8 May, 2025 Ahead of London Craft Week, the founder of the Future Icons Selects showcase tells Molly Baker why the industry needs to work together more. Against a troubling backdrop of rising costs and factory closures, London Craft Week (LCW) comes to the capital from Monday. For Louisa Pacifico, it’s an opportunity for the industry to come together and tackle the threats facing craft makers across the country. Her agency, Future Icons, supports the growth of craft-led artisans, and its annual showcase, Future Icons Selects, is set to be one of the largest gathering of artisans at LCW. The free show has relocated to a new venue in Shoreditch for its third outing this year. It will display the work of over 50 craft makers from a range of disciplines, including ceramics, textiles, metalwork and fine art. “Other craft events are either gallery focused or it’s like a booth where you’re selling your wares,” explains Pacifico. “My show isn’t about selling wares – if they make sales, that’s brilliant – but it’s a showcase of their contemporary collection.” Catalin Filip’s Melo Lamps, part of this year’s Future Icons Selects. Photo by Jorge Antony Stride. The showcase takes place against a difficult backdrop for the craft industry, with multiple closures in recent years. Royal Stafford, a pottery firm in Stoke-on-Trent with over 200 years of manufacturing history, went into liquidation in February. This followed other closures in the Potteries, including Dudson in 2019, Wade Ceramics in 2023, and Johnson Tiles last year. “We need to educate interior designers and brands that these craft makers aren’t just jobbing craftspeople,” Pacifico explains. “They’ll often get people coming to them asking, ‘Can you make me X amount of vases like this?’ when that’s not their design. “So the loss of those factories – where they can accommodate those very specific designs – is going to have a knock-on effect for the craftspeople, because they’re artists in their own right.” These closures are concerning for the craft world, but they’re a sign of wider threats facing the industry, such as the turbulent economy and the unstable costs of materials. “It’s really hard for jewellers, for example, because the price of gold fluctuates all the time, so galleries can’t afford to buy them wholesale,” Pacifico explains. “The jeweller has to purchase it, make it, put it in a shop, and hopefully sell it within six months.” Amid these struggles, Pacifico hopes to support craft makers by offering a space for craft makers to show their designs, and attract private collectors, galleries, brands, and interior designers. Selfish Customs’ Owlet Stool, part of this year’s Future Icons Selects Selfish Customs’ Pink Chair, part of this year’s Future Icons Selects Selfish Customs’ Owlet Stool, part of this year’s Future Icons Selects The showcase is kept affordable as Pacifico works with venues that “understand her ethos” and provide support. But the whole industry needs to do more, Pacifico believes, to uplift each other. She thinks the solutions begin at the grassroots level, and craft communities should be offering more support to their peers. This could take the form of big brands donating space in their showrooms, or woodworkers or leather sellers giving material for people to experiment with. “It’s easy to say, ‘We need more funding for everything.’ But we as a community should start working together, and start collaborating and doing more affordable shows in the right time period,” she explains. “Let’s work together first, rather than appeal for money from the government, because the government’s stretched,” she says. “And together we could work out solutions to make these businesses financially sustainable.” This support isn’t only essential for up-and-coming craft makers – even established artisans are feeling the pressure. “When I set up Future Icons, I saw there were a lot of people 10 to 30 years in the industry that weren’t getting any support from anywhere, which is really tricky for them,” Pacifico says. 2023’s Future Icon’s Selects. Photo by Dan Weill. Pacifico believes that taking part in shows like Future Icons Selects leads to private commissions and brand work. Fung+Bedford, for example, a design studio which creates architectural origami paper installations, went on to work with a leading Danish lighting brand after taking part in a showcase. Other clients have recently completed projects with brands like Penhaligon, Diptyque, and Molton Brown. Pacifico says she supports the 50+ artisans she works with by, “listening to them, finding out who they are, and what’s going on in their lives.” The key, she says, is to respond to those specific concerns and challenges, “rather than just saying, ‘This is what you need to do’.” “We should all just be working a bit more closely together as organisations, and putting the artists first,” she says. This community spirit, and creating an affordable and accessible environment for craft makers, is what drives Pacifico. “You can’t just crack a whip and say – keep making, keep sharing, keep spending money,” Pacifico says. “Let’s do it a little bit more sustainably.” Future Icons Selects runs from 15 to 18 May. The Marchmont Workshop’s Canopy Chair, part of this year’s Future Icons Selects 2023’s Future Icon’s Selects. Photo by Dan Weill. 2023’s Future Icon’s Selects. Photo by Dan Weill. Victoria Loyola’s ceramic lamps, part of this year’s Future Icons Selects. What to read next Design firms step up as Saudi beauty industry booms Brand Identity 26 Feb, 2025