Its that time of year when a fresh batch of graduates leap out into the real world. After years of focusing on the final degree show; that's it. Its over.  Done. Time to figure out what the heck to do ...Read More

New Designers

I know I've certainly been doing quite a bit of sewing lately but I'm not the only one. Sales of sewing machines have risen at a phenomenal rate over past few years; I heard a figure of +600% from John ...Read More

Sew

Marquetry has had a make over. Bold contemporary graphics have taken over from traditional classical forms to resurrect a craft that was in danger of disappearing. Laser cutting may have replaced the hand carved, but it still takes skilled craftsmen ...Read More

Marquetry

Mixing old pieces with new technology here are a few examples of the way designers have updated traditional pieces in a non traditional way. Shown at Stockholm Furniture Fair 2010 Paul Smith has taken a series of wood frame chairs and ...Read More

Reinvention

 An antidote to soulless machine production, our interest in folklore and the revival of craft aesthetics reconnects us with the past. In the same way we are  using our computers to reconnect with old friends, now we use them to reconnect with aesthetics of ...Read More

Folk Tradition

A trend that reminds me of an exhibition I worked on a few years ago at the Hayward Gallery called Africa Remix. It featured the work  of artists across Africa and sought to change our opinion on this vast continent and ...Read More

Africa Remix

 Knitting along with other traditional crafts has enjoyed a revival in the past few years. We've rediscovered the art of making and experimented with materials old and new to create a whole different product From a childhood spent in part in the ...Read More

Knit, Loop, Knot

    Moroso's Victoria & Albert Sofa in African print fabric at Milan Furniture Fair  2009  African American designer Stephen Burks was asked to design an exhibition based in Moroso's Milan showroom. His work is a contemporary vision of Africa, translating traditional crafts into an industrial product. Seen ...Read More

Patchwork

  New exponents of traditional crafts are bringing a level of artistry that is refreshing in its approach; and the humour and wit that comes across in their work is something that we don't associate with these traditional methods. I think when ...Read More

New Craft : Part 1