What happens when creative ecosystems from different cities finally sit down to talk —
not just about ideas, but about how culture, design, and people connect in real life?
⤷ About POPUPASIA®
POPUPASIA® is a platform dedicated to connecting cities, creators, and creative communities across Asia through real-world cultural experiences. Beyond exhibitions and markets, POPUPASIA® focuses on facilitating cultural exchange and industry dialogue, creating spaces where creativity becomes a shared language across borders.
⤷ About Chiang Mai Design Week
Chiang Mai Design Week (CMDW) is an annual city-wide design festival that brings together designers, creatives, cultural institutions, brands, and the public through exhibitions, talks, markets, and creative programs across Chiang Mai. Organized with the aim of connecting design to everyday life, CMDW highlights how creativity can respond to local culture, urban space, craftsmanship, and contemporary social issues.
Each year, the festival activates multiple locations throughout the city — from creative districts and cultural venues to public spaces — encouraging interaction between local and international creative communities. Through a diverse range of programs, Chiang Mai Design Week serves as a platform for exchange, learning, and observation within Southeast Asia’s growing creative ecosystem.
⤷ POPUPASIA® × TCDC:
Connecting Creative Systems in Chiang Mai
During Chiang Mai Design Week, POPUPASIA® participated in business and design exchange activities at Thailand Creative & Design Center (TCDC) Chiang Mai. The visit offered an opportunity to engage with local design organizations, exhibitions, and creative practitioners, and to better understand how Thailand’s creative ecosystem operates within an urban and cultural context.
Rather than a standalone visit, this exchange formed part of a broader design-week journey that included business tours, market visits, and meetings with brands and designers — allowing POPUPASIA® to observe how creativity, daily life, and cultural identity intersect in Chiang Mai.
⤷ Design as Cultural Dialogue
Several exhibitions at TCDC reflected cross-cultural creative practices involving Taiwan. Taiwan–Thailand design collaborations were presented through everyday objects, including tableware crafted from wood and aluminum, highlighting how daily-use items can carry cultural meaning and dialogue.
Other exhibitions focused on Taiwan’s Indigenous Paiwan women’s clothing, tracing life stages from girlhood to marriage and ceremonial contexts. These works emphasized the relationship between clothing, body, memory, and land, demonstrating how design serves as a vessel for cultural narratives rooted in lived experience.
⤷ POPUPASIA®’s Value and Role
Through participation in Chiang Mai Design Week and visits to TCDC, POPUPASIA® took part in cultural exchange alongside designers, institutions, and creative organizations from Taiwan and Thailand. By being present in these spaces, POPUPASIA® contributed to cross-city interaction and shared learning through design, craft, and everyday culture.
✦ REMINDER ✦
TAITHAI FIESTA 2026｜Thailand × Taiwan Creative & Trade Delegation
Following the momentum of POPUPASIA®’s December program in Chiang Mai, we are excited to announce TAITHAI FIESTA 2026, a large-scale Thailand–Taiwan creative festival and trade delegation taking place in April 2026.
Bringing together Thai and Taiwanese brands, food culture, street creativity, music, performance, handmade marketplaces, and cross-cultural exchange programs, the event is expected to welcome 400+ Thai brands, artists, musicians, and cultural groups in Taiwan.
Inspired by internationally renowned events such as the Thai Festival in Tokyo, TAITHAI FIESTA 2026 aims to become the largest Thai–Taiwan creative and cultural festival in Asia. POPUPASIA® warmly invites creators, brands, and cultural communities in Thailand to be part of this historic delegation.
👉 Register now at: https://taithaifiesta.com/
More Brand Stories and be part of B2B?
Join POPPASS—our B2B platform connecting you with authentic, creative brands from across Asia. Explore exhibitor profiles, start collaborations, and be part of the POPUPASIA® network.
Join POPPASS ➜ Tutorial on how to register
