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Dubai Design Week 2026 saw the unveiling of something a little different as IQOS introduced CURIOUS STUDIO, a global creative platform developed in collaboration with OUCHHH Collective. Bringing together art, technology, and human imagination, the experience also marked the worldwide debut of the limited-edition IQOS ILUMA i BEYOND. Held at Dubai Design District from November 3 to 8, the launch offered a glimpse into a creative journey that will continue all the way to Milan Design Week 2027.

A New Way to Experience Creativity

What if creativity wasn’t something we simply admired, but something we could actively contribute to? That’s the idea behind CURIOUS STUDIO. Created by IQOS, the platform invites adult IQOS users to become part of the creative process, bringing together different ideas, personalities, and perspectives to shape something collectively. The concept is based on the belief that no creative idea comes from just one source. Every experience, memory, emotion, and interaction can play a part in shaping the final result.

As Alina Igritskaya, Director of Brand Marketing, Heat-Not-Burn at Philip Morris International (PMI), explained, “CURIOUS STUDIO is a natural evolution of what IQOS stands for: the belief that curiosity is not just a mindset, but a driver that moves people forward.” Rather than presenting a finished artwork for visitors to observe, the initiative creates opportunities for individuals to contribute their own creative perspectives, taking the experience beyond a traditional exhibition.

The Creative Minds Behind CURIOUS STUDIO

To bring this vision to life, IQOS partnered with OUCHHH Collective, a pioneering multidisciplinary studio collective working at the intersection of art, design, science, and technology. Led by its Founder and Director, Ferdi Alici, OUCHHH is known for transforming data into immersive visual experiences, revealing the hidden patterns that connect people, places, and emotions.

For the Dubai debut, OUCHHH worked alongside fourteen selected international collaborators, including Egyptian artist Mohamed Talaia, each bringing a distinct creative perspective to the experience. Together, they helped shape the first chapter of this evolving creative journey, exploring what can emerge when different cultures, disciplines, and ways of seeing come together.

“CURIOUS STUDIO begins with a deeply human impulse: the instinct to question, imagine and connect,” said Alici. The collaboration also highlights how technology can complement human creativity rather than replace it, revealing connections that may not be immediately visible.

Why Dubai Was the Perfect Starting Point

As one of the region’s leading design events, Dubai Design Week provided a fitting setting for the global debut of CURIOUS STUDIO. The event has become an important meeting point for artists, designers, and creative communities from across the world, making it a natural home for an initiative built around exchanging ideas. Natasha Carella, Director of Dubai Design Week, welcomed the project, highlighting how collaborations such as CURIOUS STUDIO help connect regional and international creative voices.

“We are excited to welcome CURIOUS STUDIO to Dubai Design Week,” said Carella. For PMI, the decision to launch the initiative in Dubai also reflects the region’s growing importance in innovation and cultural exchange.

Richa Rustagi, Managing Director of Philip Morris Lower Gulf, Iraq and Kuwait, described the UAE and the wider region as strategically important markets and global hubs for creativity and innovation. She also highlighted the company’s intention to develop culturally relevant experiences for adult nicotine users. Together, these perspectives reflect a shared ambition to bring different communities and creative disciplines into the same conversation.

Inside the CURIOUS STUDIO Experience

Beyond the discussions surrounding the launch, CURIOUS STUDIO was presented as an immersive experience where creativity could be explored through different artistic perspectives.

Beyond Craft, created in collaboration with Cheb Moha, drew inspiration from traditional embroidery, combining colourful threads with digital patterns. Beyond Sound, developed with Karrouhat and HiFi, took inspiration from Arabic Maqam, allowing visitors to experiment with different sounds and create musical compositions that were then transformed into moving visuals. Meanwhile, Beyond Art, created with Abrar Zenkawi, reimagined traditional arabesque patterns through an interactive screen where visitors’ drawings became part of a larger digital artwork.

The experience also featured OUCHHH Collective’s Global Showcase, bringing together contributions from 14 international collaborators, including Egyptian artist Mohamed Talaia. At its centre was a large digital sphere surrounded by screens displaying evolving patterns and animations, with visitors’ interactions influencing the visuals. The installation demonstrated how individual creativity, data, and technology can come together to create an immersive collective experience.

Introducing the Limited-Edition Device IQOS ILUMA i BEYOND

Another major highlight of the event was the global introduction of IQOS ILUMA i BEYOND, a limited-edition heat-not-burn device unveiled alongside CURIOUS STUDIO. The launch connected the device to the platform’s wider creative concept, positioning it as a symbolic entry point into the journey from Dubai to Milan.

Rather than treating the product launch and the artistic collaboration as two separate moments, IQOS brought them together under one theme: curiosity and its ability to inspire new ideas. The device forms part of PMI’s smoke-free product portfolio, which the company continues to evolve for the long term, with the goal of completely ending the sale of cigarettes. Tobacco-heating products contain addictive nicotine and are not risk-free.

From Dubai to Milan: The Journey Continues

Although Dubai Design Week marked the official beginning, CURIOUS STUDIO is designed to develop beyond its first exhibition. The next stage invites adult IQOS users from around the world to contribute their own perspectives by answering a simple question: “What is the most curious thing about you?”

These individual responses will become part of a larger creative process, with OUCHHH Collective transforming the contributions into a collective artwork to be revealed at Milan Design Week 2027. What began in Dubai with fourteen international collaborators is therefore expected to grow into a wider creative exchange shaped by contributions from different parts of the world.

With CURIOUS STUDIO, IQOS and OUCHHH Collective have introduced an initiative that looks at creativity from a different angle, placing participation, imagination, and technology at the centre of the experience. And as the journey continues towards Milan, the project leaves audiences with one interesting thought: perhaps the most exciting part of creativity isn’t just seeing the finished result, but being part of how it comes together.