The Furniture Industry Research Association launched details of a new design competition to support new talent to/within the furniture industry.
The 2020 Vision Design Competition will close with finalists being showcased at Clerkenwell Design Week (19th-21st May 2020), and the winners being announced at the event.
The competition is open to designers with less than three years in the furniture industry and all undergraduate students studying on furniture-, design- or architecture-related courses in a UK university. Due to the close connection with Clerkenwell Design Week, the 2020 Vision Design Competition is focused on contract furniture, with the aim of encouraging creativity and invention in reducing the impact of furniture on the world.
Phil Reynolds, COO of the Furniture Industry Research Association, says: “We’re very excited to be launching this new design competition, and it also shows the wider role of the research association. We’re not just here to support those who are established in the industry and who rely on us for knowledge, but we also exist to nurture new talent and give them a solid start to their career.
“In terms of the brief, to reduce our impact on the environment we have to reduce our use of valuable natural resources, transition from a throwaway culture and simply make things last longer. The furniture industry can take a leading role in this, but in order for this to happen we need to see a step-change from both the industry and consumers.
“2020 Vision aims to encourage those new to the industry to use their imagination, knowledge of materials and design to deliver an idea which is remanufactured or remanufacturable. Through showcasing the finalists at Clerkenwell Design Week we’re hoping to inspire others to see what is possible through innovation.”
Prizes include a £5000 fund alongside a trip to Blum’s manufacturing operation in Austria. Furthermore, and depending on the design of the winning entry, Knightsbridge Furniture Productions will help bring the entry to life.
Further details on the design competition are available here.
Pictured: One of the judges, Jay Blades, a furniture upcycler and presenter of the BBC’s Money for Nothing and The Repair Shop
