Much has been said and written about design festivals having to bow to economic restraints and corporate rule. This year, independent collectives across London got together to shake up the establishment by just doing it themselves, together. I visited two exhibitions that stood out not only for giving space to emerging talent, but for offering a welcome shift from polished showrooms and stark galleries: relaxed, immersive spaces that invited you to hang out, interact and explore. Design Everything began after London designer Lewis Duckworth was quoted £900 per square metre to exhibit at LDF and decided to create his own show. After a guerrilla exhibition from the back of a van in 2025 (which I sadly missed), the collective took over Aram's basement this year, with a free open-call show featuring more than 100 designers. I went, saw, and stayed for a full two hours. Design Everything at Aram Gallery. Photo by Anki Delfmann With Limitations explored the realities of emerging designers in London. More than 100 pieces filled a fictional designer's flat, making it feel like stepping into someone's home, with each work revealing the limitations that shaped it. Even better, many of the designers behind the work were actually there, some of them making things. Polly Jennings demonstrating how she makes slip casts at Design Everything. Photo by Anki Delfmann Polly Jennings was in the kitchen making slip casts, which normally require a plaster mould. With the limitation of cost and time (her design practice is her 5-to-9), she has developed a process using a net made from greyboard, which is peeled and thrown away once the cast has formed. The constraints dictate an angular shape, in no way less appealing than a classic curved form. And the process was a pleasure to watch: quicker, more sustainable and more accessible. Polly Jennings demonstrating how she makes slip casts at Design Everything. Photo by Anki Delfmann Folded Carafe and Glasses by Polly Jennings at Design

← Back to Designed News