New Designers July 2026
In July 2026, the Warner Textile Archive team attended New Designers at the Business Design Centre in London, one of the UK’s leading showcases of emerging talent. Bringing together more than 2,500 graduates from over 100 higher and further education courses, the event celebrates the next generation of designers across disciplines including fashion, textiles, furniture, product design, illustration, animation, jewellery, contemporary craft and digital design.
This year’s exhibition was particularly impressive in both its scale and diversity, with an extraordinary range of creative approaches, materials and techniques on display. As a textile archive, we were especially drawn to the wide variety of textile work presented by graduating students. From woven and printed fabrics to embroidery, surface pattern and material innovation, the exhibition showcased the creativity, technical skill, sustainability and originality of emerging designers.
New Designers July 2026 at the Business Design Centre in London
For the Archive team, New Designers provides an invaluable opportunity to see new work and engage directly with up-and-coming designers. Meeting students and recent graduates allows us to learn more about innovative methods shaping contemporary design practice, while sharing information about the Warner Textile Archive and our collection.
New Designers also offers an important platform for developing future relationships. Throughout the exhibition, we spoke with students interested in placements and work experience opportunities, as well as course leaders and university representatives keen to explore potential collaborations and work with us on our live brief programme.
Browse our gallery below to discover some of our favourite designers and projects from New Designers 2026, and follow the links to learn more about the talented graduates and their work:
Alice Bentley
Norwich University of the Arts
@alicebentley_textiledesign
alicebentley.textiledesign@gmail.com
Lola Bate
Loughborough University
@lolabatetextiles
Sarah Davies
University of Wales Trinity Saint David
@thesixthhousedesigns
thesixthhousedesigns.com
Nell Burgess
Glasgow School of Art
@nellspracticing
Jessica Parker
Norwich University of the Arts
@jessparker.textiles
jessica.a.parker23@gmail.com
Lara Gembarska
Birmingham City University
@larag.textiles