Above: Crafty Fox Market, photography by Yeshen Venema
ARTS THREAD speaks to Sinead Koehler Founder of Crafty Fox Market about starting your design studio and key tips for new graduates. Interview by our Craft industry specialist Jacqui Rudd.
Crafty Fox Market has been shaking up the traditional craft fair scene since 2010. Their founder, Sinead Koehler, ensures that their creative community remains at the heart of everything they do. They support independent makers with opportunities to showcase and sell their work at quality markets in a variety of brilliant venues. Over the past nine years, Crafty Fox Market has supported 100's of designer-makers and artists in selling their work.
ARTS THREAD: How did you start Crafty Fox Market?
Sinead: I started Crafty Fox Market in 2010 - it's grown very organically since then. My professional background is in events and communications. I started making jewellery around 12 years ago and began selling on Etsy and at markets around London. I'm really passionate about makers and I noticed that there was a lack of community at some of the events I was attending as a seller. I decided to host a one-off Christmas Market at the Dogstar in Brixton which went really well.... everyone wanted to know when the next one was! After the birth of my first child in 2012, I decided to give the markets a go full-time to see if I could make it work and grow the business. It's been a wonderful journey mainly due to the talented community of artists and makers that we support. I now work with a small team and we host markets all over London including our regular monthly residency at Mercato Metropolitano in Elephant and Castle.
ARTS THREAD: What has made you so passionate about supporting craft makers?
Sinead: I love the creativity and the fact that our makers put so much of themselves into their products. Often at markets, traders arrive looking like their products in some way! For example, they may be dressed in a similar print or colour palette to their products. The best products are often the ones which are a true reflection of the maker's personality. It's really hard being a maker running a tiny business and making it work and I believe makers need all the support they can get. It's so much more rewarding (& fun!) for shoppers to buy from an independent maker rather than a chain store and it's my job to make sure as many shoppers as possible support our makers through events like Crafty Fox Market.
Above: Crafty Fox Market, photography by Yeshen Venema
ARTS THREAD: What is exciting you right now in the creative industry?
Sinead: I think creativity is more valued in society than in previous times and there are more career paths open to those who are creatively inclined which is good news. From a product perspective, consumers are more interested than ever in the provenance of their purchases which is good news for independent makers. Although consumers seem to be buying less, the trend seems to be towards buying better quality items with a story attached.
ARTS THREAD: What are your future plans for Crafty Fox Market?
Sinead: Next year we are celebrating 10 years of Crafty Fox Market. We will be making some short films to celebrate and are looking forward to hosting a big celebratory party in the summer!
ARTS THREAD: What are your key tips for new graduates looking selling work at a market for the first time?
Sinead: Visit markets in advance and look at the way makers display their products. It can be helpful to practice you set-up at home in advance of the market. You should have prices clearly marked on the products - make sure your have worked out your pricing properly to account for all your costs. We have put together a guide to market trading which might be helpful - found here: www.craftyfoxmarket.co.uk/ultimate-guide-to-preparing-for-a-market
Find Crafty Fox Market next at:
Sunday 15th December at The Crossing, Granary Square, Kings Cross. This is their biggest market yet with 110 traders taking part. For listings: www.craftyfoxmarket.co.uk/market-dates/december2019-the-crossing
If you can't make the markets, check out their online directory of artists and makers found here: www.shoppingwithsoul.co.uk
ARTS THREAD: Thank you Sinead! We wish Crafty Fox Market every success!
ARTS THREAD speaks to Sinead Koehler Founder of Crafty Fox Market about starting your design studio and key tips for new graduates. Interview by our Craft industry specialist Jacqui Rudd.
Crafty Fox Market has been shaking up the traditional craft fair scene since 2010. Their founder, Sinead Koehler, ensures that their creative community remains at the heart of everything they do. They support independent makers with opportunities to showcase and sell their work at quality markets in a variety of brilliant venues. Over the past nine years, Crafty Fox Market has supported 100's of designer-makers and artists in selling their work.
ARTS THREAD: How did you start Crafty Fox Market?
Sinead: I started Crafty Fox Market in 2010 - it's grown very organically since then. My professional background is in events and communications. I started making jewellery around 12 years ago and began selling on Etsy and at markets around London. I'm really passionate about makers and I noticed that there was a lack of community at some of the events I was attending as a seller. I decided to host a one-off Christmas Market at the Dogstar in Brixton which went really well.... everyone wanted to know when the next one was! After the birth of my first child in 2012, I decided to give the markets a go full-time to see if I could make it work and grow the business. It's been a wonderful journey mainly due to the talented community of artists and makers that we support. I now work with a small team and we host markets all over London including our regular monthly residency at Mercato Metropolitano in Elephant and Castle.
ARTS THREAD: What has made you so passionate about supporting craft makers?
Sinead: I love the creativity and the fact that our makers put so much of themselves into their products. Often at markets, traders arrive looking like their products in some way! For example, they may be dressed in a similar print or colour palette to their products. The best products are often the ones which are a true reflection of the maker's personality. It's really hard being a maker running a tiny business and making it work and I believe makers need all the support they can get. It's so much more rewarding (& fun!) for shoppers to buy from an independent maker rather than a chain store and it's my job to make sure as many shoppers as possible support our makers through events like Crafty Fox Market.
Above: Crafty Fox Market, photography by Yeshen Venema
ARTS THREAD: What is exciting you right now in the creative industry?
Sinead: I think creativity is more valued in society than in previous times and there are more career paths open to those who are creatively inclined which is good news. From a product perspective, consumers are more interested than ever in the provenance of their purchases which is good news for independent makers. Although consumers seem to be buying less, the trend seems to be towards buying better quality items with a story attached.
ARTS THREAD: What are your future plans for Crafty Fox Market?
Sinead: Next year we are celebrating 10 years of Crafty Fox Market. We will be making some short films to celebrate and are looking forward to hosting a big celebratory party in the summer!
ARTS THREAD: What are your key tips for new graduates looking selling work at a market for the first time?
Sinead: Visit markets in advance and look at the way makers display their products. It can be helpful to practice you set-up at home in advance of the market. You should have prices clearly marked on the products - make sure your have worked out your pricing properly to account for all your costs. We have put together a guide to market trading which might be helpful - found here: www.craftyfoxmarket.co.uk/ultimate-guide-to-preparing-for-a-market
Find Crafty Fox Market next at:
Sunday 15th December at The Crossing, Granary Square, Kings Cross. This is their biggest market yet with 110 traders taking part. For listings: www.craftyfoxmarket.co.uk/market-dates/december2019-the-crossing
If you can't make the markets, check out their online directory of artists and makers found here: www.shoppingwithsoul.co.uk
ARTS THREAD: Thank you Sinead! We wish Crafty Fox Market every success!