Designers

Ketiketa (girl & boy in Nepali), is a recently-launched French label, specializing in traditional Nepalese textiles and materials. Alia Harbi and Angele Camus started with the aim of working with a traditional fabric named "dumbar kumari", after a Nepalese princess who brought the technique of "block printing" back from India to Nepal in the 19th century. The princess then invented a new textile, wrapping the printed fabric within two layers of finest cotton muslin. Originally used for making shawls, this fabric was soon adapted for children’s clothing. Ketiketa works with natural fabrics and materials in small-scale manufacturing promoting traditional techniques, working with carvers, independent printers, and small sewing workshops, but also with socially motivated industries for women’s development. In this way they ensure high standards of quality together with ethical production principles. Ketiketa’s bohemian chic style is made with exotic prints, delicate colour shades, natural fine fabrics and designs inspired by a blending of cultures.

Alienina is a collection of “one of a kind” contemporary jewellery. The accessories are realized re-using ordinary objects and materials with the aim of inspiring people to discover that items can have an extra life and new functions. A collection for anyone who wants to play with fashion and create their own personal style.

Fiona Paxton Launched her label in 2008. As a globetrotter she has fused her love for Indian artisanship with the iconography of the British punk era. The London designer has found the right mix of eye catching newness whilst retaining the individuality of each hand-crafted piece. Fiona’s pieces have been featured far and wide in the press, including The New York Times, The London Times, The Daily telegraph's Stella Magazine, Grazia, and British, German and Japanese Vogue.

La Tonkinoise is a brand of neo-vintage jewellery. Each item of the collection is unique. The designer uses antiques as well as more recent elements. She loves to give a second life to the rings, the bracelets, the brooches and the watches found in Parisian flea markets. Named after the song sang by Josephine Baker and Mistiguett, "La Tonkinoise" tells the story of a Parisian woman, sweet, feminine, cheeky and sassy.

By efficiently recycling scrap timber into beautifully hand-crafted products, Luna empowers large numbers of people, enabling them to create sustainable incomes. The timber is collected by the homeless and indigent people of Cape-town. Luna deals directly with them and they receive 100% of the money that is paid. Each piece of wood is carefully assessed and selected to create unique and distinct, quality products, which can not be found in mass produced frames. Luna’s philosophy is simple- Reclaiming resources, Empowering people, Preserving beauty.

Hala Mouzannar and Lina Chamaa create beautiful accessories from vintage objects collected from flea markets in New York, Europe and the Middle East. The vintage objects belong to fashion eras spanning from the late nineteenth century to the 1970s. All pieces are created in their beautiful atelier in the heart of Beirut.

Mel Barton lives in the Nottinghamshire village of East Bridgford. She is self taught and has newly started this design business with her partner. Mel’s designs are influenced by contemporary art. In the case of the butterfly bangle range she refrences the recent butterfly paintings by the Artist Damien Hirst. Her designs are made in small limited runs exclusively by an artisan studio in Delhi, India.

Mina Kwag the designer behind Birthday was born in Seoul, Korea. From a very young age she became fascinated with nature and the way in which human activity affects it. As a designer her aim is to produce without destroying. This she achieves through her diverse ecological and sustainable design products. Birthday refers to rebirth. In this case the buttons are reborn into rings. Her rings are all hand made by her mum from their home in Korea.

Nadia Pignatone creates beautiful unique handmade ceramics. The soul of her wares comes to life through a visual aesthetic, inherited from her background in graphic design, combined with her endless enjoyment of forming porcelain. By throwing her pieces on the wheel, each piece becomes a unique creation as it slowly transforms into a contemporary work of art. Working from her pottery studio in Udine, Italy, pieces are especially hand made for blank- London.

Sarah Beydoun is the founder and creative director of Sarah’s Bag. she belongs to a generation of Beirut-based designers who came of age during the country’s fifteen-year civil war and are now contributing to rebuilding the city’s cultural life through their work in various creative industries. Sarah decided to set up her company as part of a rehabilitation program, whereby women at risk from economic deprivation or the stigma of having served time in prison would learn valuable skills in return for a reliable income and a stable source of pride, dignity, and empowerment. In the process, these women would be helping to revamp the centuries’ old traditions of artisans and textile makers in the Middle East for the purpose of invigorating contemporary fashion. Each piece requires 10 to 15 days of meticulous embroidering, beading, crocheting, and hand stitching to make.

Sunflowers boutique was founded by Paola, Tania and Carla, also known as the Skaff sisters. Inspired by the hippie movement of the 70s, travels around the world, Arabic calligraphy, as well as Beirut’s everyday life. The Skaff sisters used their design background to create their own brand of authentic and unique accessories. Bursting with colour, imagination, beauty and creativity, all items are designed by the Skaff sisters and handmade in Lebanon.

Susan creates original and innovative interior and exterior designs with a distinctive graphic quality. She is best known for her award winning intricately cut metal designs, used in interior and exterior spaces around the world, in both residential and contract situations. Since her design studio was established in 2004 Susan's designs have won international acclaim being exhibited in London, Milan, Cologne, Rotterdam and Tokyo, and featuring in leading design, style and interiors media worldwide. The studio is committed to excellence in design, innovation and quality and to promoting and using British manufacturers.

Yunus & Eliza are artist jewelers who create sculpture to be worn. Bridging the gap between art and fashion, their sumptuous fantasy designs reflect the balance between the beautiful and the dark, the past and the future. Their stunning designs have gained them the prestigious award for the British Fashion Council/ELLE Talent Launch Pad 2010. Rejecting the dominant throw away culture Y&E create lasting pieces of sculptural art jewellery to be loved for life. All pieces are designed and hand-made by Yunus and Eliza in London from their base in one of the last remaining specialist metal foundries.

The idea for these really simple picture frames came about as a result of mum Eona Craig’s frustration with ‘fridge door’ art. Simply sticking the mini masterpieces created by her then two year old son onto kitchen appliances seemed inappropriate. Instead, she invented the frame to celebrate children’s creativity in a way that is fun as well as functional. Eona’s husband, Colin Gilchrist developed the prototype and has been instrumental in moving the project on to manufacture.

Harriet, the designer behind Hunter Gatherer has always hated cling film and for years used to take shower caps from hotels as an alternative! However she realised that this was not a real solution as they were still plastic and could not be washed and reused. One day the light bulb came on and Bowl Overs were born. The project then stayed as an idea for 5 years until they came runner up in the Country Homes & Interiors rural business award and luckily for the rest of us she had the courage to launch them as a business. We think you will agree, they are a brilliant idea.

Born in Bolzano, Italy in 1975, Sylvia Pichler, the designer behind Zilla, graduated in architecture. Intrigued by the world of fashion she opted to use her technical and design background together with her passion for handbags to create the label ZILLA in 2005. Zilla bags are fashion ideas inspired by industrial materials, borrowed from the tech & building trade. Bags conceived as moving structures, mobile homes for woman handcrafted in Italy.

Sophie Pfeffer the designer behind 5Octobre, has had a passion for accessories and jewellery since her childhood. She grew up collecting vintage glass beads, stamps and any piece of paper with a pretty print on it and dreamt of creating something beautiful of her own. In 2004 she took her passion head on and began creating her jewellery collection. She hand-makes all her pieces many of which are unique one offs.

Neo is short for Neoprene, the material used to make Neo products. It is a special type of rubber, used extensively in plumbing, car and motorcycle industries. Although it is an industrial material, it has a soft and silky feel to it. Rosanna Contadini, the Italian designer behind the brand, uses ancient artisan techniques of knitting, crocheting, weaving and knotting to make her baskets. They are handmade by a co-operative of women and thus each one is slightly different.

Lucky Boy Sunday is the brainchild of two friends from Copenhagen, Camilla and Camilla. Together they design the dolls which are then made in Bolivia from 100% baby alpaca giving them a beautifully luxurious feel. Lucky Boy Sunday work with very talented women from some of the poorest communities in Bolivia, supporting them by giving them a fair price for their work and in return in the words of Camilla" they make our dreams come true.."

Reiko Kaneko established her design studio in London’s East End in 2007, having studied Arts and Design at Central St. Martin's College.She was born in Britain but spent her childhood in Japan, influencing her products in an inimitable blend of English and Japanese style throughout the product ranges. Her love of ceramics has led Reiko to specialise in ceramic design and supplies bone china designs based around her typically British fine bone china tableware and home accessories with a Japanese twist. The collections are quite often produced by combining 3D modelling programmes with centuries-old expertise of our makers in Stoke-on-Trent, England. The city is known world-wide as the traditional home of pottery and, though much of production has moved abroad in recent decades, there is still a vibrant hub of industry that Reiko both supports and relies on.

Walleska Ecochicc was founded in 2007 by Walleska Tepping. A native of Brazil, Walleska was inspired by her mother’s moto,” nothing wasted, just transformed” and by the resourcefulness that is rooted in Brazilian culture. She works with sustainable, recycled, and re-purposed materials such as pull-tabs from soda, juice, and beer cans as well as fish skins and organic golden grass. Her handbags are handmade in the Brazil by communities of artisanal women. Through the principles of fair trade she hopes to inspire and build the communities that she works with, "I am so thrilled to be a part of this wonderful conscious movement because I have always believed that my work has a higher purpose, including social responsibility."

Very few designers can claim to have dressed both the First Lady and Lady Gaga, but even fewer share the imagination of jewelers Erickson Beamon. Prepare to "Be…dazzled," warned the late Alexander McQueen, a frequent collaborator. Founded and designed by Detroit natives Karen & Eric Erickson and Vicki Beamon, Erickson Beamon was born out of the same spontaneous spirit that carries the brand forward today. Though the collection has grown exponentially in the past 27 years, the same handcrafted aesthetic is still Erickson Beamon's trademark. Walk into their design studios in Manhattan's West Chelsea or Belgravia, London and visitors will find artisans sitting before trays laden with crystals and semi-precious stones, meticulously assembling each piece by hand. Laying nearby on a table will be the results of some new experiment Karen and Vicki are conducting pushing the possibilities of pearls, crystals and chains. Such inspired artistry has been immortalized in the collections of London's Victoria & Albert Museum and the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum, where the "Dollhouse" chandelier earrings are permanently housed. Erickson Beamon has also been honored with a retrospective exhibition, first curated in 2003 by Simon Doonan for the windows of Barneys in honor of the brand's 20th anniversary. The retrospective has since traveled as far afield as Hong Kong's Lane Crawford.