Bethan Gray (Mentor)
London-based Bethan Gray is one of the UK’s most celebrated furniture and homeware designers, having received four Elle Decoration British Design Awards, including the coveted Best British Designer title. Her work features extensively in global media and she has exhibited in London, Milan, Paris, New York and Dubai.
Bethan’s ancestors went on an incredible journey across continents and she has since visited many of the places they passed through, inspired by a love of travel, art and culture. Today, her mission is to bring contemporary relevance to the traditional techniques from these regions, keeping both cultural narratives and craft skills alive. She believes in the power to tell stories through craft and design and has formed joint ventures based on mutual trust and respect that support more than 400 master craftspeople globally.
Bethan Gray Design, established in 2008, creates luxury, handcrafted collections of furniture and home accessories that are sold through global retailers such as Harrods, Liberty and Lane Crawford. Within her own practice in London, she nurtures, connects and encourages new design talent and mentors upcoming female designers. She has recently launched a Prize for Women in Craft with Cardiff Metropolitan University where she is an honorary fellow.