in 1936, the rsa awarded the first distinctions of royal designers for industry (rdi or honrdi). the honour gained royal endorsement in 1936, and "the faculty of royal designers for industry" was established as an association in 1937 to "further excellence in design and its application to industrial purposes": membership of the faculty is automatic for (and exclusive to) all rdis and honrdis. the faculty currently has 120 royal designers (rdi) and 45 honorary royal designers (non-uk citizens can be honrdi): the number of designers who may hold the distinction of rdi at any one time is strictly limited. the faculty consists of the world’s leading practitioners from fields as disparate as engineering, furniture, fashion and textiles, graphics, theatre and movie design. early members include eric gill, enid marx, sir frank whittle and numerous other household names.