Design highlights

The Barbican’s Dirty Looks exhibition interrogates how dirt has been used in fashion as both a symbol of rebellion and a rumination on the inevitability of decay.

Fresh from releasing his new book Could, Should, Might, Don’t, futures designer Nick Foster attends his Crit to discuss the limitations in our thinking about what is coming next.

Livia Lauber’s catalogue of design goes on display at Tenderbooks, illuminated by new, print-inspired lighting.

Yinka Ilori creates a new entry point to Milton Keynes, on an installation that argues for the affective and social power of colour and pattern.

Edith van Berkel’s new collection of rugs for Maharam is rooted in traditional Nepalese textile production techniques, including weaving with nettle fibres.

Morag Myerscough and Tracey Neuls discuss colour and sustainability in aid of their collaboration on the DOT Morag trainer.

Lise Vester joins The Crit to discuss designing for hospice patients, drawing inspiration from CBT therapy, and creating lamps that evoke science fiction and fantasy.

Amélie Pichard and Maison&Objet’s up-and-coming studios meet the realities of modern life with multifunctional pieces, objects that evoke the natural world, and designs which balance technology with handcraft. 

Louise Bennetts blurs the past and present in designs that translate urban fabric into textile.

Disegno’s London Design Festival 2025 round up includes insertable objects, car boot sales, camping tents, decomposing packaging and much more. 

Studiomama’s new collection with Point Two Five uses perspectival sleights of hand to create jewellery imbued with humour and romance.

Benjamin Hubert, the founder of Layer design studio, joins The Crit to discuss moving away from personality-driven design, creating objects for pets, and his desire to do pro bono design work.

Dulwich Picture Gallery’s new ArtPlay pavilion, designed by Carmody Groarke and HoLD collective, creates spaces for rest and play inspired by the gallery’s architecture and collections.

A list of Disegno’s talks, launches and parties during the 2025 London Design Festival!

This year, half of the studios honoured in the September 2025 edition of Masion&Objet’s Rising Talents Awards are duos, a move which reflects the fair’s emphasis on collaboration and experimentation.

Tomoko Azumi, the founder of TNA Design Studio, joins The Crit to discuss the importance of sensitivity in design.

The Textiles Circularity Centre have developed a new method of repairing clothes using 3D printed bacterial cellulose, a material made out of textile waste.

How might we design for greater human happiness? The 2025 edition of Helsinki Design Week explores the potential for designing for joy and connection in an exhibition curated by Anniina Koivu.

In Disegno #38, Oli Stratford tries out Industrial Facility’s Powerbox, a portable battery for Herman Miller which enables nomadic working.

Dartmouth College’s new flexible performance venue The Warehouse is designed to enable everything from club nights to intimate listening parties.

Jun Rhee’s new Jollof rice bowl for Michelin-starred restaurant Akoko demonstrates his belief that ceramics should be used rather than displayed.

Jo Barnard, the founder of design agency Morrama and cofounder of climate-focused not-for-profit Design Declares, joins The Crit to discuss moving away from human-centred design.

Amélie Pichard, artistic director for Maison&Objet, shares her vision for a fair that embraces the “multi-form, multi-medium” vision of contemporary design.

Fresh after launching a new phone and headphones last week, Adam Bates, design director of Nothing, joins The Crit to talk through the challenges of designing for consumer electronics.

Daniyar Uderbekov’s 10 Nodes Chair combines felt, a traditional material used to make Kazakh yurts, with a frame made of plastic waste.

The Wellcome Collection’s new exhibition explores the relationship between freshwater, climate change, and territory, and delves into the design of ancient water management systems.

Paul Cocksedge joins The Crit to discuss the importance of developing relationships with manufacturing communities and the challenges of financing an art and design practice.

Architecture and design collective playbody hosts the first ever live event at V&A Storehouse, inviting visitors to spin on roundabouts and hold DJ equipment on their backs in order to encourage trust and participation.

Nipa Doshi of Doshi Levien joins The Crit to discuss the importance of selectivity in clients, plurality in approaches and aesthetics, and the joy of sketching.

Wang & Söderström’s new exhibition reflects on the potential for technology to be designed to enrich sensory perception.