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Judging the Future of Design

Leading up to the UK’s Design Futures 2022 competition, textiles expert and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan spoke to one of the judges, designer Phoebe English. A dynamic thinker with a careful, considered approach, Phoebe is on an ever-evolving search to better her practices, making her the perfect judge for this year’s innovation challenge which is focused on design for circularity. Learn more about her advice to designer applicants.

Thursday, June 09, 2022

(Image courtesy of Texintel)

In the lead up to our Design Futures 2022 application deadline, we sat down with renowned sustainable womenswear designer, Phoebe English, to talk about her circular design practice and what she’s looking for in this year’s applications.

“I’m hoping to see something that we haven’t come across or thought of before,” Phoebe English, founder of her eponymous label and Design Futures judge, says of this year’s Fashion District challenge. “The current systems that fashion operates within don’t align with the future of the planet. So I’m excited to see creative new visions of alternative systems and approaches we can be approaching and working towards.”


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About Debbie McKeegan

Debbie McKeegan is the CEO of TexIntel. As a multi-disciplinary creative and renowned digital print pioneer, she holds over 25 years’ experience within the Textile manufacturing industry. An award winning Textile designer, and lifetime manufacturer of printed products for Fashion and Interiors, she has a unique insight that combines creativity with a deep knowledge of traditional manufacturing process and the essential application of disruptive digital technologies.

TexIntel is an Expert Resource that provides independent, authoritative, realtime advice to some of the most innovative creatives and emerging companies in the Home Decor, Fashion, Manufacturing, Digital Print, and Textile Technology Industries. https://www.texintel.com

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How does a fashion brand founded in 1951 leverage its legacy  as a springboard for growth, innovation, and responsible production, without ever diluting what makes it? This great story, compliments of textiles expert and WhatTheyThink contributor Debbie McKeegan, is worth a read! Read More

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