Creative new Japanese furnishings brand to make Middle East debut at Index 2006

There are many fascinating skills in Japan's long tradition of craftsmanship that have never previously been revealed to the world, but that is all about to change.

Tokyo-based Garde Co. Ltd. is Japan's leading retail design firm, specialising in a variety of services from branding, concept and interior design, environmental graphic design and merchandising, through to project and construction management and material sourcing.

When developing its new furnishings range, Garde's overriding objective was to take the values of traditional craftsmanship and combine them with contemporary materials to maximise design creativity.

"We selected our top designers to lead a new project, the 'Japan Brand', that combines the techniques of a 'takumi' (a Japanese artist who has mastered the highest quality of traditional craftsmanship), and the modern design that Garde has been recognised for throughout its 20-plus years of experience in the field," said Silvia Poggi, Marketing Director, Garde. "The cutting edge design team wanted to create not only a new design, but a whole new lifestyle that will change the way people perceive the world, and the results will be shown for the first time in the Middle East at Index this year."

The global reputation of Index as one of the world's most significant international events for the interiors industry has been built on the quality and diversity of the inspirational interior products showcased at the event. "We're delighted that Garde have chosen Index 2006 as the regional launch platform for their new range," said Kim Willis, Exhibition Development Director, dmg world media Dubai, organisers of the exhibition. "It further illustrates how important the exhibition is to global companies looking to establish themselves, their brands and their products in the Gulf, Middle East and North Africa."

With Japanese designers looking to achieve recognition worldwide for their creativity and innovation, Garde will give visitors to Index 2006 the ideal opportunity to discover a fascinating new world through their "Youen" collection, which will present Japan's seductive elegance on the company's stand which will be divided into three zones: bedroom, dining room and living room.

Index 2006 sees the exhibition celebrating 17 highly successful years of showcasing the very best in furniture and interior design, and, to further enhance the effectiveness of the event for the region's key interior designers, architects, consultants and specifiers, will this year have an even stronger focus on specific product areas that are of particular relevance within the region.

The show's international standing is based on its strength in the textiles, furniture, wallcoverings and residential lighting sectors, and among the many product areas to be significantly expanded this year is flooring. Index, the Middle East's International Furniture And Interior Design Exhibition, takes place from 7-11 November 2006 at Dubai International Exhibition Centre.