Meet the Next Generation of Designers, Australia’s Creative Kids

At Warwick, we know a thing or two about design, after all, we’ve been in the upholstery and drapery game for nearly 60 years. In 2024, as part of our Warwick Trend Release, we turned our focus to a new generation of creatives...Australia’s kids!

In a first for Warwick, we launched Creative Kids, a nationwide design-led competition inviting primary school children to flex their imagination and show us their inner textile designer. The goal? To plant a creative seed early on and show how fun pattern design can be, especially when it is turned into actual furniture.

Textile design isn’t exactly front and centre in the school curriculum, but should it be? It's an intricate, expressive, and layered process that blends art, storytelling, and functionality, and we wanted to crack it wide open for a younger audience who might never have considered how the fabric on their couch came to be.

Schools from all over the country jumped in, and we were blown away by the entries. We saw swirls, textures, stories, local landmarks, bold pattern and lots of food bursting with colour and character. It was proof that creativity is alive and kicking, it just needs a little space to shine.

In a world where colouring has transferred to screens and AI is pushing the boundaries of realism, the art of using your hands, real hands, with real glue, paint, paper and imagination is quietly fading. That’s why this competition meant so much to us, and we know that many of our customers who are manufacturers, designers and artists themselves will understand.

The judges - Andrea Lucena-Orr, Colour & Communications Manager at Dulux Group, Tracey Wright, SA Project Consultant for Workspace and Luciana Wallis, Head of Design at Warwick Fabrics had a tough time deciding on the winners. Each judge brought their unique lens to the table, Tracey perfectly summed up the spirit of the competition

“This competition was such a great initiative to encourage children to think creatively and create a piece of art with hands. There is value in enabling children to think creatively; that they may develop problem-solving skills and explore new ideas. In the winner’s piece of artwork, I loved the courage shown to explore emotion and the consideration of form and colour used to express those.”

Three winners were ultimately chosen, each with a completely different design style. From emotional storytelling through colour, to bold graphic patterns and layered materials, they reminded us that creativity has no age limit, no rulebook, and no boundaries.

Congratulations to Maria from Pascoe Vale Primary School in Victoria who took out first place with her ‘Emotions’ design. Congratulations to Archie from Candelo Public School in NSW with his Lava Collage and Stefan from Concordia Lutheran College in Queensland with his "Gaming" design, who were runners up.

So, here’s to the Creative Kids of the world, the future designers, problem solvers, and fabric visionaries. We can’t wait to see what they dream up next.