Textile designer goes global with award win

Thursday 29 November 2018
Fourth-year textile design student Lucy Polson has ended her year on an international high by winning the top prize in a global textile design competition.
Textile designer goes global with award win - image1


Fourth-year textile design student Lucy Polson has ended her year on an international high by winning the top prize in a global textile design competition.

The 22-year-old School of Design student at Massey University’s College of Creative Arts saw off entries from countries including the UK, Pakistan, United States, South Africa and Sri Lanka to win the 2018 Society of Dyers and Colourists International Design Competition worth GBP 1000 (NZ $1895).

Described as the Society’s flagship competition, it engages with hundreds of students, universities and designers globally on an annual basis. The competition helps the entrants develop their understanding of colour and challenges with sustainability in the textile design supply chain.

This year’s competition theme was colour communication. Lucy, who is originally from Geraldine, was presented with her award plus the Veronica Bell Trophy at a function in London this week. Her travel and accommodation were provided by the Society of Dyers and Colourists.

Textile design lecturer Associate Professor Sandra Heffernan says it was particularly pleasing that Lucy’s entry focused on sustainable dye and ways of manipulating colour – a technique promoted by the College through its sustainable coloration paper, one of a suite of textile papers that inform students of innovative ways to address issues of over-consumption and environmental damage.

Textile design programme coordinator (majors) Dr Faith Kane says Massey’s textile design course leads the way in material-driven innovation. Throughout the programme, students use print, weave, knit, dye and embroidery as well as digital fabrication technology to design and make textiles. They also work with emergent smart and electronic textiles, biomaterials and alternative material surfaces and structures.