The London Design Festival has announced its prestigious 2024 London Design Medal winners, with British-Zimbabwean designer Natsai Audrey Chieza receiving the Design Innovation Medal. This award highlights her visionary work at the intersection of design and biotechnology, recognizing her as a leading figure in the evolving design landscape.

Chieza, the founder of Faber Futures and the biodesign lifestyle brand Normal Phenomena of Life, has been lauded for her innovative approach to sustainable design. Faber Futures, established in 2018, is a design agency that explores the convergence of design, biotechnology, and society. Her recent venture, Normal Phenomena of Life, launched in 2023, continues to push boundaries by integrating biodesign into everyday life.

“In a rapidly evolving world, interdisciplinary collaboration is essential for making positive change,” Chieza stated upon receiving the medal. “That’s why it’s particularly meaningful to see the work we do at Faber Futures acknowledged for its role in shaping the possibilities of tomorrow.”

Chieza was among four celebrated designers honored with medals at this year’s festival. British makeup artist Pat McGrath received the London Design Medal, the highest honor, for her influential 25-year career in the beauty industry. Other recipients included Harry Blakiston Houston, awarded the Emerging Design Medal for his work with Insulate Ukraine, and fashion designer Rei Kawakubo, who took home the Lifetime Achievement Medal for her decades-long contribution to the industry through her brand Comme des Garçons.

The winners will receive their medals at a ceremony on September 16, marking the start of the London Design Festival, which runs from September 14 to 22, 2024.