Author: Abigail Cairns

From it’s very beginning, London Craft Week has created an opportunity for craftspeople from across the globe to share their stories and make their work available to a larger audience. Now in our seventh year – and with fewer people able to travel – this remains a key concern and our 2021 programme showcases artist-makers and events from 31 countries. Discover the crafts, materials, and techniques that serve as distinct cultural calling cards for each country and meet the makers in a range of exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations and open studios.

We’ve featured a selection of international highlights below, but don’t miss the full programme on our Programme page.

Imagine the ‘Im’possibilities: Bamboo

Crafts on Peel present Imagine the ‘Im’possibilities: Bamboo, an exhibition co-sponsored by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (London). Traditional craftsmen and contemporary artisans from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan will come together to share their journey in reinventing the ancient craft of bamboo. As part of a rich programme of events for LCW, visit the exhibition, watch a bamboo crafting and papier-mâché live demonstration with maker Jinno Neko, or try your hand at traditional bamboo craftsmanship with contemporary artisan Gamzar.

Kasama Potters

The Kasama Potters project brings together 34 Japanese ceramicists from Kasama, a city that is home to a flourishing community of potters who are both established and emerging. London Craft Week marks the largest showcase of Kasama ware outside Japan to date, and includes brand new ceramics that have been inspired by the potters’ discourse with British ceramics specialists over the past year. Discover the history of this fascinating region and its myriad ceramic techniques through an exhibition of works by each Kasama potter and a programme of talks taking place during the festival in South Arcade, Islington Square.

Turkish Decorative Patterns

Floral and decorative patterns play an important role in traditional Turkish arts due to their symbolic meanings. These motifs have been developed throughout Turkish history and appear on ceramics, glass, manuscripts, furniture, textiles, carpets, wood and tiles. Visit the Yunus Emre Institute during LCW to learn about traditional geometric and floral patterns and create your own design. Workshops are available to book via Yunus Emre Institute’s website.

Amazing China

Partnering with London Craft Week for the fourth year, National Base for International Cultural Trade (Shanghai) presents Amazing China, a virtual exhibition of exceptional craftsmanship and Intangible Cultural Heritage. From 4 October, watch online demonstrations spanning dress making, bamboo cutting, basketry, ceramics, paper cutting, lacquering, metalworking, printmaking, wood working, stone carving, musical instrument making and more. The exhibition will shine a spotlight on the rich history of Chinese artistry with an opportunity to meet the makers preserving China’s ancient crafts, such as Suzhou embroidery, pictured.

Brodie Neill, Recoil

As part of LCW, Design Tasmania presents a unique collaboration with acclaimed London-based Tasmanian designer Brodie Neill. Applying his sustainable approach to material and craft, Brodie revisits the indigenous timbers of Tasmania through the innovation of Hydrowood, a precious resource reclaimed from the depths of the island’s lakes. Find out more about Brodie’s innovative process and see the pieces at the exhibition, which is taking place from 4-10 October at 6 Motcomb Street.

A Luxury Craft Journey Across Southeast Asia

Dia Guild presents a showcase of Southeast Asian craft creations, from minaudières featured in Crazy Rich Asians to jewellery made of upcycled metals from the Vietnam War. This immersive exhibition at the Pan Pacific London spotlights artisans who fuse heritage craftsmanship, modern design and modes of storytelling to celebrate the region’s vibrant history and culture. Discover unique objects, art installations and the artisans behind them.

Highlights from Create Day 2021

The second edition of Create Day took place on Saturday 4 September and featured 24-hours of content from over 300 artists, makers, designers and creators around the world. Don’t miss the full programme of films which are available to watch now on the Create Day website.

Riviere Rugs

Riviere Rugs are crafted in Riviere’s own workshop in the Kathmandu valley of Nepal, made with age-old traditional techniques passed from generation to generation. The long process is carried out entirely by hand, no machinery is involved. Find out how Riviere’s artisans use the finest grade, hand carded and hand spun Tibetan wool and Chinese silk to produce rugs that are unique and long-lasting.

Watch Riviere Rugs

Conrad Hicks

Conrad Hicks is an artist, blacksmith and tool-maker in Cape Town. He specialises in hand-forged metal work, using only traditional blacksmithing jointing methods as he believes these are essential to the symbolic meaning of the finished form. In his Create Day livestream, join Conrad in his studio and hear him explain how he sees all of his work, from the most functional to the purely sculptural, as tools.

Watch Conrad Hicks

Arumjigi Culture Keepers Foundation

Arumjigi Culture Keepers Foundation – located in Seoul, South Korea – presents a video exploration of the development of baji, or pants, throughout over 2000 years of Korean sartorial tradition. Drawn from historical records and artefacts, the video captures the process of traditional tailoring – from textile-weaving, to design, to the assemblage of garments in a deeply thoughtful contemporary celebration of Korea’s craft history.

Watch Arumjigi Culture Keepers Foundation

Betty Soldi

Betty Soldi is a wordsmith, calligrapher, designer and creative thinker. Born into a Florentine family that has been handmaking fireworks since 1869, Betty sees herself as “making fireworks with inks”. In her Create Day livestream, we joined Betty in her Florentine studio where she demonstrated how her calligraphy skills merge graphic design with old type, modern colours and unique touches.

Watch Betty Soldi

WU Cairen

In this film, supported by the National Base for International Cultural Trade (Shanghai), watch WU Cairen as she demonstrates the process of painting fine porcelain, from hooping to colouring with enamel and inscribing with brush calligraphy.

Watch WU Cairen

Featured Image: Kasama Potters 

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As summer approaches, we’re keen to embrace adventure and discovery. While we try to fathom out the UK’s travel traffic light system, we thought we’d share some ideas closer to home, from day trips to beautiful locations, creativity and craftsmanship and unmissable exhibitions. Plus, we catch up with some of the makers taking part in LCW 2021 who share what they’ve been working on in preparation for this year’s festival.

Escape the City

Image: Prospect Cottage by Ron Strutt 

Kent 

The ‘Garden of England’ has a wealth of cultural and historical attractions as well as rural beauty. Head to the coast to see Derek Jarman’s enigmatic Prospect Cottage, which sits on a shingle desert headland overlooked by the Dungeness Nuclear Power Station. The site was saved for the nation in March 2020 following a £3.5m crowdfunding campaign led by the Art Fund that will open up the cottage to visitors for the first time. Until then, enjoy the renowned wild garden and take in the views along this unique part of England’s coastline.

From Dungeness, it’s a short drive to the Chapel Down Winery in Tenterden which is open for self guided tours. Book in for lunch at The Swan, Chapel Down’s Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant specialising in modern British cuisine and locally sourced seasonal produce. There is an extensive wine list, but for something a little different we suggest trying Chapel Down’s award-winning Bacchus Gin.

If you’ve got time for a longer trip, the Turner Contemporary in Margate has recently unveiled a new sculpture by Michael Rakowitz titled ‘April is the cruellest month’ as the inaugural commission for England’s Creative Coast, a landmark project that is connecting the landscape and arts organisations along the South East coast. Spanning 1,400km of shoreline from the South Downs to the Thames Estuary, the seven newly-commissioned artworks will be revealed throughout the month of May.

From June 5, we suggest timing your trip to Margate with a visit to Carl Freedman Gallery to see BREAKFAST UNDER THE TREE. Curated by the actor Russell Tovey, who was a guest curator for LCW’s 300 Objects exhibition last year, the show brings together a diverse range of depictions of contemporary social scenes, group portraits and shared spaces to form a pictorial survey of how we live now.

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Image: Charleston by Tony Tree

East Sussex

Charleston and its former inhabitants continue to provide a rich source of inspiration for fashion and interior design, from Kim Jones’ debut couture collection for Fendi to the creations of Luke Edward Hall and Ben Pentreath. Influenced by the house and its beautiful gardens, join Molly Mahon and Kit Kemp for a block printing workshop and breakfast discussion exploring the allure of Charleston as part of this year’s London Craft Week. In the meantime, the house is now open with an exhibition of works by the visionary Welsh artist Nina Hamnett.

In Hastings, Turner Prize nominees Project Art Works have taken over the Foreshore Gallery at Hastings Contemporary for a collaborative residency exploring how we can recover and connect after a year of isolation. While we wait for the gallery to reopen from 27 May, a programme of public events, film screenings and installations are visible through the gallery windows and online.

While in the area, we recommend a visit to Tillingham, one of a new generation of wineries spearheading an experimental approach to farming and winemaking. The estate, which dates from the 13th century, has a recently renovated farmstead and restaurant where you can enjoy the produce of the farm and the local area.

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Cultural Highlights 

Image: Michaela Efford/ The Design Museum

The Design Museum
Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street

We’re looking forward to revisiting some of our favourite museums this month, which are opening with a diverse range of exhibitions. The Design Museum’s much-anticipated Sneakers Unboxed exhibition unveils how this footwear phenomenon has challenged performance design, inspired subcultures and altered the world of fashion. It promises to be an enlightening journey through the design and creative processes behind some of the most technically inventive shoes of today.

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Image: Kosuke Tamura 

Japan House
Making Nuno: Japanese Textile Innovation from Sudō Reiko

Japanese textile designer Sudō Reiko is renowned for pushing the boundaries of textile production and championing new methods of sustainable manufacturing during her 30 year career at leading textile design firm Nuno. This fascinating exhibition showcases large-scale installations that highlight Sudō’s technical processes, and examines themes of sustainability, tradition and craftsmanship within her work.

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Image: Tile panel, Diaa El-Din Daoud, 2018, Fustat, Egypt. V&A

V&A
Contemporary Ceramic Art from the Middle East

Bringing together for the first time contemporary artists from the Middle East and North Africa who work primarily in clay, this landmark display explores how tradition, identity and politics have shaped the richness and inventiveness of current ceramic practice across the region. Look out for a demonstration and Q&A with Ashraf Hanna, whose new work Shararah forms part of the display, during London Craft Week.

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Image: ‘Chiral’ Kevin Grey, LOEWE Foundation

LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize

Celebrating excellence and innovation in modern craftsmanship, the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize recognizes the artisans whose talent, vision and innovation promise to set a new standard for the future. After being postponed in 2020, the fourth edition of the Craft Prize has announced the 30 finalists that will show at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris this Spring, with the virtual exhibition now live. From textile to ceramics, metal to paper, the objects embody a commitment to creativity and experimentation.

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LCW Preview: The Year the World Changed

This month we profile some of the exceptional makers and brands participating in London Craft Week 2021, highlighting special collaborations and new ways of working that have developed over the course of an extraordinary year.

Image: Winch Design

Under Winch’s Wing

Winch Design established Under Winch’s Wing last year as a response to the realisation that some of the smallest studios and independent craftspeople with whom they work were struggling as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. The initiative offers advice and support to the makers and suppliers whose irreplaceable skills have brought the Winch Design portfolio to life over the past 35 years. In recognition of this contribution, Winch Design will present a one-day showcase of elite craftsmanship with the artisans from Under Winch’s Wing during LCW 2021.

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Image: Lucille Lewin

Lucille Lewin and Nicole Farhi

When friends and full-time sculptors Lucille Lewin and Nicole Farhi met up between lockdowns with independent curator Selina Skipwith, they realised that they were most missing the company of their female friends and going to exhibitions. The meeting was the genesis of a new exhibition taking place during LCW, In Good Company, that will showcase work produced by Lewin and Farhi during the lockdowns, which both artists found incredibly productive, alongside select earlier pieces.

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Image: Tiny Pricks

Tiny Pricks

Tiny Pricks is a public art project established by Diana Weymar that has been creating a material record of experiences and stories from the pandemic and Trump era. To date, the project has over 5,000 embroidered pieces which will be on show during LCW, with quotes from everyone from Trump to Dolly Parton, Greta Thunberg to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. As the project moves into the post-Trump era, it is focusing on optimistic messaging around the election of Kamala Harris, increased engagement in the climate crisis, and drawing inspiration from challenges to equality, social justice and gender rights.

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Image: Sne Tak

RCA Textiles MA Graduates

2020 was a challenging year for many arts graduates, with end of year shows moved online or cancelled completely. For London Craft Week, a group of talented makers from the RCA’s Textiles MA programme will exhibit their work physically in London for the first time. Highlighting a diversity of approach to the craft of textile making – its construction, preservation and interactivity – the exhibition will shine a spotlight on the skills and processes of a new generation of textile artists and designers.

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Featured image: Molly Mahon

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With the long-awaited return of physical retail and outdoor dining starting in the UK this week, we asked some trusted LCW friends to share the spots in the capital they are most looking forward to getting back to. Discover our definitive guide of top picks for the coming weeks…

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1. I’ve been a proud member of the Horniman Museum for many years. It’s a space that never fails to fascinate and inspire me. During lockdown I enjoyed taking in the stunning gardens and supporting the Sunday farmer’s market but it will be great to be able to go back inside, and I look forward to waving hello to their famously overstuffed walrus.

2. The Wellcome Collection (opens 18 May) on Euston Road always offers something unexpected with their mix of science and art. It’s a brilliant place for the curious and I could spend afternoons in perhaps the best gift-shop any museum in our city has to offer. The re-opening of their Being Human exhibition is high on my list of exhibitions to return to and I look forward to getting lost in the meditative work of artist Sop’s The Den.

3. RÆBURN is all about craft, creativity and community and the whole team are so looking forward to warmly welcoming the public back into our space again. We’ve already started lining up dates for our popular lab tours and our mascot animals look forward to greeting you. The team are always happy to talk you through our archive and current offerings. When you’re in the area, there are some great local outdoor watering holes we like to support, such as the Deviant and Dandy brewery.  

RÆBURN LAB is open from Friday 16 April. Keep in the loop for upcoming community based family-friendly activities by signing up to their newsletter.

Image: Christopher Raeburn/ Ben Broomfield

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Lulu Lytle
Co-Founder, Soane Britain

1. There are so many places I long to visit once we can break free! Locally it will be the Admiral Vernon Arcade at Portobello Market where some of the very best antiques dealers are based.2. I dream of spending hours in a book shop again, something I shall never take for granted after the last year. Although I really like Abe Books for buying second hand and out of print books online, I cannot wait to return to the ever inspiring John Sandoe Books in Chelsea.

3. Antiques fairs and auction houses have always been favourite haunts of mine so I am very much hoping that some of these will be opening their doors again in the coming weeks.

4. Further afield I am particularly excited to return to Egypt and to meet some of the brilliant artisans working with Malaika Linens.

Soane Britain is open by appointment only. Visit their website for further details. 

Image: Lulu Lytle

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Nicolas Rouzaud
Executive Pastry Chef, The Connaught

The Connaught’s Jean-Georges terrace is open from Monday 12 April. The Connaught Patisserie is open for takeaway only and is now delivering across London. Visit their website for further details and to make a reservation. 

Image: Nicolas Rouzaud/ The Maybourne Group

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Rosh Mahtani
Founder & Designer, Alighieri Jewellery

3. I miss watching slightly obscure films in the Curzon cinema and I love buying a tub of ice cream from Gelupo and sneaking it in.

4. The Guinea Grill pub is my favourite pub, run by the best landlord in London, Oisin Rogers.

5. The Painted Hall at the Royal Naval College is just round the corner from my house and I like to come and sit in here and stare up at the ceiling. It makes me think a lot about what can be achieved through dedication and practice.

Rosewood‘s The Macallan Manor House terrace is open from Monday 12 April. Visit their website for further details and to make a reservation. 

Image: Calum Frankin/ Rosewood Hotels

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The Best of Al Fresco

Images: 45 Jermyn Street; Morito

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Culture Fix

Dovecot Studios 

From 26 April, residents of Scotland will be able to visit Archie Brennan: Tapestry Goes Pop! at Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh. The exhibition tells the story of Edinburgh native Archie Brennan in the first major showcase of his work. Bringing together over 80 tapestries as well as archive material, this is a chance to delve into the world of a master of modern tapestry.

Image: Dovecot Studios

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Make Hauser & Wirth 

In Bruton, Somerset, Make Hauser & Wirth presents Antipode, a group exhibition featuring Akiko Hirai, Studio MC (Jessica Coates and Michel Müller), Adi Toch and Andrea Walsh. As the title suggests, Antipode explores the opposing outcomes and unexpected counterpoints that surface through each maker’s intimate understanding of their material and the conceptual exploration of the vessel. Expect works that stretch the traditional boundaries of metal, clay and glass, intuitively referencing the functional and sculptural within each maker’s practice.

Image: Make Hauser & Wirth

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With the next step in our freedom not far away now, here at LCW we’re embracing the official arrival of Spring and the promise of ever longer, brighter days. From a bike ride along the river to taking a picnic with your loved ones, discover our top picks for the next few weeks.

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Simple Pleasures 

Image: Hackney Herbal

Grow Your Own Food, £20

What simpler pleasure is there than growing your own? Spring’s drier days are an opportunity to get busy propagating, preparing your raised beds and sowing the last few seeds. If you need a helping hand getting started in the veg garden (or your window box), we recommend Hackney Herbal’s two-hour online workshop, which provides an introduction to organic vegetable growing.

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Image: Grafton Saddler

Grafton Saddler

As the days warm up, get out on your bike and enjoy the change of the season. For those based in London, we suggest a cycle down the river to Kew Gardens, which is especially beautiful at this time of year, with bulbs giving way to some of the best cherry blossom west of Tokyo. While one can’t cycle around the gardens, there are many places to lock up the bike while you explore the gardens. Up your cycling comfort with a bespoke leather saddle from Grafton Saddler, who create custom leather work from their studio based at Cockpit Arts. Each piece is designed, hand cut, dyed, punched and stitched in-house using traditionally dyed calfskin.

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Image: Pique

The Freedom Picnic, £50

With outdoor social gatherings – although somewhat limited – permitted from 29 March, it looks like the picnicking season might start a little earlier this year. If, like us, you can’t wait to see your friends and family, gather your support bubble for an al fresco celebration with Pique’s Freedom hamper. Their seasonal menu focuses on picnic classics with a modern twist, and includes caramelised apple and thyme sausage rolls, herby aioli, and creamy za’atar hummus with crudités. Everything is handmade to order, so if you’ve been hankering after something special, Pique will add it for you.

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Image: Begg x Co

Jura Palette, Lambswool Angora Throw, £310

There’s no denying that balmy summer evenings are still a little way off yet, so Begg x Co’s versatile picnic blanket is worth bringing along in case things turn chilly. Made from the highest quality Lambswool and Angora, which provide exceptional warmth without feeling too heavy, it’s ideal for taking on all your travels this year, as we are allowed to venture further afield.

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Image: Ettinger

Hunter Flask with Four Cups, £140

Ettinger’s Hunter Flask is another way of warding off the chill with a tipple or two. We also particularly like Connolly’s leather Cocktail Case. In collaboration with Sebastian Conran, it takes outdoor socialising to another level. Maybe keep it for Glyndebourne.

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Image: Louisa Loakes / The New Craftsmen

Online Block Printing Workshop, £80

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Image: St. John

Hot Cross Buns, £2 each

With Easter almost upon us, it’s hard to resist freshly made hot cross buns. If in London, we highly recommend a visit to St. John’s bakery counters at Borough Corner, Commercial Street, and Druid Street, where you can find their famous buns speckled with warming spices, candied ginger, dried fruits and peel, available for takeaway. When you’ve made it home with your bounty, they recommend serving them toasted with butter and marmalade, and a cup of tea.

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Natural Spring

Image: Ffern

Spring 2021, £69 per bottle

Artisan perfumers Ffern release four fragrances each year that put nature, craft, and creativity at the centre of their practice. For Spring 2021, they’ve shared with us some insights into the profile of their latest fragrance, which captures the scents that embody the Spring Equinox:

1. They began by laying the foundation: the distinctive smell of soil. For this they turned to vetiver, with its earthy, woody undertones and ginger, with a warm, spicy aroma. Onto this they mixed pink pepper and basil, echoing the fresh, peppery notes of young green shoots.
2. Complementing this culinary sharpness are the soft notes of bergamot and the zest of green mandarin which capture the dense foliage of the greenhouse.
3. They have brought in jasmine as a reminder of the spring blossom in the garden – and grounded its delicacy with the more resinous, woody notes of cedar, a reflection of the greenhouse’s old wooden frame and the woody vines that interlace the ceiling.
4. For the centrepiece they chose the bitter orange tree. Each element of the orange tree comes with its own unique scent. For Spring 21, Ffern decided to incorporate them all.
5. First the petitgrain, sharp and faintly herbal, taken from the leaves and twigs. Then the neroli, honeyed and airy, produced by steam distillation of freshly picked orange flowers. Finally, they turned to the rind itself – a juicy, bitter, citrus note. Once the maturation of the fragrance was complete, they added orange blossom water instead of the traditional pure water, incorporating a byproduct of the steam distillation process.

As every batch is strictly limited, Ffern operate a production ledger to ensure the quality of their work is not compromised by scale. Sign up to join the waitlist here, and be the first to access a space on the ledger when one becomes available.

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Image: Sebastian Cox

Products of Silviculture, from £695

Sebastian Cox embraces a more harmonious way of living with the natural world through his ‘nature first’ approach. Discover his new collection Products of Silviculture, constructed from coppiced hazel, hornbeam, birch and sweet chesnut partnered with other carefully sourced British wood. Each piece of furniture showcases the rich and lively nature of this entirely renewable material; Sebastian comments, “the key to being able to work with what nature wants to yield is reframing how we think about our materials. I see our woodland not as standing boards for furniture, but as a living ecosystem, which we can glean material from while increasing life within it”. The collection embodies this sustainable approach whilst offering beautiful pieces to enrich the home: find out more on his website.

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Image: Kazuhito Takadoi / jaggedart

Kazuhito Takadoi, Yokuka 4 and 7, £1,180

There’s still time to discover Collect 2021, which is live on Artsy until 24 March. We’ve enjoyed exploring the range of galleries who have sought to highlight the wonders of nature, and the artists who manipulate found natural materials to exquisite effect. LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize Finalist 2019, Kazuhito Takadoi, presented by jaggedart, trained in horticulture in Japan and creates his works from grasses, twigs and branches, many of which he grows in his back garden in the UK. Discover his work in a virtual tour at SoShiro, which will be open for by appointment viewings in person from 12-30 April.

Look out for the fourth edition of the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize, which returns this Spring when the postponed 2020 exhibition opens at Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.

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Featured image courtesy of Ffern

Collect, the art fair for contemporary craft and design, has returned for its 17th edition with a stellar line up of exceptional works across ceramics, glass, lacquer, jewellery, precious metalwork, textiles, wood, and paper, showcased by 32 specialist international galleries and presented by the Crafts Council. 

To celebrate Collect’s launch, here at London Craft Week we’ve put together an edit of our favourite pieces from this year’s selection…

ERNST GAMPERL, 47/2018/180, 2018

Gallery LVS 

Working with wood that he finds “full of character,” Gamperl allows branches, knots, and fractures in the wood to dictate the shape of his vessels, sculpting in conversation with his material.

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HELEN O’SHEA, Bi-Valve, 2019

Helen O’Shea’s textile-based sculptures focus on creating new narratives around waste plastics, encouraging us to think about waste as the valuable resource it is. 

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ABIGAIL BOOTH, Untitled, 2020

Abigail Booth produces large-scale quilted paintings that explore the liminal space of the constructed canvas, while challenging the relationship between the imagined and the actual through her embodied interactions with the natural.

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ANGUS ROSS, Waterfall Bench, 2020

Transforming local trees into exquisite furniture, Angus Ross creates pieces with a sense of movement and flow, like this bench, which captures a delicate waterfall with its flowing lines. 

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ELLIOT WALKER, Still Life with Shrimps, 2021

Elliot Walker uses glass to sculpt a story, creating artworks that invite the viewer closer. His Still Life compositions have the poise of classical paintings, where symbols of domestic life are carefully balanced with the transient.

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MAX BAINBRIDGE, Hollowed Vessel, 2021

Max Bainbridge’s Hollowed Vessel creates a tangible link to the earth, bridging the point at which human thought intersects and entangles with the act of nature itself.

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LEE HYANG-KOO, Double Open-work Porcelain Vase with Floral Decoration, 2002

Lee Hyang-Koo is a master ceramicist from Icheon, South Korea. He uses open-work techniques to act as a structure for his vessels, on which exquisite, finer details sit. 

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SILVER SENTIMENTI, White Pot, Small Model – Gladiator Series – 144, 2020

Silver Sentimenti brings a sensibility to his ceramic creations, which are made using complex firing techniques and embroidered with materials such as leather and metal to create intricate, unexpected details. 

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LINE NILSEN, Cloud Bench, 2020

Based in the UK, Line Nilsen is a Norwegian designer, textile artist and hand weaver. Fascinated with the artisanal processes, she believes that the objects we choose to live with enrich our lives with emotion.

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MATT SMITH, Wall Sconce with Camel, 2021

Using craft, Matt Smith’s work celebrates the mainstream and also unsettles it, taking objects from their intended roles and repurposing them in alternative situations and narratives.

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Featured Image Credit: Max Bainbridge/ Sarah Myerscough Gallery

Discover the full list of galleries, makers and objects on Artsy, where Collect remains live until 2 March 2021.

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Brands must be anchored culturally to remain engaging, says Guy Salter OBE MVO, our Founder and Chairman.

As featured in Walpole Editorial 18 February 2021.

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Art, culture, luxury, fashion. How natural nowadays to see these bracketed together. At least for those of us who work in luxury. Even arts luminaries wouldn’t look twice, albeit some of the more fastidious with residual distaste at the inclusion of the last two. Just as leading museums home in on fashion, literature, music or gaming to drive visitors, raise profile and stay relevant, especially to new audiences, so brands borrow from contemporary culture (high and, increasingly, low). With an eye on elevating beyond the commercial into something more weighty, worthy and, so the theory goes, impactful. Or, in the case of streetwear, more youthful and edgy. Shopping plus.

If this is no longer the new normal but normal, why too often does it come across as a tad forced, off-key? Just as with ‘experience as the new luxury’, ‘microplastics and the supply chain’ or ‘AI and big data’, it sometimes smacks of a CEO recently back from a conference, whose team has been hastily assembled to fast track some connect-us-with-the-zeitgeist initiative. Tricky to pull off even for the most sure-footed.

So how to play the cultural card? Especially when something can go from cool to cold in a season. I’m certainly no expert but here are a few observations from the road.

Although maybe the first question to pose is whether this interest in things cultural is a passing fad we can and, given how hard it is to do well, should safely ignore? My view is this is no luxury but core to keeping a brand fighting fit and has always been so. When a brand is born, it is naturally of its time and place. Much of which is often bound up in the personability and passions of the founder, often a natural storyteller. Indeed, as an investor, I look for this energy and point of view, as it reflects and resonates, creating traction and cut-through. Dare I say, soul. Critical to creating value.

The challenge is how to preserve that, especially given how quickly moods shift and consumers grow ever more picky and prone to boredom.

At its best, associating ourselves with contemporary culture anchors us in things that are engaging to our customers. In other words, matter to them. But picking the newest or shiniest toy in the arts and culture box isn’t an approach that is likely to work. Indeed, too often it’s a shortcut to ersatzdom.

Rather, my advice is to start at the other end. With the realisation that our brands are often culture-generators in their own right – and may have been for a long time. Plus, as an industry that is essentially selling things that allow people to say something about themselves, we have a more complex two-way relationship with not only our own culture and place of origin but also how that plays across other geographies, resonating (or not).

My advice, therefore, is never to stray too far from our centre of gravity, especially in terms of where our expertise, personality and so ultimate authority lies. This includes, where relevant, not forgetting a word missing from the four I started this piece with: craft. Traditionally considered less exalted but in cultural terms often more powerful, as not only is how something made, literally material to its promise of quality, but it’s likely to be rooted in local disciplines, stories and people, including our own. More accessible and human for many consumers – talking with, rather than talking down.

Knowing and sticking to our base doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive for the most imaginative and freshest way to tell (or retell) our stories. And sometimes this means reaching half way across the world to collaborate with artists, campaigners or others who share our point of view. And reach new audiences or get existing ones to look again. Ideally avoiding worthiness at all costs, keeping a lightness of touch and preferably a sense of humour stops us coming across as bores, or worse – outsiders looking in.

Finally, along with the responsibility to our own brand to get this right we should remain mindful of its influence, both as a representative of a set of wider cultural values and a vehicle for our customers. For actually this is quite a high-stakes game, especially when tempers run high and instant sharing, or even more instant judgements, are the norm and when anything less than perceived total transparency raises suspicion.

Done well we can enhance our brand’s standing, reinforce our competitive advantage and do some good at the same time. Worst case, we can destroy brand value. Sometimes imperceptibly, sometimes almost overnight. Although overused, maybe it comes back to that lodestar of our industry at its best: authenticity. Being and staying real. And looking for ways old and new to reinforce and emphasise it.

This article was originally published in the 2019 Walpole Book of British Luxury.

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Featured image courtesy of Walpole. 

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