The New Craftsmen: Discover beautiful British crafts

Co-founder Natalie Melton talks about the challenges facing makers today and the joy of handmade homeware

After working to connect British craftspeople with luxury brands, myself and my two co-founders set up The New Craftsmen to provide a permanent and direct link between the public and makers. My co-founder, Mark Henderson of Gieves & Hawkes and Walpole spotted a gap in the market for an easy way for makers to sell their work. While Catherine Lock, our other co-founder, after years working for high street brands, had begun to question why she was sourcing stock with English themes from Asia, instead of from the wonderful craftspeople we have here. She left her job and went on a road trip around the country to meet British makers. When I met Catherine and Mark, I had been working with the charity Arts & Business, helping to address the disconnect between luxury brands, based on high-quality craftsmanship, with actual craftspeople. Between the three of us we had a network of great craftspeople and retail experience, so we decided to combine everything and open a shop.

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