With the exhibition in the Festival Headquarters, the VIENNA DESIGN WEEK highlighted France and its position as a country with a grandiose design tradition. Sample exhibits by luminaries like Philippe Starck, Ora-Ito, Ronan Bouroullec, and Patrick Jouin highlighted the significance of French design, its spirit of innovation and international role as catalyst and booster. The theme of the show in the Brotfabrik Wien mainly revolved around the so-called “Starck children” and the French touch, and addressed the question, what qualifies an object for the status of an icon.