Leading names from the worlds of design and craft share their best kept city craft secrets
Experience a craft-inspired journey around London by St James’s
Ever wanted to know where designers shop, or go to get inspired?
This year, we brought you the biggest showcase that London Craft Week has ever hosted – the 300 Objects Exhibition curated by the incredible Holly Wood. Hosted on Regent Street (in Quadrant Arcade), the exhibition is part of the Regent Street & St James’s London Craft Week celebration.
Inspired by the rich history of craftmanship found within this unique area of central London, the exhibition celebrates craft past, present and future. Click here to discover more.
As part of this exhibition, we worked with leading expert curators from the worlds of craft, design and fashion. We caught up with Yinka Ilori, Alice Fisher and Martin Brudnizki to discover their favourite craft destinations in the heart of our capital city.
You can visit many of their recommended favourites – and other creative craft spots – as part of the London Craft Week QEST trail, guiding you through installations at the likes of Benson & Clegg, Luca Faloni, Paxton & Whitfield and more.
Celebrated designer Martin Brudnizki loves the best of British, with Lock & Co. his brand of choice. Discover more here and read what he loves about being a designer below:
Understanding and learning about how things are made and seeing the craft up close is one of the best bits about being an interior designer.
A fan of bold colour – and citing Nigeria and London as places that inspire his impressive work –when visiting the West End designer Yinka Ilori loves to visit west African restaurant ikoyi.
Find out more of his other favourite places here and read what else he loves about the capital city below:
London being such a multi-cultural place means that there is inspiration everywhere. Everything that is handmade and crafted comes from a place of love, it has a meaning and a narrative. I think we are so lucky that we have so many resources around us that can help us create such incredible work.
As Style Correspondent for The Observer Magazine, Alice Fisher has a keen eye for craft, design and style. She shares why St James’s has a particularly special place in her heart below:
St James is an underappreciated area of London's West End – there are so many great brands there. I've always been fond of John Smedley because it's from Derbyshire, like me, whilst visiting Fortnum & Mason Christmas windows are a family tradition.
And on the marriage of craft and style, she says:
Style is a personal thing, what suits you and what makes your individual style has little to do with fashion. I think craft is the same. You can't pretend to be into baskets if you're not. Your motivation for making tends to be deeply personal.
Read more from Alice here.
Interested in getting to grips with St James’s as a hub for craft and culture? Discover the brilliant St James’s series events here and exhibitions here featuring a brilliant roster of brands, from Floris to Paxton & Whitfield to Benson & Clegg.
