It's back! Handmade in Britain return to Kew Gardens

Applications now open...

Welcome to the second edition of Handmade at Kew at the iconic Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew! The craft event will take place from Thursday 6th October to Sunday 9th October 2016.

Handmade at Kew welcomes online applications from contemporary craft makers working in the following disciplines: furniture, metal, ceramics, glass, jewellery, textiles, woodwork, paper and sculpture.

Apply now for Handmade at Kew

Over 7,500 visitors...

The inaugural year of Handmade at Kew in 2015 drew a fantastic response, with both visitors and makers praising the exceptional standard, variety and innovation of the event and the work on show, alongside appreciation for the ideal setting and warm and buzzing atmosphere.

For the first year of the show, footfall was high with over 7,500 visitors attending over the four days of the show and the Private View evening. 

Makers across all disciplines welcome to apply

The leading showcase for Craft...

Handmade at Kew is set to become the leading international showcase for contemporary craft. The event is highly consumer orientated and enables visitors to view, buy or commission their perfect piece and take it home with them.

Please see our Application Pack for more information about the event and how to apply, available on our website or as a download here. Please note that the deadline for applications is 31st March 2016. 

Apply online now: handmadeinbritain.co.uk/kew

Final few days to apply...

Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to exhibit as part of the Handmade in Britain group stand at Vivre Côté Sud, France in June 2015. The deadline for all applications is

Saturday 31st January.

Handmade in Britain are offering the unique opportunity to apply to exhibit as part of a group stand at the Vivre Côté Sud Fair. Applications are now invited from designer–makers of contemporary craft, who produce their work in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We accept applications from most disciplines across fashion and interiors - please check the application pack for details.

This prestigious open-air event in Aix-en-Provence, a town rich in cultural and architectural heritage is the PERFECT opportunity for makers looking to explore international markets. With 23,000+ trade and retail visitors over four days, this is an opportunity NOT to be missed!

For more information and how to apply, please download our application pack here.

Call for Applications for Côté Sud 2015

Handmade in Britain are thrilled to announce a brand new international opportunity to exhibit as part of a group stand at Vivre Côté Sud, France in June 2015.

This prestigious open-air event in Aix-en-Provence, a town rich in cultural and architectural heritage is the perfect opportunity for makers looking to explore international markets. With 23,000+ trade and retail visitors over four days, this is an opportunity really not to be missed!

Applications are welcome from makers who produce their work in England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland, and who work in the following disciplines: Fashion design & accessories, Interior design & accessories, glass, textiles, furniture, stationery, metalwork, ceramics, furniture, sculpture, woodwork, prints and etchings.

Apply online now: http://www.handmadeinbritain.co.uk/other-projects/cote-sud-2015/

HMIB Autumn Showcase

The last few days of summer are well and truly finished. Autumn leaves are beginning to carpet the pavements, nights are gaining a bitter chill and morning mists are settling themselves on the horizon. 

But once our summer lamentations have finally passed away – it’s hard not to enjoy the beauties of a British autumn: the crispness of the air, the vibrant splash of colour that falling leaves leave the ground. The days become sepia-tone as we drift into the familiarity of a chilly winter, despite the cold – there still can be found a warmth  in the colder months. The blazing oranges and rich coppers of the natural world come into their own, warm wooden hues become prominent as the mind wanders to toffee apples, sparklers and cosy autumn hearths.

Maybe then, it should come as no surprise that some of the designers from our fabulous Chelsea 2014 seem to have been inspired by the quiet majesty of a British autumn. From cosy textiles to bold woodwork and warm ceramics, here is our personal selection of fabulously autumnal designs from our exhibitors.

Intricate embroidery and warming, autumnal colours combine in the textiles of Elena Shamgunova:

Elena Shamgunova - Delightful Stitches

Inspiring images of spectacular misty sunrises and storm tossed autumn seas, the ceramics of Jane White seem to demonstrate the sometimes chaotic elements of autumn in their spectacular colours and forms.

Jane White Ceramics

Berry tones and forms combine in Jacqueline Clarke's exquisite jewellery, the natural world expressed as jewels through modern designs and pieces.

Jacqueline Clarke

A celebration of nature - images of forests, foxes, owls and much more on the homely textiles of Lisa Vaughan-Thomas.

Lisa Vaughan Thomas


Redolent of spiralling seed pods and scuttling insects, the jewellery of Sarah Parker-Eaton encapsulates the microscopic majesty of autumn: 

Sarah Parker-Eaton

To see their work in person, don’t forget to come along to the Handmade in Britain show at Chelsea Old Town Hall from the 14^th to the 16^th November 2014 – get your tickets HERE

Until next time...

The HMIB Team

xxx

Introducing our supporters...

We are very pleased to introduce our partners and supporters for

Handmade in Britain 14: The Contemporary Crafts & Design Fair

Spring Series: The Natural World Part Three

We takes a closer look at the creative world and inspirations of Cristina Sabaiduc & Jo Holland and Aline Johnson.

Join us this week as we get a closer insight to some of this year’s designer-makers discovering some of their creative influences and processes. Beginning with the stimuli of…

How do the materials you work in communicate and connect to spring and an awareness of the seasons?

Does the natural world influence your work and creative processes and if so how?

Cristina Sabaiduc designs graphic and colourful scarves with photographic artist Jo Holland, to create stylish and unique statement pieces.

‘Drawing inspiration from some most unexpected sources of beauty—moulding beetroots, crystallized feathers, frozen detergent, Transylvanian salt mines or medieval stained glass windows— they are given new life when captured by Jo through her entirely analogue photographic process that utilises light and colour with positive paper in a dark room.’

‘The resulting original artworks are then developed into scarf and fabric prints to be digitally printed on high quality silk twill.’

‘The imagery created is inspired by the coexistence of natural and industrial elements in our environment. The juxtaposition of animate and manufactured elements has developed into an exploration of dualities—a visual commentary on relationship between the wearer of the scarf and the ephemeral nature of the world in which we live.  The rugged beauty of the landscape in Romania, Switzerland, and Canada, the countries where Cristina was raised, continue to influence her.’  

To see more work from Cristina Sabaiduc: www.cristinasabaiduc.com

Aline Johnson makes glass leaf canopy chandeliers, and is part of cockpit Arts in Holborn. Using candy-coloured glass pieces she draws inspiration from the vibrant palette of beach paraphernalia, seaside rock and windbreak patterns which translate with ease into fused glass.

‘I am very much inspired by nature walking my dogs most early mornings on Hampstead Heath in particular this time of year when the first rays of morning sun shimmer through the delicate spring green leaves and create a beautiful ethereal sequence of movement and light and colour. I try to capture that in using glass and lights.’

‘I also spend a lot of time on the Dorset coast, where I beach comb while my dogs swim all year around.’

‘Found objects like driftwood, ammonites and feathers are used extensively in my work, I make imprints of both in plaster and slump glass into this. I have used driftwood to make frames for chandeliers.’

To find out more about Aline's work: www.alinejohnson.co.uk

All the featured designer-makers in our Spring Series: The Natural World blog posts will be exhibiting at Handmade in Britain's up coming event at the Chelsea Old Town Hall. To find out more about the event, and book tickets head to: www.handmadeinbritain.co.uk

Tickets now on sale

Handmade in Britain 14:
Spring Edition

The Contemporary Crafts & Design Fair

9th - 11th May 2014
Chelsea Old Town Hall, London

Spring Edition is open:
Friday 9th: 11:00 - 19:00
Saturday 10th: 11:00 - 18:00
Sunday 11th: 11:00 - 18:00

Tickets are available online now at £5
Tickets on the door are £7/£5 conc.

More Designer-Makers at Handmade in Britain 13!

Interiors at Handmade in Britain 13

Offkut

This year, covetable interior pieces for your home represent both innovation and tradition, showcasing stunning variety in style, form and function.

Stuart Jenkins

This year, indulge in something utterly distinctive, from  reclaimed industrial lighting and furniture from Offkut to bold, contemporary colour from glass artist Aline Johnson, delicate and energetic ceramics from Ali Tomlin and striking textures in the metalwork of Stuart Jenkins.

More covetable interior pieces for your home include Annabel Perrin’s energetic textiles inspired by British architecture to the friendly faces and playful colour to be found in the work of ceramic artist Namiko Murakoshi and the complex organic textures in colossal pieces from Alex McCarthy. 

Eleanor Lakelin

Annabel Perrin

Discover traditional turning techniques masterfully matched with innovative finishes and contemporary form in the unmistakable woodwork of Eleanor Lakelin. To compliment your favourite space and showcase your treasures, the simple lines and elegant detailing in the furniture of Mark Newson are created to commission with sustainably grown wood.

Ceramics at Handmade in Britain 13

Gin Durham

Handmade in Britain 13 will showcase an exciting variety of ceramics from selected UK based makers, and features newcomers and established artists exhibiting work for purchase or commission.

Ingrid Saag

Discover a wealth of style and influence - from the energy and colour in jazz, blues and swing inspired vessels and wall pieces from Ingrid Saag and Welsh landscapes depicted in the porcelain forms of Richard Heeley.  Consider the tense, provocative narratives in Gin Durham’s toy-like figures and the colourful stories to be explored in the work of Michaela Gall, and smile in the company of Victoria Atkinson’s joyful, quirky sculpture.

Celebrating both innovation and tradition, the show presents stunning variety in process, form and function.

A full list of our exhibitors can be on our website: 

http://www.handmadeinbritain.co.uk/chelsea-13/exhibitors/