Designer brands celebrate British craftsmanship at London Craft Week

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
May 3, 2017

London Craft Week has opened this Thursday with a string of designer brands and luxury shops including Mulberry, Vivienne Westwood, Mary Katrantzou, Christian Louboutin and Hussein Chalayan taking part in the annual event.

Celebrating British creativity and craftsmanship through a ‘beyond luxury’ journey-of-discovery, the event invites the public to experience how things are made, get a glimpse behind-the-scenes of famous brands and even have a go at learning new techniques.

As part of the programme, luxury fashion brand Mulberry will be demonstrating the making of its iconic handbag styles at its New Bond Street flagship store and Kensington showroom.

"I am looking forward to welcoming guests into our Kensington showroom and presenting some of the talented craftsmen from our two factories in Somerset. We’ll be demonstrating how our iconic bags are made, and introducing brand new pieces from Autumn Winter ’17. This demonstration will also be taking place in our New Bond Street store from 3rd to 7th May,” said the label’s creative director Johnny Coca.

Vivienne Westwood is holding an exclusive haute-couture showcase at its Davies Street store, while a Christian Louboutin artisan from Milan will demonstrate centuries-old Italian leather craftsmanship at the brand’s Dover Street Men’s boutique.

Meanwhile, British/Turkish Cypriot fashion designer Hussein Chalayan will be displaying a deconstructed iconic dress alongside his tools and processes at his Mayfair boutique and Mary Katrantzou will lead a conversation with WWD’s Samantha Conti on her innovative embroidery, creative processes and technical skills.

Further fashion brands and institutions holding events during the week include Loewe, Dunhill, Burberry and Harrods.

London Craft Week runs from 3-7 May.