We Are Makers

A magazine for those who want to learn from the stories of the world best makers, craftspeople, and artists.

We Are Makers

Founders’ Note

Climbing higher • From her early days as a horse-riding enthusiast to conquering ice-covered peaks and ultimately channelling her creative passions into fine art, Kate McKinstry Stylos’s path has been anything but ordinary. Her business, Hyalite Designs, is a testament to the power of resilience and the art of seizing opportunities.

Life in the saddle • Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention – a corollary that rings true for Trent Peterson. A trek along the Pacific Crest Trail while mourning his father revealed a clear and intentional path: Trent would ride his way to making The Wild In Us his full-time career as a saddlemaker while never saying “I can’t”.

Glass house • It was a residency on the remote north coast of Scotland that brought glass artisans Andrea Spencer and Scott Benefield together. He had a small studio in Seattle; she had moved to Belfast after graduating from Edinburgh College of Art. Scott reveals why that encounter has become a model for the life – and work – of Benefield Spencer Glass Shop.

Strong headed • When Jessi Lloyd’s husband, Tristan, was diagnosed with brain cancer, she discovered a new vocation as a hatmaker. Her business’s name, Grey Collective, has dual symbolism: the name Lloyd translates to ‘the grey’ and grey is the colour of brain cancer awareness. Here, she tells us of the healing that can be found in the handmade.

Fire and glass • A chance encounter via a dating agency led Jane Drysdale to a new vocation. Falling in love proved to be a gateway to glassmaking and a passion that has transformed her life and established her business, Barkley Glass.

The story in the clay • From scientist to ceramicist, via advertising, Clara Holt’s route to becoming an artist wasn’t always obvious. Now, alternating between her ceramics studio Fuoco Blu in the centre of Milan, and Studio Ardilla, a second, smaller studio by the sea near Genoa, she shares with us her philosophy of experimentation and artistic exchange.

Tiny treasures • For as long as he remembers, art has been a place where Michael Davydov’s imagination can come to life. Creating tiny versions of the world, his work is now sought after by private collectors all over the globe. He shares how his love of home – while still in the long search for his own – shapes his work.

Beauty and utility • Woodturning is often considered an ‘old man’s hobby’, says Katie Stofel. But this 25-year-old artisan is proving there’s always an exception to any rule. She started her craft as a teenager, and has been developing her skills ever since – demonstrating that when it comes to being an artisan, age very much does not matter.

Style symbols • In the heart of Turkmenistan, where the vast Karakum Desert stretches under the endless sky, a quiet renaissance of ancient craftsmanship is underway. Together with her mum, Shasenem, Jennet Garlyyeva is reviving an ancient craft and sharing it with the world.

Strands through time • Māori weaver, textile maker and clothing designer Hone Bailey specialises in traditional Māori textile-making techniques and contemporary methods adopted post-European contact, primarily using plant fibres. His work draws on a deep understanding of centuries of cultural history, once repressed, now thriving.

Time keeper • Alex Jeffrey, an industry-qualified, conservation-focused clockmaker, specialises in servicing and restoring heritage clocks, a craft many consider near extinction. Originally from Brighton, Alex now resides in South London, close to the studio named The Clockworks.

Goodwood Revival Revive & Thrive • In a small corner of a historic racetrack in the south of England, a group of dedicated...