Imagine. Create. Transform.
The Time for (S) Heroes design journey continues at Design Wave Festival 2026, taking place on 25–27 November at KOKA Riga, Latvia, with opportunities to participate both onsite and online.
Bringing together fashion and costume designers, artists, digital creators, technologists and creative professionals from across Europe, the festival is a space to explore how creativity, technology and sustainability can shape a better future.
Join us for three days of inspiring talks, masterclasses, creative hackathon, fashion and digital showcases, mentoring and international networking.
Fashion, art, technology, sustainability and creative collaboration!
Explore new approaches to sustainable fashion, costume design, digital creativity, emerging technologies and circular design. Connect with creative professionals, experiment with new ideas and discover opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.
Bring your idea, prototype or creative work to life.
Whether you have an early-stage idea, an experimental prototype or a finished creative work, Design Wave Festival offers opportunities to develop, present and share your creativity.
Participants can join the IDEA, PROTOTYPE or PRODUCT tracks, depending on the development stage of their work. Teams in the IDEA and PROTOTYPE tracks can also compete for further development opportunities through international creative residencies in Finland and Spain.
Explore the full programme, participation opportunities and registration details on the official festival website.
Explore the open call
The first Time for (S) Heroes Open Call has now closed. Thank you to everyone who submitted their creative ideas and proposals!
You can still explore the original Open Call information, including its themes, categories, process and evaluation criteria, through the links below.
Open Call: Core themes Open Call: Categories Open Call: Process Open Call: Evaluation
Intro Videos
Kouvola, Finland
Experience a unique blend of historical atmosphere and cutting-edge technology at Xamk’s Kouvola campus and the Ankkapurha site. This nature-oriented residency supports material-driven processes, ecological thinking, and close collaboration with circular economy experts. You will have access to world-class facilities, including a virtual production studio, holographic projection, and 3D printing with ecological materials, designed to support slow and sustainable creative explorations.
Barcelona, Spain
The Espronceda Institute of Art & Culture provides a dynamic urban setting in Barcelona, serving as an international center for artistic research and digital innovation. This residency focuses on moving concepts to realization by utilizing advanced digital processes and immersive technologies. It is the ideal environment for teams looking to explore the intersection of digital art, creative storytelling, and new interpretations of heroism.
Read more about the residencies
Free Opportunities
Call for Participants
We are looking for:
You may have background or interested in one or several of these and other areas.
Zero waste and upcycling
At the creative residency in Finland, the participants have the opportunity to utilize local Ekomaa Recycling Store in gathering materials for their creations.
Ekomaa is run by Parik Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports social sustainability and enhances circular economy in Kouvola area.
This is where designers become sustainability heroes.
The Digital Portal is now open. Registered users can gain the following benefits through the Portal:
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
