The 39th edition of New Designers opened yesterday with its Week One showcase, running until 29 June 2024, at the Business Design Centre in London. This annual event celebrates the best emerging talent in the UK, featuring over 3,000 design graduates from more than 100 university courses.
Week One focuses on various disciplines, including Fashion and Costume, Contemporary Design Crafts, Textiles, Ceramics, Glass, and Jewellery and Precious Metalwork.
The Week One award ceremony, opened by leading London-based artist and designer Simone Brewster, honoured a group of exciting graduates with over 10 accolades supported by international brands and businesses as part of the show’s ND Awards programme.
Kyle Ferguson from Glasgow School of Art won the New Designer of the Year Award, chosen by a panel of industry judges. A BA Silversmithing and Jewellery student, Ferguson showcased his final collection, 'Dormante,' which reflects his lost sense of place as a mixed-race individual from a small Scottish town and Barbados. His pieces incorporate recycled plastic bottles, bronze, silver, 3D-printable resin, wax, real coral and sapphires. He utilises a range of techniques, including virtual 3D modelling, sculpting, casting, traditional handcraft wax processes and stone setting.
Meanwhile, the Runner-Up prize was awarded to Holly Munro, a BA Jewellery and Silversmithing graduate from Edinburgh College of Art. She impressed the judges with her ‘Kerama’ lighting collection, inspired by the Kerama Islands in Japan. Munro's unique pieces are crafted from recycled metal, making them fully recyclable and easily disassembled.
