New Designers Graham and Brown Award

Prize:
£1500

The judges selected Melissa because of her work’s ‘strong commercial awareness and understanding of contemporary pattern, composition, colour and finish’. Graham & Brown were so impressed with Melissa’s designs that they have actually commissioned two of her pieces to be commercially printed immediately.

Melissa’s award hasn’t changed her future plans – merely confirmed that she will go on to apply for an in-house designer role, hopefully with Graham & Brown themselves – she said ‘they are a company that I would aspire to work for – and that’s the truth!’ Her inspiration comes from her heritage which stems from her half-Chinese, half-Italian origins. The project she won the award for is inspired by China and her personal appreciation of Japanese art.