Julia Lohmann becomes Honorary Royal Designer for Industry in Regenerative Design
For her work in regenerative design, sustainable materials and design ethics, Julia Lohmann has been inducted into the facultyof the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce in Great Britain (RSA), receiving the title 鈥楬onorary Royal Designer for Industry鈥. The title is awarded annually by the RSA to designers of all disciplines who have achieved 鈥榮ustained design excellence, work of aesthetic value and significant benefit to society鈥. The RDI is the highest accolade for designers in the UK. Only 200 designers can hold the title. Non-UK designers may become honorary Royal Designers.
From the Royal Designers for Industry Address:
鈥淛ulia Lohmann is a German-born designer and researcher renowned for her innovative exploration of sustainable materials and the ethical dimension of human interaction with nature. As an Associate Professor of Contemporary Design at Aalto University in Finland, she heads the 鈥楧epartment of Seaweed鈥, dedicated to investigating seaweed鈥檚 potential as a sustainable design material. Lohmann鈥檚 work, which includes large-scale installations and functional objects, emphasizes the importance of ecological responsibility and challenges conventional perceptions of material value. Her contributions have been recognised globally and she has received support from institutions such as the Esm茅e Fairbairn Foundation, the British Council and the Wellcome Trust.鈥
For more information, see:
Read more news
Wallpaper Design Award: Puusauna by Jaakko Torvinen is Life-Enhancer of the Year 2026
Designed by architect Jaakko Torvinen the Puusauna (wooden sauna) has won the Wallpaper Design Award 2026 prize in the Life-Enhancer of the Year category.Growing Materials, Growing Ideas: Inside the BioMaker Studio
At Aalto University鈥檚 BioMaker Studio, initiated by Ena Naito, students and researchers experiment with living materials, from algae to mycelium, creating an open, interdisciplinary space where design, biology, and collaboration grow together.
CoDe 鈥 the year in review: What happened in 2025?
A recap of the milestones of the Master in Contemporary Design in 2025