Ten Crafts Council Directory makers to see at Collect 2025

From opaque glass orbs beamed from Mars to ceramic vases that look like they are crafted from soft marshmallow, contemporary craft has broken free of the beige and wicker ‘quiet luxury’ era of the late 2010s. There will always be space for work that reflects restrained sophistication and tranquillity, but the contemporary craft scene today is also bursting with the dayglow, tactile, kinetic and joyful creativity that cannot be tamed. And you can find this throughout the Directory, our online, free to search directory of over 900 makers, selling works and taking on commissions in a wide range of craft disciplines.

We’re celebrating this with our guide to ten makers from the Directory who are exhibiting new work at this year’s Collect fair. Explore these makers’ incredible works in person – then prepare to be bookmarking their Directory profiles for your early pass at a Christmas shopping list.

Elizabeth Ashdown

Have you ever come across passementerie, the frills, tassels and adornments found on curtains, cushions, and many other soft furnishings? Elizabeth Ashdown is reworking this centuries-old craft, creating striking updates that draw our attention to this often-overlooked medium. Bursting with joy, Ashdown’s work breathes new life into this endangered craft. See her work at stand E10 where she is exhibiting with the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust X Society of Designer Craftsmen.

Steven Edwards

Like the squashy, salty, pillowy allure of Play-Doh, Steven Edwards’ pots look good enough to sink your teeth into (but we probably wouldn’t recommend following through). Throughout his work, the structured boundaries of clay are upended, to reveal vases made from mallow-like tubes that are squashed, stretched and knotted together to form his ridiculously satisfying vessels. Concerned with the material properties of clay, Edward’s work is intentionally littered with traces of the human hand. There’s no way AI could do this. Edwards is exhibiting with Vessel Gallery, E12.

Momoka Gomi

The slow, meditative process of weaving is central to Momoka Gomi’s practice. Concerned with the steady passage of time, the textile artist’s work doubles up as a physical depiction of memory. To Gomi, each strand of cloth tells its own story and is weaved alongside another to create something new. Time and decay are central themes, as the artist purposefully reaches for denim as a fabric that is known for distressing. Gomi is one to watch. Experience her work at stand S7 with NM Art & Design

Rauni Higson

Having just received an MBE for unparalleled craftsmanship and commitment to passing down skills, silversmith Rauni Higson’s name has long appeared within the craft world’s hall of fame. Over the past three decades Higson received numerous public commissions, including the Processional Cross for Liverpool Cathedral, the trophy for Henley Royal Regatta and the Goldsmiths’ Cup for HMS Prince of Wales. All works of contrasting scale, these commissions detail the unending breadth of Higson’s talent. See her silver in person at stand W6, First of March.

Daphne Krinos

Buttery gold, juicy stones, architecturally constructed metalwork – it’s all crammed within the celebrated work of Daphne Krinos. The award-winning jeweller is not far off becoming a household name as one of the leading ladies of contemporary designer-making. Inspired by the rolling landscapes of her homeland, Greece, and the rugged cityscape of London where she now lives and works, her works somehow balance the complex alongside the tranquil, taking cues from the landscapes that have been present throughout her life. Krinos’ jewellery is as much a form of wearable art as it is a self-portrait. Catch her on stand S5, exhibiting with Contemporary Applied Arts.

Hannah Lane

Paper and wood artist Hannah Lane’s practice came about by a happy accident. In 2002, after leaving a book out in the rain, she decided not to discard it, but to get creative with it – a eureka moment. From a distance, Lane’s work may appear to be solid pieces of wood, but up-close, layers of paper begin to reveal themselves. Often whittled and carved at the lathe, Lane uses traditional woodworking techniques to form her solid paper works. Lane is exhibiting with Design-Nation, stand W2.

Jon Lewis

Over the years, glassmaker Jon Lewis has been fascinated by the relationship between glass and metal, to create glistening objects in an array of colours. His Apertura series incorporates recycled glass taken from a television screen. These cosmic eggs are then coated in ground iron to form an opaque, matte lustre, before being attached to their base by a large magnet to give the illusion of floating. His futuristic works appear as if they’ve been plucked straight out of Star Wars, playing with the common depictions and associations of glass as a translucent and delicate medium. Lewis is exhibiting with Vessel Gallery, stand E12.

Christine Meyer-Eaglestone 

Using the age-old process of marquetry, but with a modern twist, Christine Meyer-Eaglestone is known for creating bold, geometric works that bend tradition. Originally training as a cabinet maker, she stumbled across marquetry almost by fate, applying the precision and attention to detail from her former studies to this medium. Inspired by Early 20th century art, such as Bauhaus, Cubism and Constructivism, Meyer-Eaglestone has continued to create objects out of wood that are brimming with the patten, colour and structure of which these movements are famed. Catch her at stand E10 with the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust X Society of Designer Craftsmen.

Zoë Wilson

Carving intricately detailed works out of stone is no mean feat, but sculptor Zoë Wilson takes to this with ease. Crafting delicate orbs and wall sculptures out of tough British stone, Wilson etches in expressive geometric patterns inspired by the movement of nature. Having trained as an apprentice in stonemasonry and letter carving before completing a diploma in Historic Stone Carving, Wilson follows in the footsteps of numerous master craftsmen. Long may this ancient craft continue through this present-day evolution. Wilson is exhibiting with Design-Nation, stand W2.

Maria Wojdat

Starting out as a graphic designer before making the shift to ceramics certainly had a major influence on the work of Maria Wojdat. Her graphic vessels are deliciously pleasing and are all finished in a sherbet-like coating that, much like Steven Edwards’ work, looks good enough to eat. Catch it at stand W8, where Wojdat will be exhibiting with jaggedart.

See all these works at Collect, taking place 26 February – 2 March. Somerset House, London. Get your tickets.

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