Why This Design Partnership Should Win New Designer 2026

The collaboration between Dame Prue Leith and emerging eyewear designer Mark Wymond represents one of the most exciting creative partnerships to enter the optical industry in recent years. Together, they have brought a fresh, fearless energy to eyewear design—uniting Prue’s iconic love of colour with Mark’s craftsmanship, technical skill, and forward-thinking approach to shape. Their joint creation, Bienenstich, is a perfect example of their shared vision and impact as newcomers to the design landscape over the past year.

Bienenstich is an edgy, statement-making frame that instantly captures attention. Its transparent lime body, vibrant royal blue highlights, and a lift of sunny yellow combine to form one of the boldest colour palettes in the industry. The colour placement is exceptionally sympathetic to the frame’s architecture, emphasising the angles and contours of its cutting-edge shape. The result is a memorable, trend-defining design that stands apart in a crowded market.

This partnership brings together two distinct worlds: Dame Prue Leith—fashion icon, champion of colour, campaigner for good causes, passionate traveller, and beloved judge on The Great British Bake Off—and Mark Wymond, a third-generation eyewear expert whose interests span craftsmanship, business, travel, fashion, and even fishing. Mark has earned a reputation as an eyewear shape guru, and his ability to create commercially intelligent yet creatively daring silhouettes makes this collaboration uniquely powerful.

In just one year, their work has produced one of the most colourful and dynamic collections in the optical industry, shaking up expectations of what modern eyewear can be. Their blend of artistic expression, technical excellence, and bold creativity positions them not only as outstanding newcomers, but as designers with the potential to shape the future of eyewear.

This partnership is exactly what the New Designer 2026 award celebrates.