London Craft Week 2026

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Between 11-17 May, a celebration of the finest contemporary British and international craftspeople and their respective disciplines took place in the form of London Craft Week. The capital served as a blank canvas, painting a broad picture of the current scene of craft and what it means to be an artisan. Uniting over 1,000 established and emerging makers, designers, brands and galleries participating from across the globe, the festival aimed to display works free from status or price; rather championing techniques and artistic merit. The Sworders Design team have selected four highlights to share with you.

Paul Smith’s Foundation – British Glass

With a career spanning over 50 years, Paul Smith has devoted his life to the weird and the wonderful. Proudly at the forefront of fashion; his clothing, designs and collaborations have always been accessible, easy to wear and use, with a focus on high quality materials and production methods. For this year’s London Craft Week, Paul Smith’s Foundation displayed an exhibition in his Albermarle Street store on modern British glass. Participants included Jochen Holz, Gather, Emsie Sharp, Stewart Hearn and Bristol Blue. The exhibition aimed to detail the process of each maker through a series of sketches, interviews, in situ studio photographs, and eventually final pieces. The Foundation was set up to advise and foster the careers of other creatives looking to develop their knowledge and skills within fashion and the visual arts through mentoring, projects, consultancy opportunities and grants. Displaying the glass inside the store amongst Paul’s unique clothing, homeware and art collection was inspired, and provided a brilliant context to the works and their relationship with his foundation.

Maak – Contemporary Ceramics and Craft Auction

Few can say they have provided a platform at auction to a single medium like Maak have. 2026 marks their 15th year in the pursuit of bringing the artistry of studio ceramics and contemporary crafts to the world stage. The curated sale took place on 14 May alongside a viewing in Covent Garden which presented works across several mediums such as ceramics, wood, glass, fibre and silver from revered artisans Akiko Hirai, Lucie Rie, John Ward, Peter Collingwood, Hans Coper, Hiroshi Suzuki and many more. In 2022, the Maak Foundation was established which is a charitable organisation dedicated to advancing the understanding of studio ceramics through critical writing, which has been assisted through grants that have funded important publications and non-commercial exhibitions. It was a pleasure to see so many beautiful pieces brought together in the heart of London’s West End. 
 

FiredUp4Clay Secret Ceramics 

In this third edition of the Secret Ceramics sale, the charity sale of anonymous ceramics donated by the makers, is a real treat. 100 established ceramic artists, and new talent, have each donated a piece of work to support FiredUp4’s charitable mission: giving young people a chance to explore creativity, find focus, and discover themselves through ceramics classes in schools. Featuring as part of Sotheby’s Crafted programme, this important sale offers people the opportunity to acquire a new work for their collection with all money going towards a great charitable cause. 

Korean Cultural Centre UK - Icheon and Beyond: The Space Within Form 

Inspired by the idea that a vessel’s true purpose lies in the empty space it holds, the exhibition considers how artists shape not only clay, but also space, balance and meaning. Each work on display is the culmination of a series of carefully made choices, from forming and glazing to firing: order meets chaos. Uniting a whole host of master ceramic artisans and contemporary artists, the exhibition considers the ideas of heritage and modernity through a range of techniques. It is a great exhibition to discover more about the history of South Korean ceramics, and also discover why they are at the forefront of the most avant-garde makers of the moment.

Tuesday 14 July | 10am

design@sworder.co.uk | 01279 817778

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