Kindred at New Designers 2025: Big Fans of Creativity

We are back from another inspiring year at New Designers—and what a milestone to celebrate. 2025 marked the 40th anniversary of the design show, and as always, the Business Design Centre was buzzing with creativity, conversation, and incredible talent from across the UK.

This was our second year attending as judges for our Kindred Collaboration Award, and it was a joy to return—not just to select our winner, but to connect with so many thoughtful, passionate creatives along the way.

As we stepped into the show, we were greeted by an impressive paper sculpture by Nathan Ward, unveiled specially to mark the 40th anniversary. Displayed in the entrance atrium, his delicate, site-specific work was crafted entirely from recycled GF Smith paper, it was a fitting tribute to the tactile, thoughtful approach that runs through so much of the work we saw.

During Week One, the spotlight was on disciplines that include textile design, fashion, ceramics, jewellery and surface pattern. The diversity of approaches, materials, and narratives on display was really exciting (and sometimes quite moving). Whether it was a bold reimagining of a lesser-loved town or a fresh take on sustainable design, the level of ambition and execution was really impressive.

We’re Big Fans!

We know it’s always warm and sunny during the New Designers week, so to keep cool we created our ‘We’re big fans’ paper fans, which we handed out to recognise designers who really caught our eye. Each one was a little love letter to designers with strong creativity, powerful storytelling, and original thinking.

Designers who received a big fan included…

🪭 Ella Felgate

Instagram: @ellafelgatedesign
Birmingham City University

We loved Ella’s fresh take of her home town. Her use of typography, placement and detail really spoke to us. 

🪭 Catherine Liu

Instagram: @catherinekyliu
Edinburgh College of Art

Catherine’s storytelling and rich connection to her heritage really stood her work apart—along with her beautiful hand painted techniques.

🪭 Eva Swann

Instagram: @evaswann_designs
Falmouth University

Eva’s bold, confident and playful designs caught our eye. We loved her creativity in presenting familiar forms in unexpected ways.

🪭 Sian Barratt

Instagram: @sian.indesign
Leeds Arts University

Sian’s work caught our eye from a few stands away. Striking, playful and so contemporary.—we love her confident use of colour and shape.

🪭 Amy Newton

Instagram: @amesnewtondesigns
Birmingham City University

We really loved Amy’s collection. Her illustration and ability to weave narrative through her work was really impressive. Her designs were thoughtfully presented on multiple surfaces, demonstrating a strong understanding of design application. 

Kindred Collaboration Award Winner

Choosing our Kindred Collaboration Award winner wasn’t easy. Our prize offers mentorship, a commissioned Kindred collection, a work placement, and portfolio guidance. 

🏆 Karis Dudley Hands

Instagram: @karisdevontextiles
Bath Spa University

We were absolutely delighted to present our award to Karis Dudley Hands. We were completely charmed by the story behind Karis’s work, the confidence of her illustrations, and playful approach to colour and layout.

At Kindred, we pride ourselves in partnering with artists and designers who share our values of care, creativity, and heart—and Karis captures this perfectly. We look forward to working together on an exciting new collection in the coming months.