We’ve been getting organised at bwd and have created a yearly events calendar so we don’t miss any of the creative shows around the UK and overseas.

You’ll remember we went to May Design Series and Clerkenwell last month, well last week we were in London at New Designers.  We debated whether or not we should go as the show has more of a creative arts and fashion bias but as they say ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’.  We’re glad we did as we saw some talented designers of the future. New Designers took place at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London.  Doors opened on 25th June for VIP and Press visitors only. Having booked the train we then realised that we ought to have booked to go Thursday as Wednesday was really a pre-launch and VIP/Press day.  We managed to get last minute VIP tickets and off we went. Sponsored by Absolut Vodka, the event is a showcase for Contemporary Applied Arts and includes Textiles, Fashion, Accessories as well as Ceramics, Glass and Precious Metalwork.  It was great walking around the ground floor fashion and textiles area seeing the latest creative directions for fabrics.  We have told you before that fashion trends lead interior trends.  Well you can expect to see a lot of ‘over the top’ flora and fauna pattern, texture and bold colours hitting the high street.

Upstairs we really loved the glass and ceramics and have showcased some of our favourites.  We thought the students work was super creative and loved Rosie Andrzejak’s printed caravan which was in the entrance of the BDC.  Emma Vaughan’s fret cut wooden hanging screens were stunning and we can see commercial applications for these.  We were really impressed by Sian Gulliver’s wrought iron lettering and the way it is designed to create a shadow when installed.    We didn’t manage to get a picture of Skye Gwillim’s 3D fabric (too many people around it) but it was really interesting and worth checking out her website www.skyegwillim.com

Overall, we were really impressed by the quality and the commercial viability of the student pieces.  Not a show we had really planned to go and see but definitely glad we made the effort.  We even managed to fit in a bit of shopping too – check out the fun fixtures we spotted in Selfridges.