Graduating Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) student Ruby Bowditch has been awarded this year’s prestigious Robin and Lucienne Day Foundation Textiles Prize for her outstanding graduate collection, Form and Foliage.
The annual prize was judged by Mary V. Mullin, Honorary Life Trustee of the Foundation, who returned to recognise the next generation of design talent.
Ruby’s collection, Form and Foliage, is a bold print and hard-surface design concept to transform uninspiring commercial interiors such as communal offices, lobbies, and outdoor terraces, into vibrant, wellbeing-focused spaces. Inspired by biophilic design, the collection merges the sharp geometric lines of brutalist architecture with flowing, detailed illustrations of plants and greenery.
Ruby’s collection showcases a diverse range of innovative techniques and finishes suitable for interior application, including screen printing with varied pigments, laser cutting, etching, UV-printed tiles, digital print, and traditional Irish embroidery applied across wallpapers, wood panels, and fabrics.
“I am very honoured to have been awarded the Robin and Lucienne Day Foundation prize for my graduate textile collection," says Ruby. "Having my work recognised for this is so encouraging at the start of my career as a designer and I look forward to seeing where it will take me. This was a great opportunity and a positive and rewarding experience."
Alongside Ruby’s winning collection, judges also highly commended the work of graduating peers Madeline Dearlove and Sophie Laird.
The Robin and Lucienne Day Foundation’s dedication to education and the advancement of design for public benefit is reflected in the forward-thinking, sustainable approach demonstrated by this year's graduates.
Mary comments, “It’s heartening and encouraging to meet creative, talented and imaginative students and, especially, their dedicated tutors.
“The Foundation awards the work of young designers which demonstrates an awareness of social and environmental responsibility and shows signs of innovative thinking. Lucienne Day said, ‘I have always been progressive’ and it is a great pleasure and privilege to see such attitudes fostered in AUB.”
The award will receive a special mention at the upcoming AUB Graduation ceremony. Ruby was also selected to showcase her work at both Graduate Fashion Week 2026 and New Designers 2026.
