Design Frontier: Top Drawer Showcase Open Call 2025

Deadline: 10am on Monday 13th October 2025

Top Drawer is the UK’s leading design-led show for home, gift, and fashion products, held twice a year at Olympia London, bringing together over 600 curated brands and more than 10,000 retailers to discover new trends, connect with industry professionals, and source products. It serves as a key event for the industry to uncover emerging brands, latest collections, and future retail trends.

Regular exhibitors include successful brands such as Donna Wilson, Margo Selby, Emma Bridgewater and Niwaski. Top Drawer also promotes its exhibitors to its 90k social media followers, 50k email subscribers and 500+ press contacts.

Design Frontier is a brand promoting and representing the best of design and craft from Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. It was established by Creative Kernow in 2018 to present a selection of Cornwall-based design and craft businesses at London Design Fair and went on to enable a design open studios event in Penryn area. A Design Frontier showcase took place at Top Drawer in January 2025; you can read more about the showcase and exhibitors here.

This showcase is aimed at designers and makers who are ready for a platform like Top Drawer but might need additional support to make the most of the showcase. Therefore, this opportunity is not open to businesses that have shown at Top Drawer independently in the last 5 years.

The micro exhibitors (see below for more info) should not have exhibited at a national trade show before as they will be taking part in a pilot programme to prepare for wholesale. This has been developed by, and will be led by, Cornwall Shop Small, and has been funded by the Goldsmiths Foundation.

All participants must be registered with HMRC, or commit to registering before the showcase.

Besides this, we welcome all designers and makers based in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to apply. Please refer to the Top Drawer website to make sure it is the right platform for your work.

We are looking for 8 lead exhibitors and up to 8 micro exhibitors. The offer for each of these is quite different:

Lead Exhibitor

• This is primarily for designers and makers who are already wholesaling or are wholesale ready. If you apply for a lead exhibitor space but indicate that you might not be wholesale ready on the application form your place will not be confirmed before your wholesale viability is checked – we will support this process.
• There is a charge of £750 (no VAT) per lead exhibitor. This rate is heavily subsidised; without the support from Creative Kernow (with funding from the Goldsmiths’ Foundation) and Cornwall Shop Small, the lead exhibitor opportunity is valued at circa £2,000.

The opportunity includes:

• Your dedicated stand space to display a product range and backdrop display elements. Please see the guide for measurements and visualisations – there are two stand configurations. Please note that additional bespoke display elements are not included.
• Guidance and a 1:1 session to ensure you are show ready including reviewing your product range selection, show display, wholesale processes and sales materials including support, where needed, to ensure you have your digital catalogue / line sheet, online order form and a downloadable order form ready for the show.
• Option for free enrolment on the 4 module self paced online ‘Cornwall Creative Wholesale Launchpad’ course.
• Printed Design Frontier show postcards for each exhibitor including your contact information and links to an online portal that links to your individual wholesale order platforms.
• Promotion of the showcase through CKA and CSS networks and listings on the official show website.
• Transportation of your work to and from the show.
• CKA and CSS will install and deinstall the main stand elements and support installing and deinstalling your own display.
• CKA and CSS will curate, invigilate and support your at show sales – no commission will be taken.
• A 1 year CKA membership which provides support beyond the showcase including regular events and online resources (if you are already a member and are selected you will be refunded).
• A 1 year CSS directory listing.

Please Note:

Lead exhibitors will be expected to install their own display, with support, the day before the show.

While a CKA or CSS representative will be at the show at all times lead exhibitors are required to be on call at the show at all times to manage their own sales and build relationships with customers.

All participants must be registered with HMRC, or commit to registering before the showcase.

A contribution from selected lead exhibitors of £750 (no VAT) is required within 14 days of selection.

 

Micro Exhibitor

• This is primarily for designers and makers who need extra support to become wholesale ready.
• This option is fully funded; without the support from Creative Kernow (with funding from the Goldsmiths’ Foundation) and Cornwall Shop Small this would not be possible.
• You will have space to display one or two wholesale products as part of a shared display space. Please see the guide for overall measurements and visualisations of the shared stand space options. Please note that if additional bespoke display elements are needed these are not to be included.

The opportunity includes:

• Mandatory free enrolment on the 4-module self-paced online ‘Cornwall Creative Wholesale Launchpad’ course and a 1:1 session to ensure you are show ready including reviewing your product selection, show display, wholesale processes and sales materials ready for the show. This will be a pilot course run by Cornwall Shop Small with funding from the Goldsmiths Foundation.
• Printed Design Frontier show postcards for the shared collective including your brand name and a link to an online portal that links to your individual wholesale order platforms.
• Promotion of the showcase through CKA and CSS networks and listings on the official show website.
• Transportation of your work to and from the show.
• CKA and CSS will install and deinstall the shared stand display.
• CKA and CSS will curate, invigilate and support your at show sales – no commission will be taken.
• A 1 year CSS directory listing.

Please Note:

Micro exhibitors are not expected to be on site for install or show live but are welcome to attend if they would like to. If they are not in attendance a CKA or CSS representative will manage customer enquiries on their behalf.

All participants must be registered with HMRC, or commit to registering before the showcase.

While you do not need to be a member of CKA to apply to be a Micro Exhibitor you will need to sign up for membership if your application is successful. Membership starts at £5/month and provides support beyond the showcase including regular events and online resources.

Exhibitors will be selected based on:

• The suitability of your work to Top Drawer;
• The impact this opportunity will have on you and your business (why is now a good time for you to take part in this showcase?);
• The coherence of the overall showcase.

The selection panel are:

• Sarah Curley, Cornwall Shop Small
• Anna Harris, Creative Kernow Associates

13^th October: Application Deadline

22^nd October: Selection Outcome

5^th November: Lead Contribution Payment Deadline

5^th November – 17^th December: Preparation, 1:1s, Online Course Completion (if applicable).

7^th January: Drop off work at Krowji for transporting to Top Drawer

9^th January: CKA and CSS Install

10^th January: Lead Exhibitor Install

11 – 13^th January: Top Drawer Open

13 – 14^th January: Deinstall

15^th January: Pick up work from Krowji

Late January: Debrief session

Apply online via the button below.

Application deadline: 10am on Monday 13^th October

If you have any difficulties completing the application or have any questions, please contact us at associates@creativekernow.org.uk.

All images Alicia Breakspear