If you want to know where textile design is heading next, New Designers is a good place to start.
Every summer, the exhibition brings together graduating designers from universities across the UK, showcasing fresh ideas, new perspectives, and the next generation of creative talent.
For the AVA team, it’s one of the highlights of the year. We spend our time meeting graduates, exploring portfolios, and hearing the stories behind the work. This year, the standard was exceptional. From innovative materials and beautifully crafted textiles to thoughtful storytelling and commercially aware collections, selecting just ten designers was no easy task. In fact, the quality was so high that we awarded two overall winners!
This year’s exhibition also marked a new chapter for New Designers, bringing both exhibition weeks together into one creative showcase. The result was an inspiring mix of disciplines, ideas and approaches, with sustainability, craftsmanship and material innovation sitting alongside digital experimentation and fresh creative thinking.
What stood out most was the confidence of graduates to develop their own creative voice. Every portfolio felt personal, considered, commercially aware, and distinct.
That’s exactly why we created our Top 10 to Watch.
As a company that works closely with both universities and industry, we’re fortunate to see both sides of the creative journey. We meet talented graduates looking for their first opportunity, while also speaking to businesses searching for the next generation of designers.
Our Top 10 is our way of helping bring those worlds together.
There isn’t a formula for being selected. We look for designers who show something special, whether it’s in their thinking, execution, or simply how they engage with the world. “We’re looking for that spark – sometimes it’s technical excellence, sometimes it’s brave thinking” – Debbie Buchan, Director, AVA CAD/CAM.
Meet the designers
Below, Debbie shares what caught our attention about each of this year’s Top 10 to Watch. Click on each designer’s feature to discover more about their collection, creative process, and ambitions for the future in our full interviews.
Rome Bullman | Falmouth University
“Named as one of only two Overall Top 10 Winners, Rome captivated with a collection that showcased exceptional creativity, storytelling and design excellence. Combining a masterful use of colour with sophisticated pattern development, Rome created a body of work that was both visually captivating and intellectually rich.”
Iris Andrews | Birmingham City University
“Selected as one of two overall Top 10 Winners, her collection was a masterclass in understated design, proving that simplicity and sophistication can be every bit as impactful as the boldest statement pieces. Her Scandi Sommar collection exuded a quiet confidence, brought to life through calming, emotive colour palettes and exquisitely considered pattern design.”
Emily Hodgson | Nottingham Trent University
“It was easy to see why Emily’s work attracted such strong industry recognition. Drawn to magical and enchanting themes, Emily created a collection that felt immersive, emotive and visually captivating. Her maximalist approach was expertly handled, layering colour, texture and pattern to create beautifully detailed designs that invited closer inspection.”
Grace Holden | Heriot-Watt University
“Few designers attracted as much industry recognition during the show as Grace. Woven throughout the collection was a rich and engaging narrative inspired by the language of flowers; she explored themes of friendship, love and hidden messages, creating designs that were not only visually beautiful but emotionally engaging.”
Sarah Davies | University of Wales Trinity Saint David – Swansea College of Art
“[Her] love of traditional processes brings a beautiful softness and depth to her work, while her intuitive approach to colour creates palettes that feel fresh, balanced and full of personality. Every design was thoughtfully considered, showcasing meticulous attention to detail and a refined understanding of pattern and composition.”
Maia McLaren | Glasgow School of Art
“Impossible to overlook, Maia McLaren’s bold and energetic collection immediately captured attention through its fearless use of colour, pattern and texture- -stopping viewers in their tracks. Every piece radiated energy and confidence, showcasing a designer with a strong creative identity and a highly distinctive aesthetic.”
Lily Minor | Norwich University of the Arts
“Full of personality, originality and creative energy, Lily’s collection showcased a designer with a unique visual voice and an exciting future ahead. Bold, impactful and beautifully resolved, her work demonstrated outstanding creative vision alongside strong commercial potential.”
Amy Holmes | Nottingham Trent University
“Every design reflected a genuine emotional connection to place, creating work that felt authentic, calming and beautifully resolved… Her ability to interpret the movement of water, weathered coastal textures and the changing light of the landscape through pattern, colour and textile development demonstrated both technical skill and creative maturity.”
Harriet Letts | Bath Spa University
“A defining feature of Harriet’s work was her distinctive creative voice and fearless approach to colour. Her quirky and unexpected palettes worked harmoniously together, bringing energy, warmth and individuality to every design. The collection balanced artistic expression with commercial potential, demonstrating an impressive ability to adapt her work.”
Ella Blow | Edinburgh College of Art
“A true creative wildcard, Ella challenged convention through an imaginative, thought-provoking and future-focused approach to textile design. Particularly compelling was her sub-collection, Inherited, which drew on the language of floriography to examine historical constructions of femininity. The collection revealed a designer whose ideas extend far beyond the immediate outcome, with an extraordinary breadth of creative thinking and future potential.”
One to watch is just the beginning
New Designers gives graduates an opportunity to put their work in front of the industry, but what happens next is perhaps even more exciting. These ten designers are at the very beginning of their creative careers, and we’re looking forward to seeing where their ideas, talent and individual perspectives take them next.
Our Top 10 to Watch is about giving emerging designers a platform beyond the exhibition itself – sharing their work, their stories and their ambitions with the wider creative industry. We hope you’ll take the time to explore their interviews, follow their work and, most importantly, keep watching what comes next.