2026 London Design Medal winners inspire design beyond boundaries

The 2026 edition of the London Design Festival has awarded four designers for their outstanding contributions to London’s creative ecosystem and to the wider global community. The 15-member jury panel, which included LDF director Ben Evans CBE, British artist and stage designer Es Devlin CBE and design critic Alice Rawsthorn OBE. Advocating path-breaking entrepreneurship, multidisciplinary innovation and a deep commitment to design pedagogy and access, the exemplary contributions of the four medal winners are a testament to the role of contemporary design in shaping modern living. “Each medal recipient”, as Evans notes in the official announcement, “exemplifies how creative innovation shapes our culture, industry and shared future.”

Renowned British cultural historian and academic Sir Christopher Frayling has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Medal in recognition of his work in championing design education. Northern Irish creator and curator Jonathan Anderson has won the London Design Medal for his singular contributions to fashion design. The Design Innovation Medal, which celebrates entrepreneurship across forms and localities, has been awarded to designer, futurist and filmmaker Anab Jain, co-founder of London-based experiential futures practice Superflux. Finally, The Emerging Design Medal, presented to an individual whose recent work demonstrates great promise, has been awarded to industrial designer and entrepreneur Solveiga Pakštaitė for her multidisciplinary work in user-centred and sustainable design. The awards ceremony will take place on Monday, September 14, 2026, at RH London, The Gallery in Mayfair.

Anderson studied at the London College of Fashion, where he began to develop his distinctive design aesthetic, which explores contemporary representations of gender. Following his formation, he launched his eponymous label JW Anderson menswear in 2008 before venturing into womenswear as well. In 2013, he was named the creative director of LOEWE, making notable contributions to the Spanish house’s brand dialogue, and is currently the creative director of Christian Dior, where he continues to unite high fashion with his unique curatorial design sensibilities. Beyond his seminal work in fashion, Anderson has also made major contributions to the arts, curating exhibitions at The Hepworth Wakefield and Offer Waterman gallery and founding the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize in 2016, the world’s first international award for contemporary craft. His decorated career has been recognised as both commercially successful and critically acclaimed. In 2015, Anderson became the first designer to win both British Fashion Council Menswear and Womenswear Designer of the Year. He was further appointed to the V&A Board of Trustees in 2019, and was on the TIME100 list of Most Influential People in 2024.

Frayling studied at Churchill College, Cambridge, where he was awarded his PhD. His prolific career includes work as a cultural historian, academic and broadcaster. Notable achievements include his work as Rector of the Royal College of Art, where he strengthened the institution’s links with industry, technology and manufacturing while establishing the pioneering History of Design postgraduate course at the V&A. He has held influential national roles including chairman of England’s Design Council and Arts Council, and remains a long-standing trustee of the V&A. A leading voice in Britain’s creative industries both within and outside of academia, Frayling was knighted in 2000 for his illustrious services to art and design education. In an official release, Frayling expressed that he was ‘bowled over’ by the recognition, saying, “Since 2003, the London Design Festival has been drawing the public's attention to the key importance of design in everyday life. Through my teaching, my publications, my broadcasts—and my leadership of the RCA—I have been on a similar mission for even longer!” 

Born and raised in India, Jain studied filmmaking at the National Institute of Design before moving to London to earn her Master's at the Royal College of Art. In 2009, she co-founded multidisciplinary design studio Superflux with Jon Ardern. The studio’s work in speculative design, experiential futures and ecological thinking has collaborated with organisations including the United Nations, Google DeepMind, Ingka Group and the UK Government, and its artistic works have been exhibited at coveted institutions across the world including the Barbican, MoMA, V&A and La Biennale di Venezia.

A thought leader in design-led foresight and emerging technologies, speaking about the honour, Jain said, “For us, it is recognition that speculative and future-led design is inherently innovative and entrepreneurial. At Superflux, we have always believed that design’s greatest power lies in making complex, systemic futures viscerally felt, so people can step outside established narratives and find the courage to imagine alternate futures.”

Pakštaitė’s practice is centred on food manufacturing. While studying Industrial Design & Technology at Brunel University London, Pakštaitė invented Bump, a temperature-sensitive food label that helps indicate food freshness, reducing food waste while improving accessibility for visually impaired users. The invention won her the prestigious James Dyson Award, leading Pakštaitė to found Mimica, a food tech venture working with international manufacturers and retailers. She also advises global organisations on sustainability, packaging innovation and emerging consumer needs. In the official release, Pakštaitė said, “I'm passionate about promoting inclusion and sustainable habits through design, and I think it's wonderful that work that makes the world a little bit better is being recognised. I feel very honoured! I'm proud of what I have worked on so far, but I'm even more excited by the design challenges yet to come.”

This year’s LDF Medal winners reflect a shared commitment to equity and accessibility, both in design education and in the transformative potential of contemporary design. From Anderson’s boundary-pushing approach to fashion, Jain’s pioneering speculative propositions, Pakštaitė’s food technology ventures and Frayling’s legacy of democratising design education, this year’s honourees demonstrate a wide range of sensitive and forward-thinking approaches. In doing so, they celebrate the discipline for both its creative potential and its ability to catalyse social change.