Premier Digital Textiles returned to New Designers 2026 for a second year, and the standard of graduate work across digital textile design made the judging harder than ever.
Held at London’s Business Design Centre, the exhibition brought together more than 2,500 graduates from across the UK.
What stood out was how confidently this generation is working with digital print, combining hand-crafted artwork, expressive colour and thoughtful storytelling to produce collections that feel both personal and commercially grounded.
The Vibrancy in Print Award recognises designers who demonstrate originality, exceptional use of colour and a confident understanding of how digital textile printing can elevate creative ideas into finished collections.
This year, six graduates made our shortlist.
Jessica Parker — Vibrancy in Print Award winner
Norwich University of the Arts graduate Jessica Parker took this year’s award for her collection, Treasure the Thoughts.
Inspired by nostalgic memories of 1970s and 1980s interiors, Jessica combined expressive hand-drawn illustration with beautifully layered digital prints to create textiles rich in colour, texture and visual storytelling.
By blending traditional drawing techniques with digital production, she created work that felt deeply personal while demonstrating clear commercial potential.
Jessica receives a £500 cash prize, £500 worth of PrepRITE fabric and print time, together with ongoing mentoring from the Premier Digital Textiles team, and following in the footsteps of last year’s inaugural winner, Beth Lingard.
Commenting on the award, Jessica said: “Feeling incredibly grateful to have won the Vibrancy in Print Award at New Designers. It’s an honour to receive this award, and I’m so excited about working alongside the Premier Digital Textiles team in the future.”
Judge Grainne Brennan of Premier Digital Textiles said: “Jessica’s collection embraced everything we were looking for. Her confident use of colour, hand-drawn artwork and digital print techniques created a collection that was full of personality and real design ambition.”
Five designers to watch
Alongside Jessica, five outstanding graduates were recognised for the quality, imagination and technical skill of their work.
Each brought something distinct to the exhibition and together they reflect the breadth of talent now emerging in digital textile design.
Grace Holden, Heriot-Watt University, Stories in Bloom. A thoughtful collection exploring memory, identity and belonging. Drawing on Victorian floriography and biophilic design, Grace translated emotion into colour and botanical pattern through beautifully layered compositions that demonstrated both imagination and technical confidence.
Eleanor Dixon, The Northern School of Art, A Journey to Tranquility. Combining expressive hand-drawn artwork with fluid watercolour compositions, Eleanor created textile designs full of movement, atmosphere and tonal depth. Her confident balance of abstract layouts and carefully considered repeat patterns particularly stood out.
Lucy Graham, Norwich University of the Arts, Flora in Form. An elegant collection celebrating the relationship between botanical illustration and structured geometry. Lucy’s refined repeat patterns and sensitive use of line and colour demonstrated strong design discipline alongside excellent print awareness.
Robyn Brooke, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Sol De Surf. Inspired by coastal landscapes, Robyn combined vibrant colour palettes, playful patterns and confident digital print techniques to create textiles full of movement and personality.
Millie Wilson, Heriot-Watt University, The Butterfly Trail. An imaginative collection that impressed the judging panel with its considered approach to colour, composition and base fabric selection, resulting in a series of visually balanced designs with real impact.
Looking ahead
Now in its second year, the Vibrancy in Print Award is becoming an established part of the New Designers calendar.
The quality of work across this year’s shortlist made the judging both challenging and genuinely rewarding, and confirmed what we see every day at Premier Digital Textiles: that the future of digital textile design is in confident, creative hands.
Congratulations to Jessica, to our shortlisted designers and to every graduate who exhibited at New Designers 2026.