Wednesday 13 August 2014

DIGEST: MAKEWORKS DIRECTORY GOES LIVE, ERNEST WRIGHT, NEW CRAFTSMEN BRITISH SOUVENIR SHOP OPEN, ERNEST WRIGHT, OLD NEWS ROUND-UP



The Make Works Directory makes sourcing factories, fabricators, workshops and facilities simple, allowing you to find local fabricators, material suppliers and facilities.

We spend most of our time hunting out the best fabricators for artists and designers to work with. Then, we make films, take photographs and collect the practical information required and showcase them on the Directory. The aim is to enable the production of work locally.

A great resource and fascinating project (Makeworks)

(Photo of Jamieson's of Shetland from Makeworks)

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The Real British Souvenir Shop is open until 31st August 2014 at The New Craftsmen, 34 North Row, W1K 6DG

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At Work: Ernest Wright: The head of Sheffield’s remaining scissor-dynasty, Nick Wright talks to us about his family business, producing quality traditional scissors whose Edwardian designs satisfy a modern audience (Port Magazine)

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A film of The Making of a Globe-Trotter suitcase (Telegraph Luxury)
(for more on Globe-Trotter, see here)

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A visit to Barrington Pottery in Somerset (Foodie Bugle)

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Old news round-up:

Reinventing Scottish Knitwear: Decades of poor management and cheap overseas competition brought the once booming Scottish knitwear industry to its knees. Today, with a new end-consumer focus and artisanal manufacturing, there is also newfound confidence in Hawick and the border mill towns of Scotland. (Business of Fashion)

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Introducing Story Mfg: The UK denim scene is on the rise. Over the past few years a select number of British based designers including have been championing the “Made in England” stamp of approval on their proudly crafted jeans that are eagerly nipping on the heels of their US and Japanese counterparts. (WGSN)

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Harris Tweed weaver made 10,000 yards of fabric for Nike (FT)

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Cadbury's boss says 'Bournville lagging behind its European counterparts' (Birmingham Post)

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Brew Small, Think Big: Micro-breweries are booming and Londoners are thirsty for more craft beer. But is it possible to scale up and stay special? (Ico Design)

Friday 8 August 2014

DIGEST: E TAUTZ, JASPER MORRISON, JOHN LOBB, BOURNVILLE


Patrick Grant takes BAFTA winning Documentary Film-maker Ian Denyer and Photographer Chris Floyd on a two and a half thousand mile, eight-day tour around Great Britain to document the heritage and craftsmanship behind some of the legendary manufacturers who make the cloths and clothing for the E. Tautz collections.

Eight videos of the Makers of E Tautz 

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For thirty years Gladys Jones and Sir Adrian Cadbury worked at the same factory in Bournville in Birmingham, but never met. They now come together to reflect on their lives then and now, and the love of chocolate and sport that unites them.

A great programme on Bournville's chocolate factory workers

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It was my privilege to work with Butler & Tanner, one of the greats of the golden age of British printing, which sadly went into administration yesterday with the loss of one hundred jobs. Thus a company that started in 1845 is no more and its history ends here.

So long, Butler & Tanner (Spitalfields Life)

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Having worked with Olivetti, Alessi, Cappellini, Flos, Muji and SCP amongst others, designer Jasper Morrison is a powerhouse of British design, with recent commissions including furniture for the Tate Modern, the ATM desk for Vitra and a range of pots&pans for Alessi.

Inside Jasper Morrison's studio (Port Magazine)

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John Lobb has been producing shoes in the English town of Northampton since the mid-19th century. Now, the revered shoemaker is set to grow. But how do you scale a brand with a business model rooted in traditional craft?