DIGEST: LONDON CRAFTSPEOPLE, CERAMICS IN STOKE, FASHION AND ORIGIN, A NEW IDENTITY FOR MADE IN UK

"In 2007, I started a photographic project about people who run such businesses. It was to be an addition to my portfolio, an excursion into portraiture that I had planned to complete in a few months. Instead, I continued to photograph shops and workshops, shopkeepers, and craftsmen and -women for the following six years.

I was curious about people, who, despite unglamorous routines, take pride in their work and have a sense of themselves closely linked to their occupation."

Metier, a recent publication by Laura Braun is published by Paper Tiger 

Photo above of Peter Schweiger at James Taylor & Son, Marylebone, by Laura Braun


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"Stoke-on-Trent’s identity as the home of the ceramics industry was thought to be a thing of the past. But when we headed to the Staffordshire city we found a vibrant and positive scene and it’s clear the skills haven’t gone anywhere."

An insightful report on the state of the ceramics industry in Stoke-on-Trent in Monocle

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"Today, new centres of creativity are booming on the edges of the city, inspiring, dictating and rejuvenating contemporary London lifestyle. Through video-interviews, filmed in Brixton, Hoxton, Bermondsey, Shoreditch and Hammersmith, an eclectic array of creatives and entrepreneurs elaborate on the ways in which their work and lives impact the neighbourhood and how the neighbourhood has influenced them."

 

Nice video interview series featuring several craftspeople from around London (Hardy Amies)

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"Tony Lutwyche, a Savile Row suit-maker and former army officer, says it would help the industry if Europe and the UK could force manufacturers to put a country of origin on the garments. “I think it is marginally immoral when a company claims to be British when they do not make anything here."

 

A 'Made in Britain' fashion revival only for those who can afford it, article featuring Drake's and John Smedley (The Independent)

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"Made in Britain was launched by Liverpool cooker manufacturer Stoves. The company ran a competition inviting students to design a marque that could be applied to its products to show they were made in the UK and later invited other companies to use the symbol. 

 

The campaign has since re-launched as an independent organisation and the original logo – a red, white and blue ribbon/check mark by Nottingham student Cynthia Lee, above - has been replaced with a flexible and versatile design from The Partners." (Creative Review)