Celebrating its fifth edition this year, Clerkenwell Design Week 2014 will showcase the latest innovations by designers and manufacturers from the UK and around the world. Set against the historic backdrop of Clerkenwell, the festival will be centred upon leading local design showrooms, and four focused exhibitions - The Design Factory, Platform, Detail and Additions.

This year, Clerkenwell Design Week will continue its strong relationships with the local design showrooms, promoting their latest creative projects.

The festival's veteran Vitra will present a collective project - a take-on of Ron Arad's iconic Tom Vac chair. The chair will be re-styled by selected international designers and architects, and unveiled in Vitra's showroom during the festival.

Newcomer Sto Werkstatt, specialists in architectural cladding, has opened a new showroom with a cultural twist on Woodbridge Street, while Scandinavian Business Seating will launch the ergonomically designed Noor chair at the event.

The Design Factory, based at The Farmiloe Building, will play host to some of the best contemporary furniture, lighting and product design brands from the UK and around the world.

Lighting specialists Foscarini will present an installation in the atrium and tunnel, while newcomer to the festival Discipline will launch its new Last Side tables by Max Lamb to the UK market at the event.

British tile manufacturers Johnson Tiles have partnered with colour expert Ptolemy Mann to create a three-wall mural for the launch of their Prismatics wall tile collection.

Moreover, some of the best lighting names in the industry will take over the top floor of The Design Factory - from Anglepoise with the launch of its new Type75™ Maxi Collection designed by Sir Kenneth Grange, to Holloways of Ludlow showcasing the latest Jielde lights.

At The House of Detention, Platform – sponsored by W London - will provide emerging young designers with the perfect platform to showcase their new collections.

Estonian-born Johanna Tammsalu has taken lighting to another level with her hand-spun, ceramic pendant lights, while printmaker Lucy Clive of Clivework will launch her first furnishing fabric range.

Launching in the UK for the first time, Loïc Bard will showcase his new coffee tables Tokyo and Small Tokyo, while Judy Clark of CVA Editions takes a more colourful approach, with her new Bean tables in bright block colours.

Celebrating fine quality and exquisite craftsmanship in the luxury sector, Detail at the Order of St John will bring together the most prestigious names in high-end interior design.

This year will see an exciting collaboration between .IT_All About Design, Edra and The Campana Brothers, entitled From Art to Design. On 20 May 2014, the designers will unveil an exhibition of their masterpieces, as well as their designs for Edra. The exhibition will explore how design and production processes render "a piece of art" - a successful, commercial product.

Another highlight is the pop-up showroom of Christopher Jenner for Drummonds inside Craft Central amongst Detail. This collaboration between Jenner and Drummonds results in a bathroom furniture collection launching at the festival. Inspired by craft processes and handmade in the UK, the collection marries traditional cast iron and enamelling techniques with English carpentry.

New to this year’s festival, Additions – sponsored by Triitme - will take over the Crypt on the Green at St James Church. It will be the main hub for a curated collection of small home accessories, targeting retail buyers and interior designers.

The newly launched Toghal brings heritage African designs into contemporary homewares, with a focus on textiles. Similarly, Urbanara offers high-quality home textiles and accessories using the finest natural materials.

Known for its architectural sculptures with a touch of playfulness, Chisel and Mouse will launch its new models at the show with London being a key inspiration. Tunisian-born Hend Krichen will bring her beautifully handcrafted vessels to the show.

For CDW Presents, Studio Weave, design collective Okay Studio and russ + henshaw have been appointed to create projects aiming to push the boundaries of design, in terms of concepts, process and material capabilities.

Studio Weave has created Smith, a pavilion – sponsored by EQUITONE - that pays homage to Clerkenwell’s heritage as the home to a range of smiths through history, demonstrating the creative use of tools and equipment, and how they can be applied to materials for product making.

Design collective Okay Studio, supported by the American Hardwood Export Council, has produced an exhibition celebrating the festival’s fifth edition. Inspired by five American hardwood species – tulipwood, ash, hard maple, red oak and cherry, the five design teams from Okay Studio are working independently to create a mix of designs, showcasing how versatile American hardwood can be.

Meanwhile, Lianne Russ and Phil Henshaw of russ + henshaw are working with Turkishceramics to create an installation, entitled Tile Mile, at St John’s Gate. Based on the concept of reflection and featuring parallel mirrors to create the illusion of an infinite ‘crypt like’ space, the installation will celebrate both the built heritage of Clerkenwell and modern Turkish ceramics.

This year’s Fringe – sponsored by property specialists Urban Spaces – will feature an installation created by multi-media artist Lauren Baker, with the support of drink specialists The Gin Garden. Lauren Baker is known for her painted and embellished sculptural designs.

As part of St John’s Square pop-up factory, The Goldsmiths’ Centre will offer an area of interactive jewellery-making and silversmithing, run by the centre’s students and residents. Moreover, over 20 local bars and restaurants in Clerkenwell will offer special menus and complimentary offers to the visitors during the festival.

Clerkenwell and its creative community have earned a reputation for remaining at the centre of debate, pioneering activities and forward-thinking. Conversations at Clerkenwell boasts a range of high-profile talks staged at The Design Factory, delivering world-class content right at the heart of the festival.

The 2014 programme will address key issues for London’s architecture and design industry. The programme will include talks and insights from leading architects and designers – from Ron Arad and Arik Levy, to The Campana Brothers, and Sir Peter Cook.

In partnership with the Design Museum to celebrate its 25th anniversary, Clerkenwell Design Week will invite influential figures including Patricia Urquiola and Rolf Fehlbaum to host a special talk entitled DM25. The seminar will explore the developing trends, while reflecting on the direction design will take in the next 25 years.