Falmouth Textile Design students featured in New Designers preview
29 April 2026
Two final year BA(Hons) Textile Design students have been featured in a sustainability preview by New Designers (ND), one of the UK’s leading creative graduate showcases.
Twig Searle and Molly White caught the attention of ND and are featured in Designing for Earth, an article introducing some of this year’s most exciting sustainably minded graduate designers.
Compiled to mark World Earth Day and act as a preview for the ND26 showcase in London this summer, the team have spotlighted emerging design talent whose work is rooted in sustainability, environmental awareness and a deep sense of responsibility for the world we inhabit.
The projects which chimed with ND challenge conventions, rethink waste, explore new relationships between design, nature and society, and reflect a wider change taking place within design education – something that is central to Falmouth University’s ethos.
Twig's project
Twig’s project, entitled ‘A Library in Thread’, explores the interpretation of folktales through handwoven textiles, using cloth as a way of holding and passing down stories to future generations.
On their inspiration, Twig tells us: “I was inspired by the idea of storytelling as a form of cultural inheritance, and I wanted to translate that into something tactile and lasting. My practice is centred around weaving using wool and working with techniques such as Welsh tapestry and double cloth, alongside some network drafting. I also forage a lot of the natural dyes that I use, which help connect the textiles to a specific landscape and sense of place.”
Molly's project
Molly’s project, entitled ‘The Garden of England’, is centred around her home in Kent, which, due to its specific microclimate, is ideal for fruit growing and farming, and has extensive orchards, hop fields and vineyards.
As Molly explains: “In the growing and harvesting process, a lot of wastage occurs due to factors such as rotten fruit, aesthetics and processing. The wastage in the fruit farming industry is becoming an interesting topic in the textiles industry as advancements are made in biomaterials. This project homes in on fruit and veg waste and aims to demonstrate that it’s possible to repurpose this into materials suitable for use within the fashion industry. It’s an exploration of how material innovation and print design can work together.”
Reflecting on their time as students in Falmouth’s Fashion & Textiles Institute (FTI), both Twig and Molly feel their creative identities were supported to flourish. Molly explains: “The FTI is like my second home; the facilities are amazing and the staff are also incredible. I’ve learnt where my passion lies, how to be organised and manage projects and how to present myself professionally, all while existing in a wild, beautiful corner of Cornwall.”
Twig shares: “Studying at Falmouth, and particularly spending time in the FTI, has been incredibly formative for me. I feel that during third year I really came into my own creatively and have really gained confidence in my practice with the help of the tutors. It has given me a much stronger sense of where I’d like my work to go in the future.”
On the verge of graduation, the future looks bright for both Twig and Molly, who have ambitions to work within weave and community cultural outreach, and commercial print design and creative direction, respectively. And as graduates stepping into industry, they bring with them – as celebrated by ND – a fresh perspective and a clear message that thoughtful design can be a catalyst for meaningful change.
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