increase its global presence in fashion and design. In the meantime, its rich resources and experience will certainly empower further development of international design brands in China.

From the end of March to mid-May, Global Design Distribution (GDD) presented "Light Landing", a light pop-up featuring the renowned Italian lighting brand Slamp and the British-made lighting brand Original BTC at the home-furnishing store PAAD11 in Shanghai. When light lands in a house, it shapes the home space, exposing the spirit of home.

In the newly opened PAAD11 space, "Light Landing" presents a carefully curated collection of lighting fixtures designed by Slamp and Original BTC, where the graceful glow transforms the airy expanse into a luminous feast.

Founded in 1994, Slamp is an Italian artisanal lighting brand renowned for its decorative fixtures, characterized by innovative materials and unique aesthetic forms. Established in 1990, Original BTC is a British royal-certified lighting brand specializing in crafting various bone china and brass fixtures, pioneering the use of bone china in lighting.

Whether dynamic or composed, romantic or subtle, these two brands evoke a storytelling atmosphere through their masterful hand-made craftsmanship, insightful interpretation of materials, and refined design language. "Light Landing" invites visitors to embark on a unique light journey, immersed in the intersection of art, design, and living. 

Photograph by YiQuan Xiong, YiGang Cai

Photo edited by YiGang Cai

Video shooting by YiQuan Xiong

Video edited by Jingyan Zhou

About PAAD 11

As an expansion of the art & design home-furniture store PAD 11, PAAD 11 is located in the upscale  1000 TREES mall, transformed by architect Thomas Heatherwick along the Suzhou River in Shanghai. Unlike PAD 11's avant-garde style, PAAD 11 offers a sophisticated selection of artistic home decor, conveying a fresh attitude of pursuing individuality and freedom. It serves as a guide in building contemporary ideal residences.

From March 12th to April 15th, 2024, Global Design Distribution (GDD) presented a curated pop-up store for the Italian glassware brand ICHENDORF MILANO at Hangzhou OōEli Art Park, a breathtaking project envisioned by the renowned architect Renzo Piano. Teaming up with B1OCK Concept Store, a prominent multi-brand retail hub nestled within OōEli Art Park, the ICHENDORF MILANO pop-up store served as a vibrant ode to the spring season.

This event offered visitors a chance to indulge in a distinctive shopping journey, immersed in the translucent orange hues that epitomize the essence of spring. Situated in Hangzhou, OōEli Art Park, meticulously crafted by the Pulitzer Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, stands tall as a bastion of creativity and cultural richness. Its fusion of art, commerce, workspace, and recreational facilities renders it a must-see locale for both locals and tourists alike.

Photograph by YiQuan Xiong, YiGang Cai

Photo edited by YiGang Cai

Video shooting by YiQuan Xiong

Video edited by Jingyan Zhou

To celebrate the Christmas event, GDD has curated a series of photographs and videos showcasing accessory objects from renowned brands such as L’Objet, Michael Aram, Pinetti, Ichendorf and Zaha Hadid Design.

Photograph by Yiquan Xiong

Photo edited by Yigang Cai

Video edited by Jingyan Zhou

GDD (Global Design Distribution) participated in the 2023 Shanghai T&ARTCON Fashion and Art Fairfrom October 12 to 15, showcasing a range of gracefully dynamic glassware from the renowned Italian glassware design brand ICHENDORF.

Photograph by YiQuan Xiong

Photo edited by YiGang Cai

Gufram collaborates with the avant-garde boutique store Iyouth in Shanghai to exhibit their new Sculpted Series collection created in partnership with Snarkitecture. This marks the first offline display of the series in China. In the Iyouth space, the exhibition also features works from one of Snarkitecture's core designers, Daniel Arsham, with his new limited edition collaborative collection with Star Wars.

Photograph by YiQuan Xiong

Photo edited by YiGang Cai

GDD has curated a series of photographs and video to celebrate the significant traditional festival in China, the Mid-Autumn Festival. The content takes the theme of the full moon during Mid-Autumn as our inspiration, connecting it with the warm glow of the lighting fixtures illuminating home scenes. The lighting fixtures featured in the creative content are from extraordinary lighting brands Slamp and Original BTC. With this curation, GDD wishes our friends a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

The non-conformist Italian furniture brand GUFRAM has collaborated with C-Park Haisu, the Chinese grand-new commercial complex in Shanghai City, for its opening pop-up event. The ironic furnitures from GUFRAM have invaded the pure grey CELECTION space of C-Park Haisu, with blue polyurethane cubes below. This special setup is inspired by the impressive exhibition 'Gufram On The Rocks' curated by Gufram in 2016. The previous exhibition, held at Galleria Carla Sozzani in Corso Como 10 Milano, received an enormous response.

Photograph by Yiquan Xiong

Photo edited by Yigang Cai

Classic works from several avant-garde design brands under GDD(Global Design Distribution) are prominently showcased in JUSTLUXE, a high-end boutique store located within the upscale shopping mall, JC Plaza in Shanghai. This collection includes iconic products from design brands such as Gufram, L'Objet, Michael Aram, Ichendorf, and many more.

Photograph by Yiquan Xiong

Photo edited by Yigang Cai

The pop-up event "To Play, To Provoke" is being held in the home-furnishing retail store PAD 11 in Tian'an Qianshu Shopping Mall, China from Aug. 29 to Oct. 8, 2023.

Born in Italy in 1984, CASAMANIA stands out among home furnishing brands with its strong and diverse design features. Integrating simplicity, art, and innovation, its design is known for its bold use of color, unique shapes, and clean, smooth lines. CASAMANIA is committed to delivering a contemporary and avant-garde aesthetic, providing a rich and diverse range of high-end design furniture products for modern residences, hotels, and commercial spaces.

This pop-up exhibition focused on presenting CASAMANIA's most representative series of products, including classics from design masters such as Fabio Novembre and Karim Rashid. There were also innovative meetings between the brand and emerging design stars at the time, such as Tobias Juretzek and Pudelskem. Through diversified design cooperation, the avant-garde aesthetics pursued by CASAMANIA have gained rich expression in home scenes.

CASAMANIA's design incorporates a hint of humor and playfulness about daily life. Furniture, lamps, and other objects in the home scenes it creates often possess unique personalities and strong emotional orientation. Designs full of imaginary spaces lead daily life into specific emotional moments.

Video & Photography by YiQuan Xiong

Photo Edited by YiGang Cai

Video Edited by Jingyan Zhou

The pop-up event "So Far As Sofas" is being held in the home-furnishing retail store PAD 11 in Tian'an Qianshu Shopping Mall, China from May 20 to June 23, 2023.

When it comes to sofas, the Italian handmade sofa brand LaCividina is a presence that cannot be avoided.

Since the 18th century, the sofa entered the public life scene with the concept of upholstered furniture in Europe, when we say sofa, we often associate it with "conversation" or "relaxation place". Today, sofa can be a comfortable piece of furniture, can be to meet people's social gathering needs of the shared space, but also can be the interior space style carrier. Sofa is not only the exploration of leisure lifestyle, but also the projection of modern people's diverse personality life. In the history of the development of sofa, Italian handicraft culture has added the most colorful stroke - the unique traditional handicraft and exquisite craft techniques continue to promote the innovation of sofa design, while injecting more artistry into it through craftsmanship and materials, which makes Italy become a globally renowned sofa manufacturing and design center.

The Italian handcrafted sofa brand LaCividina, which adheres to the culture of Italian craftsmanship, represents the purest quality of "100% Made in Italy".

Founded in 1976 by Carlo Bulfoni, who has more than 20 years of experience in the upholstered furniture industry, LaCividina products combine a pure aesthetic vision, high quality materials and perfect craftsmanship, with a deep exploration of design concepts, exciting encounters with designers, insistence on raw materials and technological breakthroughs behind each sofa. This has given LaCividina a distinctive brand style - full of sensual beauty in color, silhouette and touch.

"So far as sofas", speaking of sofas, let's stroll along the soft fabric mantle into the world of LaCividina's sofas and experience the infinite imagination and exquisite craftsmanship details of LaCividina's products in the small world of sofa seating.

Photograph by YiQuan Xiong

Photo post by ChenTing Zhao & YiGang Cai

Shanghai, 2023, Memphis Milano, The Modern Art Museum (MAM) Shanghai and Global Design Distribution (GDD) present “Memphis Again: 1981-1985, Stuck Inside the Revolution”, an exhibition directed and curated by Christoph Radl from 14 May to 30 July, 2023. 

Following on from the debut at La Triennale museum in Milan during the 2022 edition of the design week, Memphis Again makes its first appearance in China with the support of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Shanghai. 

The exhibition presents almost two-hundred pieces of furniture and objects (bookshelves, dividers, vetrines, toilette furniture, dining tables, countertop tables, coffee tables, desks, chairs, couches, sofa beds, table lamps, appliques, floor lamps, chandeliers, ashtrays, flower pots, fruit bowls, fabric accessories, rugs) in the most diverse selection of materials (wood, plastic, laminate, glass, ceramic, porcelain, silver, steel, fabric) produced between 1981 and 1985 for the Memphis collection. 

Memphis Again unfolds across two floors of MAM, starting from the second floor of the building where all Memphis textiles will be guiding visitors through the exhibition for a more theatrical effect.  

On this floor, Italian multidisciplinary artist and illustrator Massimo Giacon has created large-scale comic strips accompanied by animations that highlight the historical milestones of the brand. Featuring the people and key moments that marked the history of Memphis over the years, Giacon’s work will encourage the visitors to travel back in time for the very first exhibition of the Memphis group in 1981 to the evening gathering at the house of Ettore Sottsass and Barbara Radice with Bob Dylan’s music in the background, there will be a homage to David Bowie and Karl Lagerfeld, who were among the very first collectors championing the Memphis brand and the story of Memphis Milano’s arrival in China will be told. 

On the top floor, the objects will be displayed in chronological order alongside the spacious U-shaped room, just like a fashion show in which the observers will be moving along the catwalk in a space that, thanks to the furniture and a special soundtrack by American DJ and producer Seth Troxler will make them feel like they are in a nightclub. 

In the exhibition space, the famous black and white patterns typical of Memphis culminate in an oneiric and playful background texture for a sequence of adjacent rooms in the central section of the area. Here, some monumental Memphis items and larger pieces take center stage together with a selection of objects. Quotes from critics, architects and designers, which will be projected on dark walls, offer a special focus on how this cultural movement marked the start of a new era in the product of design both in Italy and around the world. 

The exhibition is neither an homage or a historicisation. Its objective today, just as it was back then (1981), is that of directing the attention on the expressive and cultural possibilities of a design that goes beyond marketing. Memphis was born with the desire to adjourn the language of design and architecture. An alternative proposition to a design that is imagined especially to solve industrial functional problems, while underlining the emotional, psychological side and aspect of the issue and of the discipline. Each designer, for example, was free to design what they wanted, without any restrictions. Later, when it shifted from being a cultural necessity to becoming, as expected, “projects and prototypes”, a company to distribute and sell was founded. And it worked.

Barbara Radice stated in 1981: “Memphis does not repudiate the functional utopia, but it observes functionality with eyes wide open, more like an anthropologist than a marketing manager. Hence a functionality related not only to certain ergonomic standards or statistics of salability, but also to the vision of a public necessity, a historical thrust.”

And Ettore Sottsass: “I would have loved to suggest a sort of non-cultural iconographic, a culture that belongs to no one (not an anonymous culture), but the iconography of a culture that is not used and not usable, not because it doesn't exist, not even because it is not utilised, but because it can’t be looked at, because it is not considered, because it doesn't belong, because it looks like it doesn't exist in known culture, and maybe it doesn't even produce culture. These areas of non-culture, these areas of “no one’s culture” do exist”.

The need to get rid of certain conventions is still very contemporary. Sottsass: “The fact is that we no longer are scared: I mean the fear of having to represent or not represent something or someone, élites or derelicts, traditions or boorishness. We no longer fear what the past sends along nor do we fear what the more aggressive future sends.” 

Photograph by Hai Zhu

"Art&Technology", a group show featuring Zieta and Halo Edition, is presented by For.D gallery in Hangzhou, China from April 13 to May 16, 2023.

The event explores the intersection of art and technology through the works of two cutting-edge design brands: the Polish home design brand Zieta and the Italian design brand Halo Edition. Using advanced production techniques, these designs interweave light and reflections of metal to offer a psychedelic visual experience.

The unique design and aesthetics of Zieta's products are inseparable from its innovative steel processing technology FiDU. This technology transforms two-dimensional sheets of flat metal into objects through a free deformation process. FiDU technology requires only a few kilobytes of production files, which gives it great potential for cross-over development.

Meanwhile, the vibrant halo projection of Halo Edition stems from the integration and innovative application of optical technology, LED technology, and CNC technology. This optical projection installation features precise optical systems and compact structural design, making it possible to bring optical scenes from the universe into the home landscape.

With the iterative evolution of modern production technology, designers are providing more possibilities for how to integrate art with daily life, creating illusions for our ordinary life.

Image Courtesy of For.D

The pop-up event "Art & Technology" is being held in the shop-window of the home-furnishing retail store PAD 11 in Tian'an Qianshu Shopping Mall, a brand new high-end shopping mall designed by star architect Thomas Heatherwick. With an all-white wrecked arcade throughout the space, the avant-garde retail store provides the perfect backdrop for the showcase. The event explores the intersection of art and technology through the works of two cutting-edge design brands: the Polish home design brand Zieta and the Italian design brand Halo Edition. Using advanced production techniques, these designs interweave light and reflections of metal to offer a psychedelic visual experience.

The unique design and aesthetics of Zieta's products are inseparable from its innovative steel processing technology FiDU. This technology transforms two-dimensional sheets of flat metal into objects through a free deformation process. FiDU technology requires only a few kilobytes of production files, which gives it great potential for cross-over development.

Meanwhile, the vibrant halo projection of Halo Edition stems from the integration and innovative application of optical technology, LED technology, and CNC technology. This optical projection installation features precise optical systems and compact structural design, making it possible to bring optical scenes from the universe into the home landscape.

With the iterative evolution of modern production technology, designers are providing more possibilities for how to integrate art with daily life, creating illusions for our ordinary life.

GDD has selected home décor pieces from Driade, Zaha Hadid Design, Halo Edition and Michael Aram to illuminate the beautiful moments in life. Life itself is romantic. Whether we have a companion on Valentine's Day or not, may we always pursue our dreams and cherish every happy moment.

We hereby express our thanks to the voice actors: Ken, Milla, and Aidi.

To celebrate the New Year of 2023, GDD designed a stylish 2023 Calendar Notebook for our clients and friends, featuring over 30 furnishing and lighting brands. Let's get your hands on one of these 2023 calendars today and start celebrating the New Year in style!

Stylish products of Zieta brand were on display at the opening exhibition of SKP's independent designer store in Chengdu. The SKP SELECT HOME is a multi-brand home collection store owned by SKP.

From 29 October to 15 December 2022, the Guframini God launch event was held at Wuhan The mixc. Cactus Rosso, Cactus Another Green, Capitello, Attica, and Attica TL were on display at the event.

The Guframini collection takes the most fitting Gufram classics and shrinks them equivalently, making these masterpieces can be more easily integrated into everyday life.