This year Niela was the first Shetland-based designer/maker to exhibit at Collect 2018 - Crafts Council’s International Fair for Contemporary Objects. Exhibiting her Byre collection, the result of an ideas exchange with Scottish glass artist Karlyn Sutherland, this is the same collection currently on display at ShetlandMade.
Niela also worked in partnership with V&A Dundee and Shetland Arts as part of the Scottish Design Relay in 2017, bringing together designers and young people in communities across the country. During the sessions, participants explored local design history - in this case using a Fair Isle jumper from the V&A's collection as a starting point. This inspired them to come up with their own range of bold, fresh and contemporary designs.
