It’s summer, it’s been hot, we’ve got through yet another Glastonbury, and now we’re celebrating 28 fabulous makers who have either newly joined Design-Nation or advanced to the Professional membership tier. In total we have 16 new Professionals, 4 new Graduates and 8 new Associates. Welcome one and all – we can’t wait work with you!
We often introduce new members by category, based on materials & process. But in this cohort we have two talents who defy categorisation: Rosa Harradine who is a passionate advocate for and skilful exponent of the ancient craft of broom and brush making; and Associate Jay Rubinstein whose playful mobiles are inspired by nature.
We love a bit of artfully made glass at Design-Nation and so we’re thrilled to have these talents in the portfolio: master of pâte de verre Caroline Reed, DN alumni Elin Isaksson whose Scanadavian childhood plays into her handblown forms, and Associates Elizabeth Welch (lampwork) and Manuela Kagerbauer (kilnforming).
Five impressive jewellers join us. New Professionals are Kinga Olah with body-aware sculptural forms; Bello Creations, the brand of Tayo Bello, who makes bold minimalist forms; and Rowena Park who expertly blends colourful layered acrylics with gold leaf. Graduate Estelle Burton is reimagining endangered industrial craft spaces, and Associate Heather Rajaratnam fuses traditional wax techniques with contemporary CAD.
Design-Nation has always been known for great textile talents. This cohort is no exception. We have four new Professionals: nature-inspired silk fusion embroiderer Denise Coupland (moving up from Graduate); award-winning Samantha Boot who incorporates her own written narratives into her artworks and has moved up from Associate, Tangent Accessories which is the beautiful knitwear brand of Zoe Miller, and stitch artist Lucy J Newman whose extraordinary floral studies are reflections of her rare medical condition.
Other textile talents are Anyform Studio, the brand of Yiling Wu who Graduated with a Masters in Fashion Business from UCA in 2024, and four Associates: Jan Sherwood in Winchetser who has a wealth of experience as a print designer, teacher and artist; Jessica Grady, a mixed media artist from West Yorkshire with a Pop Art aesthetic; Lila-Rose Upcycle, a new brand by Jade Holt in Kent; and the silk scarves of Jade Meridian, created by Julie Scott in Surrey.
