Kelly McRobie of Kelly Marie Designs graduated from De Montfort University in Leicester with a Mixed Media Textiles degree in 2009. To help continue the business support received through university, Kelly applied to join Design Factory as an associate member.

"Design Factory has made me much more aware of the contemporary market that my product fits within" said Kelly. "Being selected as an associate member and the direct input that I have received from the team has helped with my confidence and also given me the boost to continue working as a freelance designer/maker."

"Working for myself can be very difficult at times," she continues. "DF has offered lots of opportunities to exhibit at shows and professional fairs which I find are crucial to keep me focused on developing new products and creative ideas."

So far membership has generated an order for The City Gallery in Leicester’s new exhibition space in the New Walk Museum and Art Gallery and exhibiting at SOCK earlier in the year with Design Factory has also created new orders for Kelly’s necklaces and corsages. The team have also helped to source new contacts to develop Kelly’s profile across the UK. 

"A year on from university and I feel stronger as a designer/maker. DF is a great resource and being a member really helps me professionally when approaching shops and galleries, as I am affiliated to a recognised brand with a strong reputation."

Steve Leaning joined Design Factory as a selected designer/maker member in June 2008 at a time when he decided to be a full time ceramicist. We spoke to Steve about his membership:

“When I took the leap of faith to become a full time potter, the encouragement and support of the team at Design Factory helped enormously. With their backing and advice it all seemed much less scary and when the inevitable questions that plague us all at some point popped into my head, such as ‘is it worth it?’ and ‘what am I doing?’, it was great to have someone say ‘yes it is!’ and 'here's what to do!'

The recognition of being a DF member has opened many doors to help showcase my work. With this confidence, I now have my work in various galleries, have done numerous shows and have just been accepted as a member of the Society of Designer Craftsmen and will be showing in their exhibition at the Mall Gallery next year.

Another great service I have found invaluable is DF's fortnightly e-newsletter. The shout outs are great, the publicity for my exhibitions is widespread and I have found many opportunities through these publications to help move my business forward even more.”