Thank you for attending London Craft Week this year, either at our events across the capital or through our virtual sessions on this website.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this year’s festival. Please tell us about your experience through our 2020 survey.
All entries will have the chance to win ÂŁ500* to spend at Liberty London.
RĂ©my Martin, the family owned house crafting Cognac Fine Champagne for three centuries, has teamed up with The Connaughtâs Director of Mixology, Agostino Perrone and the Connaught Bar Head of Mixology, Giorgio Bargiani to create a delicious RĂ©my Martin XO cocktail that will be housed in a bespoke vessel created by ceramicist and designer Reiko Kaneko, to be launched during London Craft Week (30th Sept â 10th Oct).
RĂ©my Martin has long been a supporter of London Craft Week, which reflects authenticity and bridges the gap between iconic heritage, craftsmanship and contemporary brands.
This year, RĂ©my Martin has teamed up with two exceptional talents: Ago Perrone, Director of Mixology at the world famous and multiple award-winning Connaught Hotel and master ceramicist Reiko Kaneko, to collaboratively work on a bespoke vessel for the newly created RĂ©my Martin XO cocktail âFlintâ, launching this autumn.
The new cocktail called Flint draws its name from the spark igniting creativity as well as the fires of the still in Cognac. It is a symphonic blend of RĂ©my Martin XO, complex and tropical lacto-fermented melon, accented with herbaceous Green Chartreuse and pink pomelo tonic. Launching on the new cocktail menu at The Connaught Bar this autumn.
Inspired by the elements of cognac production, the team spent a day in Reikoâs atelier, experimenting with ideas and techniques, using grapevines leaves, chalk stone and other materials that would recall the unique terroir and provenance of RĂ©my Martin. The vessels where finally adorned with Agoâs and Giorgioâs signatures!
After the workshop, the vessel was redesigned on paper and digitally reproduced to create a 3D model. With that model, a production mold was made, into which the black fine bone china was cast separately and later joined with clay. The detail of the rough texture outside represents the diverse terroir and was achieved by pressing cloth dipped in slip on to the body. The insides of the vessels were hand painted with intricate strokes of white slip (a mixture of clay and water). The motion of the strokes evokes a feeling of the flames used to toast the barrels and the white texture hints at the chalky soil where the grapes for RĂ©my Martin start their journey. The vessels were then fired at 1230 degrees, glazed (inside with clear glaze and outside with nuances of a rich red glaze to further enhance the inspiration of fire) and finished again at 1080 degrees.
Ago Perrone, Master Mixologist for The Connaught Bar, who was awarded European Mixologist of the Yearâ in 2016 and 2017, says about the collaboration: âOur vision for the final serve was embraced the moment we met Reiko. We discovered so many wonderful similarities during our creative process as we merged the craft of pottery with the art of mixology. The complexity and intricacy of our collaboration was a perfect blend of mixology, art and craft.â
Reiko Kaneko, who has her own studio in East London and has worked on bespoke projects for The Fat Duck and Willer Gallery, says about the collaboration: âAgo and Giorgio had a real love for what they were crafting and it’s always a learning experience for me to be amongst the best in their fields. My understanding is that the essence of craft is in the material – to respect it and to not waste it. That obsession with the material and the constant learning around that material and craft is what keeps most of us going as makers – It was a very special collaboration.â
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 â 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 Jamesâs 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 â and other creative craft spots â 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 â and citing Nigeria and London as places that inspire his impressive work âwhen 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 Jamesâs 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 Jamesâs as a hub for craft and culture? Discover the brilliant St Jamesâs series events here and exhibitions here featuring a brilliant roster of brands, from Floris to Paxton & Whitfield to Benson & Clegg.
âWell before Covid-19, we had become somewhat isolated from each other, too busy, too narrow-focused. Yet there has never been more creativity, imagination and talent. Or people who appreciate it. In that sense, despite so much uncertainty, I believe we live in auspicious times.â
Guy Salter, Chairman, London Craft Week.
Hence Create Day: an opportunity once a year to pause, appreciate beauty and applaud the talent in our midst. To reconnect with our own creativity and bring like-minded people together.
Join us from 2am GMT on createday.org for hourly releases of exclusive video content from around the world, uploaded region by region according to time zone. Live streams will be available on a dedicated channel every hour from 9am – 8pm. Don’t miss sessions from Noel Stewart, Tom Dixon, Japan Woodcraft Association and others.
The final schedule will be released on the day, but we’ve shared a few highlight teasers below from our Create Day partners.
The safety of all our visitors, staff and those working for our programme partners is of paramount importance.
We have continued to work with our programme partners over the summer and in recent weeks to review their events and ensure they comply with current government advice and legislation.
Many partners, such as shops, museums and galleries, already have protocols in place covering hygiene, capacities and social distancing. We have asked all our partners to implement risk assessments to ensure they understand what is required and have appropriate measures in place.
A good proportion of our events already offer an intimate opportunity to engage with beautiful objects and their makers. Where necessary we have capped attendance to ensure social distancing; we have reduced the number of tickets for particular events, some events have become digital and a few have sadly been cancelled.
If the London Craft Week event you are attending has general access, you may be asked to wait a short while before you can enter if a venue is already at capacity. Please follow the instructions of staff and queue with consideration for fellow visitors and avoid blocking entrances and exits.
Please wear a mask, sanitise your hands and maintain social distancing. At certain venues you may be asked to leave your contact details.
We do not expect our programme to change significantly at this stage but do check on the London Craft Week website for any updates before travelling to an event.
We very much hope you enjoy this year’s festival.
London Craft Week Team