The Review: Renegade Craft Fair, London

Apologies that it has taken a wee while to get this blog post up. It has warranted some pondering before posting.

So on Sunday September 16th I went to the Renegade Craft Fair (hereon RCF) and it was...

...ermmm...
...Ok.

The pondering was necessary to work out just why it was only an "ok" on my personal scale of enthusiasm.

I think I may have been envisaging more of a fest for the imagination, with stall holders as purveyors of inspiration, providing materials and ideas which visitors could then take away and create their own projects of delight.

And it wasn't quite that. Imagine some clever science boffin had extracted Folksy from the intermeweb and made it tangible. And as Folksy was the RCF's main sponsor, I suppose it was appropriate it should be thus; 

A market where you could buy stuff.

Granted it was some interesting and desirable stuff made by the people who were selling it. Fewer air miles, support of local economy and British designers and all that.

And amongst this stuff were some lovely jewellery, witty prints, gaucho leather goods and the occasional textiley objet d'art. Which is fine. I acquired a couple of bits and bobs myself and as, you know, I'm one for a good market or fair or charity shop bargain.


But this market was on Brick Lane on a Sunday. 

Brick Lane on a Sunday. This photo doesn't do justice to the mighty flood of humanity that throng this stretch of London but you get a hint of the busyness.

I'd already passed through Spitalfields Market en route and was already feeling slightly overwhelmed already by sparkly trinkets. Underneath the RCF in the Truman Brewery was the weekly Sunday Up Market. This sells jewellery, prints, leather goods and the occasional textiley objet d'art.

Less than a 5-minute walk north up Brick Lane and - still part of the Truman Brewery complex - is the Backyard Market, which sells jewellery, prints, leather goods and the occasional textiley objet d'art.

Continuing north one reaches Columbia Road. Yes, the main emphasis is flowers but there are a lot of stalls on Ezra Street and in the shops around that sell jewellery, prints....

You see where I'm going with this? There's just an awful lot of people selling "craft" along this stretch of East London at the weekend. And the RCF didn't stand out much from a very busy crowd.

I think what I found slightly uncomfortable was the RCF's emphasis on consumption and not enough about making. Maybe next time there could be a few more indie wool dyers, jewellery kit makers and scrapbook "how to-ers" to complement all the other stuff. Really, how much Tatty Devine (whose shop is ALSO on Brick Lane) -inspired bling does one need in one's life?

I want the inspiration, the tools and kit to make my own bling.
(Images: Zoë F. Willis)

Renegade Craft Fair - London

It looks like I've a free Sunday looming so I'll probably wander through Columbia Road Market to gather some blooms. I'll then amble along Brick Lane, indulging in the various tasty delights the street food scene has to offer, before reaching my ultimate destination of the Truman Brewery.

Within I shall find Renegade Craft Fair.

  

I'm a little bit excited about what delights will be on offer. However, it's going to be a big ask to top the fabulousness of the Kitsch and Stich Fair in Cranbook.

London: get your game on!

(Image: Renegade Craft Fair) 

Kitsch and Stitch Vintage Makers' Fair

It's great to get out of London. Reveling in the fresh air of the countryside, enjoying the restorative effects of a bucolic escape and all that. 

It's even better when you come across a sign like this:

Which is what I did whilst pottering about the market town of Cranbrook in Kent.

And so I sped towards the Vestry Hall, followed the bunting-bedeck'd stairs (lashings of bunting is always a good sign in these instances) until I entered this happy space:

The Kitsch and Stitch fair was in full swing. Four times a year the Vestry Hall is host to this free event, providing an opportunity for local creative businesses to show their strictly vintage wares and craft skills to an appreciative audience. There's also a fantabulously decadent cake stall, the proceeds of which go to support the Hospice in the Weald.

You can imagine the sort of thing; retro fabric, mid-century crockery and handmade goods accompanied by the best sausage rolls and fairy cakes this side of Maidstone. 

There's probably a missing Canto of Dante's out there, somewhere, describing such a thing in a circle of the Paradiso.

Debbie Good - one of the organisers (of the fair, not Dante's renowned tour of Heaven) - has a stall displaying the wares from her own company, Pretty Goods. Embroidered linen napkins and tea towels are resurrected as utterly desirable pin cushions, scissor cases and - my favourite - geek chic iPad sleeves smothered in blowsy tea roses. What a cunning way of cocking a snoop at all those minimalist techie types.

However in order to cock said snoop all I need is an iPad to encase with said vintage floral print cover. * sigh *

Amongst the other stall owners, I was particularly taken by Home Front Vintage. You can buy cards made from old Brownie badges.

This is witty genius and the card poses a profound question about the times in which we live... I sense an academic niche that needs filling with a PhD.

In addition the suitably make-do-and-mend attitude of Home Front Vintage provides a second life to otherwise damaged books and maps from the 1930s and 40s. Linen backed folding maps are reformed as bunting with a twist whilst the maps that RAF fighter pilots carried on raids have become notebook covers.

Technically interesting and great fun were the embroidered pictures of Miss Violet Vintage.  My first thought was that these were free-machined objects of desire but this mother daughter team actually hand embroider each piece. Mother Tracy has a background in illustration rather than textiles and the pieces' graphic qualities do smack of David Downton. But made with thread rather than ink. Love it.

House Martin produced some highly entertaining toys and decorative bits and bobs in an astounding array of patterns and hues. Until I spotted their wares I didn't know that my life was devoid of startled aliens and pirate gingerbread men, and thus all the poorer for it. This lacuna will be filled by Christmas.

Speaking of which, the next fair is on Saturday December 1st 2012. Fancy a jolly to the countryside to stock up on Christmas presents, support the economy, local creative types AND enjoy an astounding amount of home made cake, safe in the knowledge every penny is helping the Hospice in the Weald?

Yes, I thought you might.

(Images: Zoë F. Willis)