Every year Kingdom & Sparrow commission local makers and craftsmen to create sustainable, Cornwall-made, special Christmas gifts for the team.
We worked with Francli Craftwear in 2018 on bespoke backpacks made from reclaimed materials, and last year Falmouth potter Sam Marks created a ceramic coffee set for the team which has proved particularly pleasing throughout lockdown! We always look forward to discovering what has been crafted for us, and this year was no exception.
This year our chosen maker was Ella Griffee, a Falmouth based clothing designer whose focus is slow fashion paired with the ultimate comfort of familiarity. Ella makes all of her clothing to order, and uses either organic or European sourced, natural materials – often sourcing deadstock materials and saving fabric from incineration or landfill.
Ella works with Niall Jones, another Falmouth maker, to source the buttons for all of her shirts. Niall, through his company Benthos Buttons, creates the world’s first buttons that are made by 3D printing a material created from ghost fishing nets found off the Cornish coast. Each button takes 46 times less CO2 to make than a regular nylon one, contributing to Ella’s sustainable ethos.
Each member of the team received a shirt suited to their individual style, and the gift was completed with a merino wool beanie. Betty Paton, who just so happens to be married to Creative Director, Johnny, is a skilled knitter. From scratch, Betty created a beanie for everyone in the studio, all handmade with different colours chosen specifically for different members of the team.
We’re lucky to be surrounded by so many talented creatives in Falmouth, and consider ourselves fortunate to be able to work with them to provide some great presents for the studio. It’s great to see that after a tough year so many small local makers are still thriving, creating amazing products in a sustainable, ethical way.
