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5/26/25, 2:01 PM MAKE Launches 5th Athath Fellowship To Shape The Future Of Furniture Design - Design Middle East
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MAKE is launching their 5 cohort of the Athath Fellowship 2025, in partnership with Khalifa Fund for Enterprise
Development, and with the support of Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, inviting all next-gen aspiring
furniture entrepreneurs to reimagine the world of furniture design, taking place from 5th July to 11th October 2025.

Hosted by MAKE at the MAKE’s facility in Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi, the program is structured in three distinct
phases and will combine two interconnected modules- furniture design and prototyping module and commercial
strategy module. The 15-week program is designed to promote the creation of commercially viable prototypes at full
scale and provide foundational knowledge to develop preliminary commercial plans. The 5th edition of this
fellowship brings together a new generation of talents committed to shaping the regional dialogue on aesthetics,
functionality, and innovation in modern furniture design.

This edition opens its applications on 16th May 2025, welcoming those who view furniture as functional design.
Selected applicants will be invited to interviews in June 2025. Inclusive of three distinct phases, every phase is
dedicated to unravelling unique skills and visionary ideas. The first phase will include ideation and concept
development, revolving around design thinking, user analysis and market trends. Following this, the second phase
will engage the participants in design development and prototyping. This iterative process will focus on models and
test designs, which will offer a hands-on approach to furniture design. The final stage will pivot on prototype
fabrication, engaging the participants to create their own prototype while learning the design process.

MAKE: Inclusive of three distinct phases, every phase is dedicated to unravelling unique skills and visionary ideas

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