Students from the BA (Hons) Textile Design course at Birmingham City University Interpreted two key trends – ‘Brink’ and ‘Tropic’ and presented them through a range of new design concepts at this year’s May Design Series, held 17-19th May at ExCel, London.

The trends, identified by international industry experts Global Color Research™ , were bought to life over two show stopping room sets featuring textile, ceramic, lighting, wall and floor covering solutions aimed to give future inspiration for designers and interior designers alike.

Shuangyuan Zhang, BA (Hons) Textile Design (Print Textile & Surface Design), saw her geometric textile design used to upholster the s230 flare chaise by mrfdesign. Shuangyuan also won the Global Color award for ‘the best interpretation of the trend for her textile response to the Brink trend.

The Trends project is part of a long term strategic partnership between Birmingham City University, UBM Live, Textura, Global Colour Research™, supported by a range of industry partnerships including Brintons Carpets, mrfdesign, Tiledspace, Interface and HF Contract. It is part of a wider programme of activity for engagement with industry, led by the Arts, Design & Media Faculty and supported by the Enterprise, Innovation & Business Engagement team.