Notable designers Tom Dixon, Ilsa Crawford, and others championed rising stars At this year?s winter edition of Maison & Objet, the biannual design trade fair in Paris, a cadre of six young British designers had the chance to strut their stuff, thanks to the patronage of Sir John Sorrell, founder of the London Design Festival.
Sorrell asked six of England?s most famous creators?Tom Dixon, Paul Smith, Ilsa Crawford, Ross Lovegrove, Jay Osgerby and Nigel Coates?to select a person whose work they thought was outstanding for his newly created Rising Talents Award U.K.
Dixon, for example, championed young sculptor Zuza Mengham for the program. ?Her work leaps off the page,? he says, explaining his choice. ?And she doesn?t come from the design world,? a fact especially appealing to Dixon, who also doesn?t have a conventional design resume: He started as a colorist for animated films.
Jonathan Middleton
The eccentrically named ZMCLRBASTRT16 by Zuza Mengham was one of several resin works by the young British designer, whom Tom Dixon picked to exhibit her work as part of this year?s Rising Talents Award U.K. showcase.

Jonathan Middleton
Camber by Zuza Mengham.

This exhibition marked Mengham?s introduction to the world of international fairs. ?It?s exciting to be pushed to different areas,? she enthuses, clearly thrilled to have her work on view for such a large audience.
Mengham graduated from Wimbledon College of Art...