IS THERE ANYTHING YOU ARE COLLECTING AT THE MOMENT?
John: Working at the New Craftsmen really opened up to me the importance of how things are made, the integrity with which things are made. Now I look at older objects such as primitive styles and they’re almost under-designed with not too much ornamentation…those are the pieces which speak to me more than anything else. But there are great designers in London today. Look at what Jermaine Gallacher is doing and a younger generation who are not adhering to the codes of design and doing things which are really playful instead.
HOW ARE YOU SUPPORTING CHANGE IN YOUR INDUSTRIES?
Jane: As a journalist, I’m here to tell a story, make it digestible and make it interesting for as many readers. We live in a fashion design bubble and the reality is that most people don’t care about fashion. So I suppose it’s how can fashion be viewed in a wider context, that shift is important. How can clothing make you feel better? I feel there has been some really super positive change in the fashion industry but it has been really challenging for retail, also for so many creatives: photographers, stylists, models, the trickle-down effect of the pandemic is huge. At the same time, many of us have spent a long time at home, revaluated our wardrobe and been in discovery mode. For small brands, social media has been an amazing platform to get their product out there. People want to support small brands, know the provenance of an item of clothing, they want to know more about the owner and founder. People are investing more in the story telling and there’s also a big sustainability question and generally just looking at change.
John: For me my mission was to say no to plastics and just work with materials that could go back to the earth such as glass, ceramics, textiles, sourcing in a local way, with short supply chains. It’s also not just what they make but how we package things too. It’s not only developing products but how we develop packaging too.
