Kingdom & Sparrow:
Celebrating local makers at Christmas
CELEBRATING MAKERS AT CHRISTMAS
At Kingdom and Sparrow we love to celebrate the amazing plethora of local makers, craftspeople and artists we have here in Cornwall. In 2018 we came up with a way to both give a heartfelt thank you to our team for all the hard work they’ve put in over the year, while also creating an opportunity to collaborate with local markers we admire. Thus, our K&S Christmas tradition of gifting bespoke, handmade local gifts was born!
Now we’re into our sixth year of celebrating local makers at Christmas, we thought it was time to revisit the gifts of Christmasses past. We wanted the presents to not only be bespoke and beautiful, but also practical and useful wherever possible, so they can be enjoyed for many years to come!
2018: Francli Craftwear
Francli Craftwear hand make collections of function-led workwear using entirely repurposed materials. In 2018 we asked Ali Goodman to make our team a selection of versatile bags. She set about designing and creating us an amazing array of rucksacks and a holdall using durable and beautiful army surplus fabric. Each bag was handcrafted to suit the needs of the wearer, which we provided to Ali by supplying her with a short bio for every team member!
As Ali said: “Their vision was to create a unique pack for each team member, inspired by their character and tailored to their personal interests. By secretly compiling a small bio of each person, they handed over a brief for 9 bags. A great show of employer gratitude and generosity, planning months in advance to do something truly special for the dedicated people who work passionately for their studio.”
Read Ali’s journal to find out more: The Kingdom & Sparrow Collection
2019: Sam Marks Ceramics
For Christmas 2019 we approached talented local potter Sam Marks Ceramics to create a collection of bespoke ceramics for each of our team. Sam specialises in wheel-thrown ceramics which are heavily influenced by nature and the British environment. His pieces have a strong focus on function and form, leading to his signature utilitarian style. We gave each of the team a plate, pouring carafe and two beakers, which we knew would be a particular hit with the enthusiastic coffee drinkers in our studio!
2020: Ella Griffee Shirts
In 2020 we approached local maker 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 dead-stock materials and saving fabric from incineration or landfill. Each member of the team received a linen shirt, suited to their individual style. 2020’s gift was completed with a hand-knitted merino wool beanie, made by local maker Betty Paton, in individually chosen colours.
2021: Illustrated Team Portraits by Bex Bourne
For Christmas 2021 we worked with Falmouth-based artist and illustrator, Bex Bourne to create bespoke artworks for each member of the team. Bex uses gouache, colouring pencils and whatever else she has to hand to make her beautifully characterful collages. She often uses spacers between paper layers to create dynamic 3D scenes for book illustrations, or ‘tiny room’ artworks.
We asked Bex to produce a bespoke portrait of every team member doing something that represented their interests and lifestyle. She included the team’s families and beloved pets making the resulting 10 portraits a wonderful time capsule for everyone to enjoy for years to come.
2022: No Ambition Surf Club
In 2022, we asked local maker Lee Garrathy to design and hand-sculpt a collection of wooden belly boards for the team. Lee is a professional boat builder by trade and his expertise across the watercraft world is clearly demonstrated in the techniques he uses to create his wooden surfing and bodyboarding products. He started ‘No Ambition Surf Club’ with an idea to make watersports and sea swimming more accessible to everyone. Each of the team was given a handmade, colourful board made of eco-conscious material and
couldn’t wait to hit the beach and try them out in Cornish waters!
Check out our wooden boards here: Lee’s K&S collection
2023: EOT Ceramics
This year we’ve approached Falmouth-based ceramicist Emily Olivia Tapp of EOT Ceramics, to create some of her beautiful hand-thrown coffee mugs and a lidded coffee jar for each of the Kingdom & Sparrow team. As the commission neared completion, we had the pleasure of visiting Emily in her studio to find out more about her creative journey. Read the full interview here.
