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Abby Prince has been announced as the winner of the first-ever The AJS Embroidery Award for Digital Textile Innovation.
Ms Prince, a recent textiles graduate from Bournemouth University, received the award for her graduate collection titled ‘Garden of Opulence’ – a visually rich and technically advanced body of work, exploring luxury, colour and digital stitch.
Madelaine Atkinson, winner of the 2023 Hand & Lock prize and marketing assistant at AJS Embroidery Services was one of the judges. Commenting on the winning design, she said: “We were looking for a designer who demonstrated creative application of digital embroidery, originality and great use of thread work.
“Abby’s project was striking and utilised threads worn through digital embroidery processes. She presented with a high level of professionalism and has a strong direction as a designer.
“She showed great originality and confidence in her creative vision.”
Ms Prince added: “I wanted to push the boundaries of combining print and stitch. Working with digital embroidery heled me bring texture and realism to each design. I experimented with thread densities and stitch types to create detailed, tactile outcomes that elevate the overall narrative.”
As the winner, Ms Prince receives a Gunold embroidery thread and stabaliser hamper, an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the AJS Embroidery Services’ factory, and a 1:1 bespoke portfolio review with embroidery fashion designer, Ms Atkinson.
Judging took place on July 3 at New Designers 2025, with the winner revealed during the awards associate day.
