New Designers announce the award winners for best textiles, fashion and accessories 2006

New Designers is delighted to announce the winners of the 2006 awards for best textiles, fashion and accessories at New Designers Part 1 (29 June - 2 July 2006). Judging for Part 1 of the two-week event took place with leading industry figures picking the winners from the 2,000 dynamic graduates whose work is showing at New Designers 06. New Designers, with generous support from leading brands and influential commercial organisations, provides crucial encouragement and support to the graduating designers through its annual awards scheme. The awards include financial prizes, exhibition opportunities, in-kind materials, professional advice and work placements. The UK's leading graduate show has an unrivalled record in identifying the most exciting young contemporary talent. Winning one of the New Designers Awards frequently indicates the start of an illustrious design career. The winners were presented with their awards by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown at the opening of the show on 28 June. In his address he said: 'In today's global economy - where capital and labour are so mobile, where goods and often services too can be produced anywhere - for countries like Britain, it is the power of our creativity, the power of ideas and innovation, of design adding value that will enable us to find our comparative advantage and make the difference between economic success and economic failure, between prosperity and falling behind.' In the New Designers Cloth Clinic Award for Excellence in Laser, Lucy Godfrey was awarded a £1,000 cash prize to recognise design excellence, creativity and workmanship in art, media and design practice. Godfrey created a range of leather accessories, and was recognised for the most innovative use of laser technology.