“There’s been an exponential growth of interest in Australian creativity over the past decade,” says Sydney-based industrial designer Tom Fereday, who was invited to show his sculptural stone Mazer seating at Copenhagen’s 3 Days of Design in June after debuting it to great acclaim at the Milan Furniture Fair in April.

Fereday, who was born in Australia but raised in the UK, completed his design studies with an honours year at the University of Technology Sydney. After graduating, he scored a mentorship with Marc Newson in London, then a residency with Dutch mega-brand Moooi, so the thought of launching his career in Europe was tempting. But instead, he decided to return and invest his energy into a Sydney studio.