New Designers announces keynote speakers and graduate highlights for its 40th edition (Week 1: 2 – 5 July 2025 | Week 2: 9 – 12 July 2025)

^{Top image: Dame Zandra Rhodes (Photo: Simon Emmett)}

Returning to London’s Business Design Centre across two weeks (2 – 5 July and 9 – 12 July), New Designers 2025 marks four decades of championing emerging talent – secure your tickets now. To celebrate this milestone, Dame Zandra Rhodes and Morag Myerscough will each open a week of the event with keynote speeches, inspiring the next generation of creatives with their visionary work and bold design philosophies.

The ND Awards preview evenings, a signature feature of the show, take place on 2 and 9 July, recognising outstanding graduate work across disciplines ranging from fashion and textiles to animation and industrial design. Over 30 prizes will be awarded each week, supported by esteemed sponsors including John Lewis, Habitat, Hallmark, The Conran Shop, Laura Ashley, Kenwood, Joseph Joseph, Romo, Sanderson Design, Cole & Son, PriestmanGoode, Seymourpowell, Hannah Martin, Dinny Hall, and Tom Faulkner.

On 2 July, Rhodes will share insights from her trailblazing career, celebrating individuality and fearless self-expression in fashion. On 9 July, Myerscough, known for her vibrant, community-focused installations, will offer an uplifting perspective on design’s ability to transform public spaces and connect people through colour and pattern. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from two of the UK’s most inspiring creatives – book your tickets now. ​ Design industry professionals attend free with a trade pass – register by 25 June.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS

The 2025 edition brings together 2,500 design graduates from over 100 university courses, covering the following fields across two weeks:

New Designers provides a platform for emerging talent to debut their academic and creative journeys while offering industry professionals a glimpse into the future of design. Among the wealth of original ideas on display, several compelling themes emerge in the graduates’ final-year projects – from user-focused innovation to initiatives aimed at improving mental wellbeing, exploring gender and personal identity, and addressing environmental impact.

Tackling everyday challenges

Four standout graduates from the University of Sussex’s BA Product Design course tackle real-world issues through thoughtful design. Louis Pilkington’s IBEX targets hand and forearm sports injuries with a modular, eco-conscious recovery tool. Mimicking massage with rolling steel balls, it incorporates both heating and cooling functions to aid tissue repair. Meanwhile, Iona Tait’s Clarity empowers outdoor swimmers with a rapid, user-friendly water testing kit that detects harmful bacteria – housed in modular components made from recovered plastic.

Their peers offer equally innovative approaches: Max Walton’s Fervere simplifies fermentation for beginners with a smart monitor that reduces food waste and encourages mindful food-making. Christopher El-Nahhas’ Ostopack streamlines workflow for stoma nurses via a purpose-built medical kit that supports quality care and reduces workplace stress. Together, these Sussex graduates demonstrate how product design can deliver tangible change across a wide range of industries.

Veronika Russakova, a BA Graphic Design student at Nottingham Trent University, takes on a different approach with Knit – a campaign addressing fuel poverty in the UK through creative activism. By promoting knitting as a means of support and engagement, the project encourages younger generations to craft and donate handmade items to those in need. Centred around a biodegradable, natural yarn blanket as a symbol of warmth and solidarity, Knit champions mindful, sustainable making over mass production, turning a traditional craft into a powerful tool for social change.

Design for emotional wellbeing

Several graduates spotlight design’s ability to support mental health. Connie Slater (BA Design, Arts University Bournemouth) presents Messy Minds, a colourful deck of cards created to help women and non-binary people with ADHD express themselves through reflective prompts and bold visuals. From Nottingham Trent University, Phoebe Mohan (BA Graphic Design) offers Mind Resets, a mindfulness card game based on cognitive behavioural therapy. Featuring a puzzle-like structure and upbeat design, it guides Gen-Z users in reframing negative thoughts into constructive insight. Similarly, Nataliya Green, a BA Graphics and Illustration student at Cambridge School of Visual and Performing Arts, has developed 3 Playing Cards – a series of illustrations aimed at encouraging young people to engage in daily physical activity as a foundation for both mental and physical resilience, especially during challenging times.

Other graduates take a more introspective route. Jacquie Follett (BA Contemporary Design Crafts, University of Hertfordshire) creates porcelain sculptures resembling diary pages folded into fragile house-like forms. Her deeply personal work reflects the delicate balance between vulnerability and stability while living with a serious illness. As part of the ND Selects Week 1 showcase, jewellery designer Xuan Xu unveils Instruments of Light – interactive pieces that harness illumination to encourage calm and self-soothing practices.

Exploring identity and representation

A strong current of identity, inclusion and self-expression runs through this year’s New Designers. Alyssa Mahabir (BA Design, Arts University Bournemouth) presents Being, a blind-box figurine collection celebrating transgender and gender-diverse individuals. Astrid Davis, a BA Product Design and Craft graduate from Manchester School of Art, reimagines medieval armour into wearable forms – offering protection and strength to the transfeminine body through collaboration and narrative.

Dayna Morck (BA Textiles and Fashion Textiles, London Metropolitan University) explores themes of feminine chaos in Femme Noir Shadow Print – a dramatic womenswear line inspired by her own narrative around queerness, desire and darkness. Her designs use shadow imagery and sculptural forms to investigate fashion as both performance and emotional release. On the same course, Lucina Carlos shares The Afro Combs Chronicles, a powerful tribute to the cultural and historical significance of Afro combs in Black beauty and identity. Tracing their lineage over 5,500 years, she recontextualises these objects as enduring icons of heritage and pride.

Other standout projects include Megan Colvan’s SheRise Collection (BDes Jewellery and Metal Design, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design), which tackles the high dropout rate of girls in sport through bold, wearable designs inspired by women’s football and her own experience as a player. Fellow graduate Innes Gourlay-Noor (BDes Textile Design, DJCAD) reflects on her dual Scottish and Malaysian heritage in a screen-printed textile series. Her work interlaces personal history and cross-cultural storytelling, inviting dialogue around belonging and tradition. Meanwhile, Amber Humphreys, a BA Illustration student at UWE Bristol, will bring to the show a collection exploring how language influences identity. Drawing from personal experiences, each piece is inspired by words, names and the emotions they evoke.

Sustainable futures

Environmental responsibility continues to shape the next generation of designers. Megan Ginn (BA Fashion Design, Birmingham City University) fuses traditional Irish Aran knitwear with an algae-based biomaterial developed by herself. Reheatable and reshapable, it enables garments to adapt over time – blending cultural heritage with forward-thinking adaptability.

Maddie Sturmey (BA Product, Furniture and Ceramics, University of Staffordshire) has crafted a furniture collection titled Cwtch, designed to evoke warmth and comfort through the use of reclaimed oak and Welsh wool. Her minimalist design celebrates raw, honest materials while cultivating a sense of home. Fellow graduate Grace Mansell integrates ethical sourcing and narrative into her elegant furnishings, utilising traceable surplus leather from the Scottish Leather Group. Her pieces aim to marry emotional resonance with ecological awareness.

Also pushing material innovation is Shinjae Kim, featured in Week 2 of ND Selects. His RevivaLamp repurposes discarded duct pipes and polyurethane into soft, customisable lighting. As a multidisciplinary designer, Kim focuses on transforming industrial waste into functional, artistic pieces.

New Designers (newdesigners.com) runs from 2 – 5 July 2025 (Week 1) and 9 – 12 July 2025 (Week 2) at the Business Design Centre, London, N1 0QH. Click HERE to register for tickets and HERE for opening times.
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For the latest news, follow New Designers on: Instagram @NewDesigners; X @NewDesigners; Facebook @NewDesignersEvent; LinkedIn new-designers
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PRESS CONTACT
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For press information and images, or to request interviews, please contact Belinda Fisher and Jeffrey Cheung at Friends & Co: belinda@friendsandco.co.uk and jeffrey@friendsandco.co.uk

Press previews:
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Week 1: 2 July from 12pm | Week 2: 9 July from 12pm
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Click HERE to register for press passes.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
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Ticket prices:
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About New Designers:
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​New Designers is an annual showcase of the UK’s most innovative emerging design talent. Since its inception 40 years ago, New Designers has provided a platform for over 3,000 graduates to present their visionary ideas to industry professionals and the public every year. The event takes place over two weeks, with different disciplines highlighted in Week 1 and Week 2, spanning fashion, textiles, furniture, product design, illustration, and more. With a focus on creativity, innovation, and sustainability, New Designers is a must-attend event for anyone interested in the future of design. Whether you’re a design enthusiast, a student, or a professional in the industry, there’s something for everyone at New Designers.
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