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Bringing an esteemed panel of judges to Britain’s most important graduate design show, Made.com awards one outstanding candidate, Hugh Leader-Williams from Loughborough University, with the ‘New Designers 2012 Made.com Award for Future Design’. The prize? A contract to produce a collection for Made.com.

Made.com supported the bastion of British talent at the New Designers show by providing a renowned set of judges to grant the ‘Made.com Award for Future Design’. The judges who scoured 2012’s exhibitors were Sir John Sorrell (CEO and Chairman of London Design Festival and Co-Chair of The Sorrell Foundation), James Harrison (designer), Terence Woodgate (designer) and Chloe Macintosh (Made.com’s co-founder and creative director).

Winner by unanimous decision, Hugh Leader-Williams of Loughborough University immediately grabbed their attention for the maturity in concept and execution of his “Spun Furniture” collection:

• A deceptively simple table and chair design, made from spun metal and wood. The use of spun metal requires no tooling, making it easy for large scale production.
• A nifty design requiring no assembly, a huge plus for consumer.
• Easy to disassemble and store away, making it a versatile piece, perfect for places where space is at a premium

Presented the award by Jay Osgerby (one half of Barber Osgerby, the designers for this year’s Olympic torch) Hugh later said, “It feels absolutely amazing. I knew my design had commercial potential but I never imagined it would go this far.” In fact, Made.com wasn’t the only organisation to spot his clear potential – he also picked up 100% Design’s award and the BCFA’s Lugo award.

The New Designers Show celebrates its 27th year in 2012 and continues to offer an unrivalled opportunity for design graduates, senior lecturers, retailer buyers, gallery owners, prospective employers and the design-hungry public to preview cutting edge work. The show thrusts thousands of talented graduates into the limelight, attracting international audiences and acclaimed contractors from around the globe.

Launched in March 2010, Made.com now connects more than 100,000 customers with renowned designers, bringing luxury home design to consumers at accessible prices. In the two years since its launch, the Notting Hill-based brand has collaborated with top artists including Ai Wei Wei, Damien Hirst and the Chapman Brothers as well as designers like John Stefanidis and Steuart Padwick among its growing roster of design partners. The pure-play online furniture retailer, MADE.COM, brings beautiful designs to the public without the high street mark up and gives more designers a chance to share their designs with consumers. If consumers “vote” for them, it gets added to the collection.