Hasta La Ideas

Dezeen and MINI World Tour: in this movie filmed during London Design Festival, leading figures from London and abroad explore the pros and cons of working in the city and discuss the threats to its status as one of the major design centres of the world.

“London is the most international and vibrant city there is, probably worldwide,” says Spanish designer Jaime Hayon, who lived in London for three years.

Eero Koivisto of Swedish studio Claesson Koivisto Rune agrees. “It’s truly multicultural in the same way New York is,” he says.

Patrizia Moroso, creative director of Italian brand Moroso, describes the city as “a sort of belly of the world.”

She explains: “Many young people, people from all over the world, are attracted [to the city] because London is open.”

Being an open city is one of the key reasons for its success, argues Kieran Long, senior curator at the V&A Museum.

“London has always been a place that is incredibly tolerant of new things,” he says. “The city is based on immigration.”

Design Museum director Deyan Sudjic agrees. “London is a remarkably successful place for attracting really smart, bright, gifted young designers,” he claims.

However, Sudjic warns that it can also be a difficult place for young designers to start up: “London is a very expensive place to be. You might find yourself migrating right out to the external edges of the city.”

“Production is not the most amazing,” adds Hayon. “You’ve got to travel a lot when you’re based in London and that’s costly and it’s complicated if you’re setting up a business.”

“Many young, fresh designers come from London, but you don’t have many strong brands,” observes Mimi Lindau of Swedish furniture brand Blå Station.

Sudjic agrees: “London has based its success on 150 years of having great art schools,” he says. “[Designers] come to study here and lots of them stay and build a practice, not necessarily based on clients here, but on clients around the world.”

London’s schools are one of the major reasons for the proliferation of architects based in the city, claims Alex de Rijke, co-founder of architects de Rijke Marsh Morgan and dean of architecture at the Royal College of Art.

“We’re spoilt for good schools for architecture here,” he says. “The overly large proportion of architects in London is obviously because the education system has been strong here.”

However, he adds a note of warning: “Schools are coming under threat from a lack of government funding.”

In September, the UK government announced changes to immigration rules that make it more difficult for international students to extend their leave to remain in the country once their course ends.

Long claims the move could endanger London’s status as one of the world’s leading design centres.

“Any political agenda that tries to limit the influx of international students to the UK is a disaster,” he says. “It’s a disaster for the schools, it’s a disaster for design culture here because, let’s face it, there’s no manufacturing here, there’s nothing else. What we are is a crossroads for great creative people.”

He continues: “We should keep London as open a city as it can be.”

See our earlier story on how the UK’s new immigration laws will affect design »

Sudjic agrees that London should not take its position in the design world for granted. “Design is a very competitive process, lot’s of places want to be the design capital of the world,” he says.

“London is a great place to be, but it can’t be complacent. It has to go on being interesting and attracting new people, smart people, and getting them to stay.”

We travelled around London in our MINI Cooper S Paceman. The music featured in the movie is a track called Temple by London band Dead Red Sun.

See all our Dezeen and MINI World Tour movies »
See all our stories about London Design Festival 2013 »

The post “London is a crossroads for
great creative people” appeared first on Dezeen.

News: London design duo El Ultimo Grito have won the London Design Medal “for their exceptional contribution to design”, according to Wallpaper.com.

El Ultimo Grito’s Rosario Hurtado and Robert Feo collected the medal at a ceremony held at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London on Monday night as part of the London Design Festival. Hurtado and Feo won a medal designed by London jeweller Hannah Martin with Pentagram.

The London Design Medal is awarded each year to the figure deemed to made “an outstanding contribution to London and design”. Last year it went to Ron Arad, while Thomas Heatherwick won in 2010. Previous to that the winners were Sir Paul Smith and Marc Newson, with Zaha Hadid winning the inaugural medal in 2007.

At the ceremony, Sir Terence Conran was given a Lifetime Achievement Award while Jane ní Dhulchaointigh, inventor of Sugru, won the inaugural Design Entrepreneur award. Artist Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg won the Emerging Talent award, which was also awarded for the first time this year.

See all our stories about the London Design Festival 2012

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London Design Festival 2011: British company Another Country presents its second range of furniture together with a new chair and collection of accessories at designjunction this week.

Series Two features a dining table, benches, coffee table and sideboard made from ash and walnut with metal detailing.

All the pieces can be dismantled to make transportation more straightforward.

Two young British designers have created new ranges of accessories including Simon Donald‘s desktop tools in lime wood.

Donald has also designed a desk clock that complements the forms of the Series One furniture – see our previous story

Ian McIntyre has created a range of ceramics including a jug, pinch pot, plate bowl and cup.

The pieces explore the properties of different clays including industrial terracotta, stoneware and porcelain.

See all our stories about designjunction here and all the stories about the London Design Festival here.

Here is some more information from Another Country:

Another Country launches a second furniture collection, a chair by Mathias Hahn and a range of accessories at designjunction during London Design Festival 2011.

British firm, Another Country, experts in beautifully hand-crafted, contemporary wooden furniture, will launch their Series Two collection this September, alongside two new ranges of interior accessories.

designjunction, an exhibition of the best of contemporary design, will be held in an exclusive central London location. Here Another Country will display an extensive range of products, including new launches and pieces from their acclaimed first collection.

Building on the success of their Series One collection, Another Country celebrates its first anniversary with the launch of Series Two; this collection of furniture is a purposeful departure from the aesthetic of Series One. It is constructed from pale ash and rich walnut, with metal detailing, and makes use of clean, angular shapes. Although different in form, Series Two upholds the values of the brand and is therefore a further celebration of quality craftsmanship; the series, just like Series One, is hand-made in Another Country’s Norfolk and Dorset workshops. Series Two is also cleverly designed for easy transport: all leg systems fold inward, trestle-style, whilst the sideboard can be dismantled and flat packed. The new range of furniture includes a dining table, benches, a coffee table and sideboard.

After a long period of careful development, Another Country is very pleased to introduce its first chair. The chair has been designed to complement the Series One collection of furniture and has been designed by young German design talent Mathias Hahn. Hahn is renowned for his functional yet playful approach to product design and has achieved a wonderful chair for Another Country that is robust, functional yet equally charming and individual. Mathias has previously collaborated with Another Country on the design of Desk One and Bar Stool One.

In a move intended to extend their offering to objects for the home, two new accessories ranges are being launched at designjunction, both of these are designed by young British designers and both are manufactured in the UK.

Simon Donald has designed a handsome and hard-working desktop accessories range that consists of a pen holder, a tape dispenser, an eraser pot and a pencil sharpener. The range is made of lime wood in a Welsh workshop. Simon has also designed a Series One-inspired desk clock that will be presented alongside the desktop accessories.

The second accessories range consists of a beautiful pottery collection designed by Ian McIntrye. Designed, crafted by hand and fired in Ian’s kilns in Hackney, East London, the range is a carefully considered reworking of traditional, functional, table top ceramics. The collection is made up ofindividual pieces that each explore the qualities of different clays. It includes a jug, pinch pot, plate, bowl and cup. The clays used include industrial terracotta, stoneware and porcelain. The collection is a fine interpretation of Another Country’s concern with contemporary craft; each piece is entirely hand-made, multi-functional and designed to endure, both stylistically and practically.

Visit Another Country at designjunction from 22 to 25 September 2011. Victoria House Basement, 37-63 Southampton Row, London, WC1B 4DA

See also:

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Woodware by Max Lamb at Gallery Fumi	Furniture by Resident at designjunction	Interview: Assemblage 1 by Toogood