Future Icons Presents at The Burlington Arcade, Mayfair

It's been too long since we've seen you all, we hope that you and your families have been safe and well during this time period.

With all major events cancelled this year, it's been a tough time for all craft practitioners, designers and artists to survive. Events give us an opportunity to reconnect with new and existing clients and industry professionals for commercial projects.

Although we are unable to showcase at a large event this year, we have however secured a stunning boutique for two months in London's historic Burlington Arcade in Mayfair.

Read on to learn more about who will be showcasing with us and how you can attend our gallery. 

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Located on the Piccadilly end of the arcade, Future Icons will present 14 key craft practitioners across two levels in a beautiful boutique. Comprised of home accessories, jewellery, furniture and wall-based artworks, our makers have created collections from wood, metal, ceramics, textiles and leather.
 

New collections:

Many of the collections on show have been produced exclusively during lock-down, often in make shift home studios. These will be the first public showing of these products, a chance for visitors to view and purchase directly from the store and support the work of luxury craft practitioners.
 

Meet the Maker:

Throughout September & October, Future Icons welcomes visitors to pre book private appointments to meet our artists and makers on show. Within this 1-hour appointment, visitors will learn more about how the artworks have been crafted, the inspirations for the collections as well as a chance to handle works and samples.

Collections on show from:
 

Claire Coles // Jo Davies MA RCA // Judy McKenzie MA RCA // Kate Lewis MA RCA // Katja Angeli MFA RCA // Kei Tominaga MA // Kevin Stamper // Laurent Peacock // Louise Heighes MA // Pipet Design // Rebecca Knott // RHMB // Unit 3 // Zeinhab Harding

Future Icons Presents

1 September - 30 October 2020

Burlington Arcade
Unit 70, 51 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 0QJ

Public opening times
 Tuesday - Saturday: 11am - 6pm

Sunday & Monday by appointment only

To book a private appointment with our makers, please contact Future Icons’ Founder: Louisa Pacifico on +44 (0) 7838 102 031 or via email: louisa@futureicons.co.uk

Below images in alphabetical order:

Interview with Material Source

Future Icons founder speaks to Material Source

Recently, Future Icons founder Louisa Pacifico was invited to to speak to Material Source about craft materials and wonderful people. Read on for a few highlights, full article link can be found at the bottom of this post. Enjoy.

You represent a select collection of Design and craft led businesses, how does this collaborative process works? 

When I launched Future Icons, I noticed a lack of support for mid-career craft and Design-led businesses. There has always been a lot of support for emerging brands, but brands that already have a fully equipped studio in place and a client base looking to upscale or change direction had little resources to refer too.

With this in mind, I first reached out to makers and designers I knew throughout my career and invited them to join for a discounted fee in year one as the concept of a hybrid consultancy and non-exclusive agency took shape.

With regard to accepting new members, the first aspect I look for is a passion for their craft. You can quickly see through the making skills and originality of our member collections that passion for their discipline is at the core of their businesses.

Businesses are welcome to apply for membership; however, clients must meet at least one criteria: Educated to an MA level, collections in museums/ prestigious retailers, or if they have won awards. If they have not met any of these criteria, then potential members are welcome to pitch to me.

I also look at collections and ask myself, 'would I have this in my home?'. I believe that if I aim to pitch and sell collections for my members, I must genuinely love the collections. This is then backed up with provenance they have provided me within their application. Both of these points significantly help me to 'sell my members' for new commercial or private projects.

Following this process, I meet suitable applicants to view works and, most importantly, discuss if we have the ability to work with each other. I have very personal relationships with each and every business; therefore, mutual trust and respect must be in place for membership to be granted.

What's been the highlight in collaborating in this way? Have you learned anything new?

I'm still a firm believer that live events are the best way to show works to new audiences. After the first couple of events I produced at our sister gallery 67 York Street, my members developed faith in my curating skills. A personal highlight for me is having built up their trust in me to display and represent their collections as a collective with and without them being present.

I was particularly proud of the curation at the inaugural 'The Future of Craft' for London Craft Week 2019. It was the first time I could show 17 large scale projects together as one collective. I refer back to my comment of 'would I have this in my home?' as the collections I represent are an extension of my taste, so in my mind, they all sit very well together.

As my members grew in numbers, I have had to learn quickly to be firm yet fair with my event production and curation plans. With limited space, time, and resources, I've had to take the confidence I have built up from previous showcases and assure new members this is the best way to work as a collective.

You're very committed and passionate about supporting both local and international makers and designers. Tell us about this?

I knew for some years, I wanted to launch my own business but lacked the confidence to do so. While at Craft Central, I looked at the 76+ solo business operators, and although many creatives suffer from levels of anxiety, I marveled at their passion and belief within their craft to run their own business/ life.

Therefore, when I decided to launch, I felt it was only right to place as much passion as dedication into my own business as my members do on their own. With regard to local and international designers, I pride myself on not discriminating on location, age, sex, etc. – if the work is strong and they are wonderful people, then I'm happy to represent them wherever they are in the world.

Finally, what are you looking forward to? Do you have any particular ambitions or new plans on the horizon?

Firstly, I simply cannot wait to co-produce The Future of Craft 2020. I'm a key collaborator alongside Design-Nation for Oxo Tower Wharf on this show. I, therefore, invest heavily in ample space to showcase Future Icons' collections during this London Craft Week show. This has currently been postponed due to Covid-19; however, we are hoping to produce it later in the year.

Secondly, a core ambition of mine is to connect with more luxury interior design practices and introduce them to my member skillsets for bespoke commissions. Although I already work with a number of these businesses, there are many more who rely on larger companies who often outsource their designs rather than create the works themselves.

Full article:

www.materialsource.co.uk/louisa-pacifico-founder-of-future-icons-on-craft-materials-and-wonderful-people/

Interview with Cluster Crafts

Future Icons founder speaks to Cluster Crafts

Recently, Future Icons founder Louisa Pacifico was invited to to speak to Cluster Crafts about our membership programme, the current COVID-19 strategy for Future Icons and what we are looking forward to in the near future for their new online journal. We thought we would share a few of the highlights with you here. Enjoy.

Cluster Crafts team is delighted to revisit the idea of a journal with a mission to provide useful information for artists, inspirational advice and insights to the crafts industry. We are excited to relaunch it accompanied by an interview with a truly inspirational, passionate and fearless woman - Louisa Pacifico.

Future Icons highlights a range of design and craft oriented works, what do you look out for when selecting new clients? 

Firstly, I look at passion. You can quickly see through the making skills and originality of our member collections that passion for their discipline is at the core of their businesses.  

Businesses are welcome to apply for membership; however, clients must meet at least one criteria: Educated at to an MA level, collections in museums/ prestigious retailers or if they have won awards. If they not have met any of these criteria’s then potential members are welcome to pitch to me.  

I also look at collections and ask myself ‘would I have this in my home’. I believe that if I aim to pitch and sell collections for my members, I must truly love the collections. This is then backed up with provenance they have provided me within their application. Both of these points significantly help me to ‘sell my members’ for new commercial or private projects. 

Following this process, I meet suitable applicants to view works and most importantly discuss if we have the ability to work with each other. I have very personal relationships with each and every business, therefore a mutual trust and respect must be in place for membership to be granted.

Recently, the creative industries have been hit by the current climate of COVID-19. In times of social distancing, what key advice would you give to designers and craft makers to stay connected and inspired? 

With so much uncertainty during this time, people are naturally spending less on luxury goods. Therefore, I have advised my members to focus on tightening up on their administration, business plans and branding so when we are more economically stable, we can hit the ground running with a stronger focus of desired goals. 

We should also see this downtime a chance to experiment and create by playing with scale, colour, materials, product range and developing new techniques. We are always too busy to allow ourselves to commit working hours to do this, so now is the time to do what creatives do best; create. 

In regards to staying connected, we are lucky that our industry is heavily reliant on social media. I see my members are already turning to Instagram and Twitter to showcase work in progress, updated online shops and personal updates to keep the community turning. It’s important that we keep each other updated, receiving and giving positive comments at this time will help us all cope with our wellbeing. 

I have developed some focused content through the Future Icons Instagram account for them to submit collections for me to promote over the coming months. I have also kept them all up to date with news letters with my personal business support findings and offered them all to stay connected with me through phone, text and skype. 

Craft in some ways can be a practice done in solitude. How do you keep your clients engaged, and is networking within the industry important? 

I created Future Icons with the intention for my members to use me as a soundboard for their day to day business activities. Placing the current global situation aside, it can be lonely working in studio all day by yourself, so I am there for them to brainstorm, discuss a response with a client with or comment on a new project through a quick call or WhatsApp message. Usually my members book in physical 1-2-1s with me at their studios, however we are unable to do this at the moment. So, I’ve been picking up the phone – either to speak to them or a simple text to check in. I also send monthly newsletters to them all with updates, often with homework for them to do too. 

In September, ‘The Future of Craft’ will take place at The OXO Tower for London Craft Week 2020. Any insights to look out for? How will your link with Cluster look like? 

We are super excited to be showing and supporting The Future of Craft again at Oxo Tower Wharf’s Bargehouse site. This year the show will boast over 100 contemporary makers across a plethora of craft disciplines (60 more than last year) and we have expanded the Talks, Workshops and Demo programme for our visitors to interact with too.  

We are focused on community through all aspects of the show, and therefore our commitment to working with local shows like Cluster is important for us so we cross promote educate visitors further on the landscape of craft in all of its formats. We are also very excited to see Cluster member; Patrick Nash’s lighting installation on level three. Visitors will be blown away by this!

Within Future Icons, The Future of Craft showcases brands with a focus on craftsmanship, heritage and innovation. What does the ‘future of craft’ mean to you and how do you see this evolving? 

I like to think my members are ‘The Future of Craft’. They are contemporary living businesses actively developing new collections and techniques year on year. As each business grow, many adopt employees and support internships to pass down knowledge and encourage newer craftspeople to develop businesses of their own.

How do you approach the curation and display of your clients work - what is your source of inspiration? 

This is a very hard question to answer. I do not set themes or ask them to respond to a brief as each business has its own individual business goals for exhibiting through Future Icons.  

Therefore, I ask all clients to submit their new works and ideal location within our 90 sqm room. I then look at a the submitted collections and dissect the concepts, materials, colour pallet, textures, and identify if it’s free standing or wall based. I then look at the visitor experience, often trying to partner complimentary collections together as this often inspires interior designers and buyers for projects.  

This process easily takes me 3-5 full days of work to layout. Once on site, I always tweak the displays as you can always plan on paper but for me it will never be 100% right until I see all the works together. I’m a visual person and need to see works together before I am happy with the curation.  

What feeling do you hope visitors will take away after attending a Future Icons event? 

I want our visitors to be inspired and to gain a further understand of the craft on display. This can be achieved by viewing the piece, but the real enthusiasm and knowledge is created when the visitor meets the craftsperson. I also hope our visitors gain a deeper appreciation of an object, looking at as a piece you buy once, keep, treasure it and hand it down. We have been in a throwaway society for too long now. 

Future Icons at London Art Fair 2020

Future Icons returns to curate The London Art Fair VIP Lounge

London Art Fair showcases museum-quality modern and contemporary art to the capital. The Fair connects the best galleries from around the world with seasoned and aspiring collectors looking to acquire exceptional works, from both internationally renowned artists and emerging artists breaking new ground. 

Last year London Art Fair launched Platform, a new section focusing on a single theme or discipline. For 2020 it will capture the breadth of different artists working in textiles and the growing appreciation of the medium as a beautiful and collectible art form.

To support this Future Icons has chosen 6 leading textile practitioners to create exclusive artworks to be displayed within the VIP Lounge for guests to enjoy and buy. These will be accompanied by a selection of ceramic installations, metal sculptures and wooden vessels. To compliment our collections we are proud to be supported by British furniture manufacturer ercol and Ptolemy Mann Rugs supplied by The Rug Maker.

Participating Future Icons include:

Claire Coles, Elizabeth Ashdown MA RCA, Jo Davies MA RCA, Kate Lewis MA RCA, Katja Angeli MFA RCA, Lee Borthwick MA RCA, Remy Dubibe, Sally McGill and Zuzana Lalikova

Images of works below in alphabetical order.

All collections on show will be available to buy and artists welcome bespoke commissions. To discuss any of our participating clients prior to the show, please contact louisa@futureicons.co.uk

London Art Fair

·        22 - 26 January 2020 (Preview 21 January)

·        Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, Islington, London N1 0QH

·        www.londonartfair.co.uk

·        Tickets: £22, £17 in advance. Full ticket types and prices at: londonartfair.co.uk/tickets.

Future Icons has a limited number of Preview tickets to give away, please register your interest via louisa@futureicons.co.uk if you would like a pair of tickets.

FREE EVENT: Future Icons x The Goldsmiths Centre: 20-22 November

Future Icons: Selling Pop-Up with The Goldsmiths’ Centre

for Christmas 2019 // 20-22 November

For the first time, Future Icons is proud to announce their collaboration with the Goldsmiths’ Centre for a collective selling showcase in the lead up to Christmas 2019. Hand-picked by Future Icons and the Goldsmiths’ Centre, discover beautiful work by design and craft businesses that create the finest jewellery, fashion, fine art prints and interior accessories.

Buy, collect and enjoy their designs, making for an unforgettable Christmas present.

This selling pop-up is open on Wednesday 20 November from 5pm to 8pm (drinks will be served); and on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 November from 12pm until 8pm. 

Alongside this pop-up, there will be a daily schedule of exciting ticketed styling sessions, interesting talks and so much more.

Buy, collect and enjoy their designs, making for an unforgettable Christmas present.

Exhibiting makers will include:

• Catherine Rua • Daisy Grice • David Marques • Ella Fearon-Low • Emily Bedford • Harriet Morris • Ikuko Iwamoto • Jessica Jue • Jo Davies • Judy McKenzie • Kate Lewis • Kevin Stamper • Leo Crane • Leonid Dementiev • PIPET Design • RHMB • Richard McVetis • Victoria von Stein • Zuzana Lalikova

Images below presented in alphabetical order

Register today to attend this unique, free event and we will keep you up to date with what's planned. https://www.goldsmiths-centre.org/whats-on/whats-on-future-icons-selling-pop-goldsmiths-centre/

Future Icons' Buyer's Showcase Returns!

Future Icons Buyer’s Showcase: 9-11 July 2019

Future Icons is pleased to announce the return of their annual ‘Buyer’s Showcase’ client collections at 67 York Street, Marylebone.

All collections on display have been selected for retail consideration with many clients open to discussing bespoke licensing opportunities. A number of showcased pieces suit residential & commercial interior design projects too.

Showcase collections by

Christine Meyer-Eaglestone, Helen Beard, Ikuko Iwamoto, Jo Davies Ceramics, Juliette Sallin, Katja Angeli (profile coming soon), Kei Tominaga, Kevin Stamper, Louis Jobst, PIPÉT & Guest Furniture from Beuzeval

Strictly by appointment between 9-11 July, 10am - 6pm daily Future Icons is happy to host buying teams for brunch, lunch or afternoon aperitif. To book an appointment email: louisa@futureicons.co.uk or call +44 (0) 7838 102 031