Our Fellows at Melbourne Design Week
- Jun 2, 2025
- 2 min read
We had the pleasure to visit a number of our Fellows' exhibitions who had their work displayed as part of Melbourne Design Week (MDW).
With MDW drawing to a close, we reflect on our Fellows' displays that highlighted their pioneering Fellowship research into areas such as sustainable textiles, petrochemical free plastic and applying traditional armoury craftsmanship in contemporary design.
Future Ambition [Craft Victoria]
2023 Mason Family Trust Fellow Daphne Mohajer va Pesaran
As part of Future Ambition at Craft Victoria, Daphne Mohajer va Pesaran's rag paper wallpaper, made from recycled fabric scraps used from the development of MPavillion's uniforms, highlighted rag paper making skills and textile recycling techniques enhanced from her 2023 Mason Family Trust Fellowship to the UK and Greece.
Daphne's work at Future Ambition explores the possibilities of using rag paper in everyday design, promoting circular design practices and inviting the audience to reflect on the positive environmental impacts rag papermaking has on the textile industry.
2023 George Alexander Foundation Fellow Jessie French
Talking about international social and political contrasts noticed during her Fellowship, Jessie highlights one of the main objectives of her work is to continue informing the Australian public of the environmental and human harm we face using petrochemical plastics.
The exhibition showcased the introduction of Other Matter's petrochemical free vinyl as a product available for purchase from the public. With the choice of adhesive or non-adhesive, the vinyl is made from French's patent pending algae-based sustainable material. By positioning her creation at the forefront of the green evolution, French welcomes the public to explore and accept new materials in our world.
Garniture Collection [Oigall Projects]
2022 George Alexander Foundation Fellow Ella Saddington
Experimental designer, 2022 Fellow and now researcher, Ella Saddington, opened her full Garniture Collection under her practice Cordon Salon, as part of Melbourne Design Week.
Ella's collection draws heavily from her Fellowship, with each piece named after a person or place she visited. Her introductory piece is an acknowledgement to The Wallace Museum in London, the first location of her international applied research.
Talking about her Fellowship, Ella remarks "The research behind Garniture involved visiting 23 collections and workshops across the UK, Italy and Denmark. With no fixed outcome in mind, the process began openly, led by material, not model. Cold forming methods were explored to avoid high-energy forging, and to foreground the inherent strength and surface quality of stainless steel. Inspired by the fluid geometries of German and Italian suits, the pieces adopt high-polish finishes that reflect light rather than absorb it."
It was inspiring to see the craftmanship and pre-industrial armoury techniques Ella had so deeply absorbed on her Fellowship be implemented in her collection.
This is such an inspiring showcase of what dedicated research and Fellowship opportunities can produce. Daphne's rag paper wallpaper made from recycled textile scraps and Jessie's petrochemical free vinyl are exactly the kind of innovations that feel genuinely necessary right now. Ella's Garniture Collection also stood out the idea of applying pre-industrial armoury techniques to contemporary design is beautifully unexpected. As a student studying design and the arts, keeping up with coursework while also following events like Melbourne Design Week can be quite demanding. Getting Edexcel Assignment Help has given me the breathing room to properly engage with creative work like this. Truly remarkable Fellows.
This post is a wonderful showcase of what fellowship-backed research can produce when given real creative space. As a design student with a strong interest in sustainable materials, Jessie French's algae-based petrochemical free vinyl and Daphne's rag paper wallpaper from recycled fabric scraps are exactly the kind of innovations we discuss in our sustainability and circular design modules but rarely see presented so tangibly. While writing a research essay on sustainable design practices, I explored model papers through the best essay writing service platforms to understand how to frame material innovation arguments academically. Those structured examples were genuinely useful. Melbourne Design Week clearly provides a brilliant platform for this kind of pioneering applied research.
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What a wonderful showcase of creativity and purpose-driven design! It's truly inspiring to see ISS Institute Fellows like Daphne, Jessie, and Ella bringing their international research to life at Melbourne Design Week. Daphne's rag paper wallpaper made from recycled textile scraps is such a beautiful example of circular design thinking, while Jessie's algae-based petrochemical-free vinyl challenges us to rethink the materials we accept as "normal" in everyday life. And Ella's Garniture Collection — with pieces named after the people and places that shaped her Fellowship journey — is a heartfelt reminder that design is deeply human at its core. What resonates most is how each Fellow translated global learning into tangible, locally meaningful work. This kind of professional development echoes…
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