Design industry merchandise has long carried its own form of niche cultural cachet — a faded Alessi T-shirt or souvenir Molteni&C tote is sure to earn you a knowing nod from a fellow subway rider. But at this spring’s trade fairs, novel brand extensions were more prominent than ever, and an increasing number of products now position furniture-maker logos akin to fashion labels.

During Copenhagen’s 3daysofdesign festival, branded brews were the toast of the town. Hay collaborated with the Danes at Carlsberg to reimagine their beer can in blue and green stripes, while Muuto teamed up with craft brewery To Øl for custom booze stamped with the furniture-maker’s slogan, “New Perspectives.” More than just a place to launch products, design fairs are a chance for manufacturers to express their overall identity — and the further they carry that expression, the more immersive the overall experience.

While a branded beverage that only lasts a few ephemeral gulps might be the most rarefied form of commemorative corporate swag, more traditional giveaways also generated plenty of buzz. Did you even really go to NeoCon 2024 if you came back without Momentum’s tote sporting one of Yinka Ilori’s vibrant geometric patterns? Meanwhile, New York Design Week attendees who made their way to Herman Miller’s hot dog night were rewarded not just with dinner but also a carryall featuring a playful hot dog artwork. The graphic was adapted from Steve Frykholm’s drawing for Herman Miller’s 1973 company picnic poster — a piece of design lore that now sells for upwards of $1,000 in the booming collectibles market. Recognizing this demand, Herman Miller recently released a modern reissue.

Over the past decade, as the TikTok generation has studied up on the Eameses, sneakerheads have embraced designer furniture — and by extension, the more logo-centric memorabilia associated with it — as new grails to signify taste and status. In turn, the design industry is now embracing sneakers. As another part of its 3daysofdesign festivities, Hay kicked off a collaboration with Asics that splashes footwear in a Scandi-chic palette of pastels and earth tones. Following in the footsteps of other recent alliances between New Balance and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Reebok and the Eames Office, this partnership perhaps teases the move of design merch away from promotional trade show fare into a business category in its own right. 

Maybe what all this is really previewing is the evolution of design brands into full-blown lifestyle brands. Each Milan Design Week, major fashion houses carve out more and more space to showcase their budding home collections. Now, the furniture industry seems to be expressing interest in venturing out beyond its usual focus, too. Companies like Hay may have gotten their start creating designs for our living rooms, but there is a new group of consumers living for design — and eager to dress the part.