The Colourist: SDC celebrates inspiring use of colour at New Designers 2026
The Society of Dyers and Colourists (SDC) was proud to once again support New Designers 2026, recognising the outstanding creativity and innovation of the UK’s emerging design talent.
Representing the Society at this year’s event were Historical Collections Officer Shelley Hollingdrake and Marketing and Operations Officer Bethany Lunt, alongside judging panel members SDC President Liz Staughan and the Society’s Northern Region Chairs, Linda Lewis and Linda Hodgson.
While the SDC Colour Award recognises one exceptional project, the Society also presented a series of SDC ‘Loves’ tags to celebrate additional designers whose work particularly stood out to the judging panel. These projects demonstrated imaginative and thoughtful applications of colour, showcasing its power to communicate ideas, evoke emotion and tell compelling stories across a range of disciplines.
Hattie Taviner – University of Brighton
Hattie Taviner received an SDC ‘Loves’ tag for The Secret History of Plants: And the Women Who Found Them, a project that shines a light on the overlooked contributions of women working within botanical science.
Through a collection of functional objects with richly decorative surfaces, Hattie explores the relationship between scientific authority and artistic interpretation. Inspired by hidden histories, the project proposes a more intuitive and inclusive way of understanding the natural world, using colour and pattern to celebrate both botanical discovery and the women behind it.
Florence Barnby – Loughborough University
Florence Barnby was recognised with an SDC ‘Loves’ tag for a bold exploration of colour within sustainable materials.
Her project challenges the long-held perception that biomaterials must appear muted or natural in tone. Instead, Florence embraces saturated colour, translucency, gloss and layered depth to demonstrate the expressive potential of sustainable materials. By reimagining biomaterials as creative mediums in their own right, rather than alternatives to conventional plastics, her work presents a vibrant new perspective on sustainable design.
Hallie Graham – Heriot-Watt University
Hallie Graham received an SDC ‘Loves’ tag for Tales of Wonder, a collection of luxurious silk wall coverings inspired by the magic of the Scottish landscape, folklore and mythology.
Drawing on childhood memories of exploring the Scottish outdoors and hearing mythical stories, Hallie translated themes including kelpies, dramatic landscapes and symbolic foliage into contemporary textile designs. Using a combination of hand-painting and printing techniques, she embraced a process-led approach, allowing dyes to flow organically and influence the final aesthetic. The result is a collection of modern interior fabrics that captures a sense of curiosity, imagination and wonder while reinterpreting traditional stories for contemporary spaces.
Twig Searle – Falmouth University
Twig Searle received an SDC ‘Loves’ tag for a textile collection that thoughtfully reinterprets heritage through contemporary pattern, exploring cloth as a vessel for memory, storytelling and our connection to the natural world.
Rooted in landscape and traditional craft, Twig’s practice combines natural dyeing, hand weaving and storytelling. Beginning with foraged plants, they developed naturally dyed colour palettes shaped by the changing seasons, local soils and a strong sense of place. Traditional weaving techniques, including Welsh tapestry, were combined with network drafting to create contemporary patterns that honour historic textile practices while offering a fresh perspective.
The resulting collection reflects the enduring relationship between colour, landscape and craft, demonstrating how textiles can preserve narratives and foster a deeper connection with the natural environment.
Megan Beattie – Heriot-Watt University
Megan Beattie received an SDC ‘Loves’ tag for Hidden in Plain Sight, a woven interiors collection that raises awareness of the mental health challenges faced within the gamekeeping profession.
Inspired by the loss of her grandfather to suicide, Megan’s deeply personal project brings an often-overlooked conversation into the home through thoughtful textile design. Camouflage-inspired motifs symbolise hidden struggles and concealed wellbeing, while striking neon yarns introduce moments of visibility, encouraging openness and dialogue around mental health.
Through the considered use of colour, pattern and woven structure, Hidden in Plain Sight demonstrates how textiles can communicate powerful social messages while creating meaningful and engaging interior spaces.
Emily Hodgson – Nottingham Trent University
Emily Hodgson received an SDC ‘Loves’ tag for Reverie, a luxury interiors collection that transforms childhood fairytales into sophisticated, immersive interior spaces.
Placing storytelling and character at the heart of her work, Emily created a collection that offers consumers a fantastical escape while drawing on the nostalgia and imagination of classic childhood tales. Balancing hand-drawn techniques with digital design and considered colouration, the collection places a strong emphasis on texture to create rich, layered surfaces.
The result is an enchanting interiors collection that combines traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design, using colour and texture to evoke a sense of wonder and transport the viewer into an imagined world.
Nell Burgess – University of Glasgow
Nell Burgess received an SDC ‘Loves’ tag for a project celebrating the beauty and craftsmanship of traditional natural dyeing techniques.
Working with naturally dyed fibres, including ikat-dyed wool and Uist wool coloured using natural pigments, Nell explored the creative possibilities of resist dyeing and woven ikat processes. Her work demonstrated a thoughtful appreciation for heritage colouration methods, showcasing the richness, depth and individuality that can be achieved through natural dyes.
By combining traditional techniques with a contemporary design approach, Nell’s project highlighted the enduring relevance of natural coloration within modern textile practice and impressed the judging panel with its craftsmanship and use of colour.
The SDC was delighted to celebrate the creativity and inspiring use of colour demonstrated by this year’s New Designers exhibitors. Each SDC ‘Loves’ recipient showcased the power of colour to communicate ideas, tell stories and explore new approaches to textile and material design.
As a Society dedicated to advancing the understanding and application of colour, we are proud to support the next generation of designers and look forward to following their continued creative journeys.