Marrakech – Melbourne was never just about flat whites and bold architecture. But from June 11 to 14, during Melbourne Design Week 2025, it became something else entirely: a canvas. And Morocco? Morocco became the brushstroke that everyone couldn’t stop talking about.
Yes, Morocco made a dazzling impression at the Design Show Australia 2025 — one of the Asia-Pacific region’s most influential events celebrating design, architecture, and innovation.
About 250 global exhibitors, over 1,000 brands, and more than 12,000 professionals roaming through a whirlwind of ideas, textures, and future-forward aesthetics.
And somewhere in the midst of it all, the Kingdom stood proud — showing off not just its ancestral craftsmanship but its very modern, very relevant creative force.
A force personified, quite perfectly, by none other than Hicham Lahlou.
Lahlou — Moroccan design icon, cultural bridge-builder, and proud global thinker — was this year’s guest of honor. And if you’re imagining a typical keynote speaker, think again.
This wasn’t just talk; it was impact. Two packed conferences, a standing ovation, and a panel that dove into design as a tool for social transformation. He spoke of “Arab Perspectives, Global Solutions,” and every word seemed to pulse with urgency and vision.
This wasn’t about pretty things. It was about making cities inclusive, design ethical, and innovation sustainable.
But the real twist? This marked the first time a designer of Arab and African origin took center stage at an Australian design event of this scale. Yes, ever.
Supported by the Moroccan Embassy in Canberra, the Maison de l’Artisan, and the Australo-Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AACCI), Morocco was present not just in booths and brochures — but in dialogue, diplomacy, and the future of design itself.
Beyond the applause and accolades (and there were many—Australia’s top design media couldn’t stop gushing), what really mattered was the bridge being built.
Between continents. Between aesthetics. Between traditions and futures.
The meetings that took place behind the scenes — BtoBs in Melbourne and Sydney, academic roundtables, deep exchanges with institutions — were seeds.
Seeds of collaboration, innovation, and a shared future potentially worth over 4.3 billion Australian dollars. That’s not just beautiful. That’s bold.
And maybe that’s what design is really about, after all. More than lines and colors — it’s stories, it’s people, it’s possibility. And in Melbourne this June, Morocco told a story the world couldn’t ignore.
