HANDCRAFTED BY THE WORLD

Traditional Christmas shopping is being turned on its head this winter at SoShiro gallery in London. Handcrafted by the World is a high-end pop-up market featuring work from over 20 global makers, with refreshments produced by Fair Shot, a local café that employs young people with learning disabilities.

Ceramics, textiles, metal and glass work carefully curated by founder Shiro Muchiri herself will be available for discerning shoppers, all with a price tag of under £500 and all crafted by hand. The work of the makers represents a wide range of cultural perspectives and materials from countries including: Jordan, Kuwait, Colombia, USA, Germany, Greece, Brazil, Denmark, Mexico, Estonia and the UK.

Gift hunters can give themselves a boost while shopping from coffee produced by Fair Shot, a social enterprise that supports and trains young people with learning disabilities to increase their employability. ​ Fifty percent of the £12 entry fee to “Handcrafted by the World” goes to Fair Shot.

A series of workshops will also be taking place at SoShiro with some of the makers themselves – for details please refer to the SoShiro website.

Here’s some examples of the sorts of pieces that will be available to buy:

Graphic designer turned ceramics, Alex Roby lives on a farm in Washington, USA and creates vessels from stoneware with textures inspired by the natural world.

Kallia Panopoulou is based in Athens, Greece and studied product design at Central St Martins. Her work in clay is inspired by natural elements from the seabed.

Juan Mirrón was born in Bogotá, Colombia, in 1994, Mirron studied political science and fine arts at Universidad de Los Andes, where he encountered ceramics for the first time. His academic background as a political scientist has influenced his approach to his ceramics and its connection to Colombian culture.

Kuwaiti product designer, Kawther Alsaffar attained her BFA in Industrial Design from Rhode Island School of Design, and her MA in Design Products from the Royal College of Art in London before setting up Studio Saffar in Kuwait. ​ The studio produces metalwork, woodwork and printing using traditional processes.

Jeanett Knipschildt designs and hand-weaves contemporary, acoustic, and sustainable art using 100% Merino wool sourced from Europe. Each piece is carefully handmade in Denmark and displayed on either recycled metal or wood, reflecting her commitment to sustainability.

A SELECTION OF THE COLLABORATING CREATIVES:

Alex Roby Design (USA)

BOI (Germany)

Demif Gallery (UK)

Grey Flannel (UK)

Heiter X (Estonia)

Jeanett Knipschildt (Denmark)

Kallia Panopoulou (Greece)

Luiza Caldari (Brazil)

Mirrón Studio (Colombia)

Preston Fitzgerald Arts Advisory (UK)

SNC Design Studio (Jordan)

SOTA (UK)

Studio Ayres (Mexico)

Studio Saffar (Kuwait)

Treasures of Brazil (Brazil)

Wick & Tallow (UK)

About Shiro Muchiri and SoShiro Gallery

Beginning her career in her native city of Nairobi, Shiro Muchiri immersed herself in the bustling environment of a successful design studio before traveling to Milan to formally train in design. In 2002, Muchiri launched Interni Design Studio, where, as an interior architect she led a team in London designing residential and workspace environments for exacting, international clients. While working on her own collection of furniture and accessories she became passionate about the process of making and how craftsmanship, design and art have the power to communicate heritage. Muchiri set out to provide a space where contemporary designers and artists can share their local, traditional stories. SoShiro’s headquarters lends itself perfectly to hosting a variety of different event formats, from pop-up installations to product launches.

For further press information, and images contact Friends & Co: alexandra@friendsandco.co.uk AND belinda@friendsandco.co.uk