Goa has always been a place where cultures, ideas, and creativity meet. This September, the city once again became the canvas for innovation as the Hospitality Interior & Design Expo (HIDE) Goa 2025 lit up the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee from the 26th to the 28th.
At the centre of it all was the JD School of Design, powered by JD Institute of Fashion Technology, back again as the Official Knowledge Partner. It was more than a title, however; this partnership reflected JD’s commitment to setting the terms of discussion on design, inspiring imagination, and merging heritage with innovative times.
The three-day expo commenced with a series of thought leadership speeches, especially crafted by JD School of Design, by some of the most revered voices in the design world. Ms Shruti Tilve took the proceedings forward with her speech Not Just Design: How Styling Transforms a Room, followed by Ms Darpana Athale, who spoke on Architecture with Focus on Retail Interiors. Mr Kopal Kulkarni impressed the audience with From Material to Meaning, sharing insights on materiality and design thinking. Day two followed with Mr Mukund Vilas Patrikar’s session on Smart Water Management: Driving Prosperity, Demanding Expertise, Dr Nischay N’s study of Interior Design 2030: Skills, Challenges & Opportunities for the Next Decade, and Mrs Monika Choudhary’s presentation on Design Perspectives in Hospitality. The discussions led to a fascinating workshop by Ar. Reewena Shamuvel John, where participants were introduced to Co-Design with AI, fostered discussions on the future of technology in creative practice. The sessions as a whole highlighted the expo as a platform for knowledge exchange and future-ready thinking.
The expo hall was abuzz with imagination on the 27th of September as ReCraft, an interactive workshop series by JD School of Design, swept the audience off their feet.
There, design wasn’t to be gazed at—it was to be played with, moulded, colored, and shaped. Contestants painted beautiful pebble works of art, folded stunning origami lamps, and even attempted paper furniture making. The atmosphere buzzed with energy as students, professionals, and passersby worked together in a whirlwind of design frenzy. More than a workshop, ReCraft was a celebration of the joy of creation by hand. It induced people to look at sustainability as not a limitation but a challenge to be creative.
The last day of JD School of Design activity at HIDE Expo 2025 was a visual spectacle. Fashion Showcase brought into focus India’s rich embroidery heritage—Ahir, Chikankari, Kantha, and Appliqué—reimagined in sharp, modern style.
Catwalk was facilitated by collections that were cultural and competent but seemed relentlessly forward-looking. It was an era when contemporaneity and tradition moved hand in hand, stating that fashion is not all that we wear but the stories that accompany us.
As the curtains fell, one was certain about one thing: HIDE Expo Goa 2025 was not merely an event—it was an experience of discovery, interaction, and envisioning the design of tomorrow. For JD School of Design, it was another chance to remain committed to its mission: celebrating creativity, word-making, and fashioning tomorrow’s design leaders.
With its integration of knowledge application and storytelling, design and culture, this expo’s message to all of us is that design is not a career. It’s a way of uniting past and future, individuals and intellect, like aeration and oxygen, for a better tomorrow. And in the process, the very essence of creativity is changed.
