Arts University Plymouth students sweep prizes in international design competition

<p>Students and graduates from Arts University Plymouth have claimed all three top prizes in a prestigious international design competition run by luxury bedlinen company <a href="https://beaumontbrown.com/">Beaumont &amp; Brown</a>. The winning designs are now set to go into production and be sold worldwide.</p>

<p dir="ltr">The competition invited students from universities across the South West, including Exeter and Falmouth, to design a throw made from recycled cotton. After reviewing entries from across the region, Beaumont &amp; Brown announced that all three prize winners came from Arts University Plymouth.</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><strong>First place</strong>: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/followingthe.piper/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Caitlin Piper</a>, a final-year student on <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-fashion-design">BA (Hons) Fashion Design</a>, was awarded £800, a £200 gift voucher, and the opportunity to see her design produced for international sale.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><strong>Second place</strong>: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chloenutt.interiors/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chloe Nutt</a>, final-year <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-interior-design">BA (Hons) Interior Design &amp; Styling</a> student, was awarded £500 and the opportunity to see her design produced for international sale.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><strong>Third place</strong>: Rowan Hewitt, a first-year student on <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-textile-design">BA (Hons) Textile Design</a>, was awarded £250.</p></li></ul> <p dir="ltr">The winners were announced on campus earlier this year by Beaumont &amp; Brown Director, Robin Beaumont, and Retail Operations Manager, Arabella Lloyd, who praised the exceptionally high quality of submissions.</p> <p dir="ltr">Alongside their prizes, students received luxury pillowcases and the chance to visit Beaumont &amp; Brown’s partner factory to see the throws being made. Chloe and Caitlin have since graduated from their degrees over the summer, with Rowan moving on to the second year of study.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Entrants were challenged to design a repeating pattern suitable for a 160x220cm throw, with at least four repeats, two colourways, and their own choice of edging or binding. The winning designs, produced in the UK from recycled cotton, will now be manufactured and sold by Beaumont &amp; Brown, with winners credited on the company’s social media and website.</p> <p dir="ltr">Beaumont &amp; Brown, founded in 2005 in Totnes, Devon, began as a supplier to five-star hotels and now sells luxury bedding, towels and robes worldwide. Today the company has outlets in the UK, Germany, Spain, Hong Kong and Japan, and supplies over 200,000 hotel bedrooms globally, including The Pig Hotels across the UK and the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town.</p> <p dir="ltr">Beaumont &amp; Brown said they had been "overwhelmed by the number of entries", describing the standard of entries to the competition to be so high that it was difficult to choose an overall winner.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Live briefs and competitions such as this form an integral part of teaching at Arts University Plymouth, where students across the design disciplines, from textiles and fashion to interiors, are encouraged to collaborate and apply their creativity in professional contexts.</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/people/emma-gribble">Emma Gribble</a>, Senior Lecturer &amp; Course Leader for <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-textile-design">BA (Hons) Textile Design</a>, said: “It’s fantastic to see our students’ creativity recognised on an international platform, particularly through a project that celebrates surface pattern and sustainable materials. The collaboration between students in Textiles, Fashion and Interiors reflects the kind of real-world design dialogue we encourage across the university. Competitions like this help our emerging designers turn bold ideas into market-ready products while thinking critically about process, materiality and environmental impact.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/people/cathryn-bishop">Cathryn Bishop</a>, Course Leader for <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-interior-design">BA (Hons) Interior Design &amp; Styling</a> at Arts University Plymouth, said: “This was such an exciting competition for students to be a part of, designing for a luxury retailer, and getting to see their work go into production is an amazing experience. Robin and Arabella from Beaumont &amp; Brown were really inspiring to meet, and it's great to see a local company doing such amazing work nationally, and recognising the need to support local design talent.”</p> <p dir="ltr">This focus on cross-disciplinary design practice continues through Arts University Plymouth’s expanding postgraduate provision, which this year saw the launch of new MA Design pathways in <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/ma-design">Design</a>, <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/ma-design-communication">Communication Design</a>, <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/ma-design-fashion">Fashion</a>, <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/ma-design-textiles">Textiles</a>, and the <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/ma-design-built-environment">Built Environment</a>. These postgraduate programmes build on the University’s heritage in craft and material innovation, supporting graduates to develop sustainable, research-driven creative practices.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Arts University Plymouth is recognised as one of the UK’s leading specialist arts universities. Named <strong>University of the Year for South West England</strong> at the Whatuni Student Choice Awards in both 2024 and 2025, the University has also been the <strong>top-scoring specialist arts university in the UK for student satisfaction</strong> for four consecutive years (2022–2025) in the National Student Survey.</p> <p>Established in 1856 as the Plymouth Drawing School, Arts University Plymouth has evolved into a leading hub for innovation and interdisciplinary learning. With world-class facilities, award-winning teaching, and a community defined by creativity and kindness, the University continues to prepare graduates to make a positive impact through <strong>creative education for a changing world</strong>.</p>