In a city where fast fashion reigns and Shoreditch style regularly turns heads, New Landscapes dares to slow things down. This groundbreaking exhibition, hosted at the British Council East Bank from 11 September 2025 to 30 January 2026, is not just another pretty showcase of sustainable fashion, fabrics and frocks. It’s a smart, science-backed rethink of what fashion and textiles can (and should) be in a climate-conscious world. And it’s landing just in time to shake up this year’s London Design Festival.
As always, Shoreditch’s influence on fashion and sustainability looms large, but New Landscapes expands that vision globally. Featuring innovators from India to Nigeria, this cross-cultural collaboration merges ancestral craft with futuristic tech. It’s less about trends and more about transformation.
Rethinking Materials: From Bio-Sequins to Microbial Colour
Yes, you read that right — bio-derived sequins. The New Landscapes exhibition isn’t messing around. One standout project, Bequin, replaces plastic sparkle with bioplastic shimmer. Developed by India’s Botto Labs, London’s The Stitch Archive, and Vashistha Luxury Fashion, these sequins have already graced the runway for global brand GANNI.
Another showstopper: Climate Positive Microbial Colours. Imagine natural dyes made from microbes, not petrochemicals. This India–UK team, including Post Carbon Lab in London and dye pioneers Color Ashram, proves that science and sustainability can co-exist — beautifully.
Ancient Techniques, Future Tech: Traceability and Transparency
Forget vague “eco” labels. One of the exhibition’s most ambitious projects, the Desi-Oon Wool Traceability Framework, maps India’s indigenous wool supply chain with the precision of a digital detective. Created in partnership with Centre for Pastoralism, UK-based Here We Are, and ethical brand Where Does It Come From?, it’s proof that ethical production is about knowledge, not just intent.
This is sustainability done right: with data, integrity, and stunning craftsmanship.
International Voices, Local Impact
The New Landscapes exhibition brings together 42 SMEs across the UK, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and more — all funded and guided by the British Council in partnership with UAL’s Fashion, Textiles and Technology Institute (FTTI). It’s an ecosystem of creativity with mentorship from textile chemists, sustainability researchers, and design engineers.
The results? Prototypes, processes, and platforms that speak louder than hashtags.
If you’ve ever wondered what real transnational creative collaboration looks like, this is your chance to see it — literally. Think infographics, immersive documentation, material samples, and garments that tell stories of labour, land, and legacy.
Where Research Meets Radical Design
Set within the British Council HQ at East Bank, Stratford, the exhibition lands at the intersection of regenerative agriculture, bio-design, material science, and heritage craft. And it’s not just a passive look-and-leave type experience. Expect to engage — mentally, visually, and emotionally.
From knitted cotton with regenerative properties to AI-enhanced textile design tools, these aren’t just fabrications. They’re futures being tested in real time.
London Design Festival Gets an Ethical Upgrade
New Landscapes proudly takes its place on the official London Design Festival programme, and it stands out — even in a city that thrives on innovation. With a timeline stretching into January 2026, it has the rare luxury of time, inviting repeat visits and deeper dialogue.
It’s not just another show. It’s a research archive. A blueprint for ethical industry. A dare to do better.
And if you’re already planning your London Design Festival highlights, this is the one to put in bold.
Shoreditch Roots, Global Reach
While hosted in Stratford, the spirit of New Landscapes would be right at home in Shoreditch — where the creative community constantly challenges norms and champions inclusivity. From gender-fluid collections to design-for-repair workshops, Shoreditch’s fashion-forward thinking has long embraced the kind of experimentation this exhibition celebrates.
In fact, the partnerships featured echo the very ethos of East London: collaborative, conscious, and just a little rebellious.
A Call to Thoughtful Creativity
As UAL FTTI’s Sally Denton puts it, “New Landscapes has provided UK innovators unprecedented access to research, networks and global collaboration.” That access has paid off.
British Council Director of Design Sevra Davis calls the programme “a creative response to finite resources and environmental crises.” And Alison Barrett MBE, British Council Country Director for India, says it best: “This is a powerful reflection of UK–India creative strength — and a shared commitment to a better fashion future.”
This isn’t about guilt-tripping the fast fashion crowd. It’s about inspiration, science, and possibility. The fashion world needs a rethink — and this might just be its blueprint.
Don’t Just Wear It. Understand It.
Whether you’re a designer, consumer, tech head, or just someone tired of synthetic fibres and synthetic values, New Landscapes will give you something to chew on. Real progress starts with conversations, and this exhibition offers plenty of material for the next one.
So go. Take notes. Ask questions. Leave with a deeper respect for the people and processes behind what you wear.
And if you’re already in the mood for more innovation, don’t miss our recent feature on the Design London Shoreditch programme — running at the same time.
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New Landscapes
📍 British Council East Bank, Stratford
🗓 11 September 2025 – 30 January 2026
🎟 Free Entry
🔗 Part of the official London Design Festival 2025 programme