Creative comeback
Have you ever worn an outfit or made a purchase that you regretted six months later? How about buying into a bout of short-lived hype? Well, a little breathing time can do wonders for your sense of discernment. For me, this is the value of the London Design Festival, which is currently in full swing and runs until Sunday.
The overwhelming quantity of new releases and re-editions shown at Milan Design Week and Copenhagen’s 3 Days of Design, two of Europe’s biggest industry events, are only now filtering through to the UK capital – and that’s a good thing. This is the time to gauge whether new pieces that made a splash a few months ago still hold your attention. Some designs have certainly grown on me since I first saw them in Milan. After the dust settles, the market’s appetite can be better measured – and switching up the location where you’re viewing the work provides fresh context too.
Though London is not necessarily where designs are launched with a big song and dance, this week is still an important date in the calendar for UK buyers and design enthusiasts to see, touch and take a perch on a new chair or sofa. After all, this is a material industry that is better understood in person rather than through a screen. The London Design Festival is also an opportunity for international brands to cast a vote of confidence in the city: MillerKnoll’s new flagship (see below) is proof of the US-headquartered company’s interest in the UK market. Meanwhile many London-based designers, including Paul Smith and Faye Toogood, have been tapped for collaborations with continental firms, while the late Robin Day’s archive is now being sensitively reissued by Danish stalwart &Tradition.
I also wonder if – in this context – the UK’s cultural relevance is once again on the rise, eight years on from the country’s decision to exit the European Union. Maybe we can thank the recently announced Oasis reunion or singer Charli XCX dominating the summer charts for helping to shift the mood. Yesterday, a successful London Fashion Week wrapped up a programme that brimmed with homegrown, independent designers. I’m hopeful that this signals a creative resurgence that will extend to the UK design industry in the years to come. I’ll be asking our Italian and Danish friends at showrooms in Chelsea and Clerkenwell whether or not they agree. Maybe we’ll discuss the vibe shift while wearing khaki parkas and matching bucket hats – an Oasis-inspired outfit that I won’t look back at with regret any time soon.
Grace Charlton is Monocle’s associate editor. For more design and analysis subscribe to Monocle today.
