Textiles students partner with Milliken on a live project to design carpet tile concepts

For the fourth year running Milliken partnered with º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ on a live project brief which required Textiles students to design carpet tiles for a University in London and College in Wigan.

Both briefs asked students to select three areas from within the institutions and design a collection of three carpet tiles, using Milliken’s proprietary Millitron® patterning technology to meet the needs and considerations of the refurbishment project.

Three winners were awarded a cash prize for their designs and had their work on display at the Milliken showroom in Clerkenwell for the London Design Festival.

First place winner, Georgina Bunn was awarded £1000 for her designs.

Talking about the experience, Georgina said that:

“Above all my experience with the Milliken live brief has given me confidence in myself as a designer that I didn't have previously. The chance to design for a commercial purpose and receive feedback from industry professionals was invaluable. I'm extremely grateful to Milliken and º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ for providing the opportunity for me to learn and develop as a young designer. The process was so rewarding but seeing my designs made into carpet tiles was incredibly surreal. I look forward to seeing the work produced by next year's cohort.”

Image: Georgina Bunn

Charlotte Deveraux was awarded second place and a prize of £750 for her designs which were based on Wigan’s rich historical identity with Northern Soul music. While all three of her designs look different, the focus of inspiration that ties them together is movement, specifically dance within a night life culture scene, from the lighting to the typography used on club flyers. Each design encompasses the free expression of the subculture as well as the melodies.

Charlotte explained that:

“º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ’s collaboration with Milliken was a great experience for me to propel my developmental work while bettering my storytelling, through the support of Helen and Kerry, Milliken’s senior designers. From reading Milliken’s brief, this project has given me a lot more insight into how commercial design is highlighting themes of health, well-being and community through Interior spaces.”

Image: Charlotte Deveraux

Mia Broderick was also awarded 3rd place for her designs and received a prize of £500.

Speaking of all the final designs, Senior Lecturer in Textiles at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, Dr Ken Ri Kim commented that:

“They look absolutely stunning, and the standard of work gets better each year”.

Urva Soni, Customer Experience Manager at Milliken said:

“We get such a positive response from the exhibition from industry colleagues visiting us or just passersby curious to learn more”.

Well done to all our students and congratulations to the winners!