Each quarter, we introduce you to the makers and awardees who have taken up studios spaces over the last few months in our NEW FACES Journal series. 8 new makers have joined the Cockpit community since this summer – here are the NEW FACES you need to know about as you plan your visit to Winter Open Studios.
Be sure to check out their maker profiles, subscribe to their mailing lists, and follow them on social media. It’s time to discover your next favourite Cockpit maker!
Ana Del Rio Mullarkey
Ana Del Rio Mullarkey joined Cockpit on the 2024 Leathersellers’ Award. Combining the traditions of leathercraft with modern techniques and processes from other disciplines such as woodwork, metalwork, ceramics and textiles, her brand ANA DEL RIO is characterised by timeless leather garments and accessories with innovative surface techniques. As the winner of the Fashion Innovation Award at Graduate Fashion Week in 2023, she is an emerging maker that leather lovers will want to keep their eye on.
Visit Ana in Studio 301 in Deptford.
Another leatherworker to watch, Ella Boucht also joined Cockpit on the 2024 Leathersellers’ Award. A bespoke leather maker and tailor, Ella runs their own studio practice, working with private customers and collaborating with institutions and artists, including The Charleston Trust, Helsinki University and artist Eve Stainton. Ella’s work aims to expand the boundaries of queerness and gender, providing a space for trans and queer people to thrive. All of their pieces are handcrafted and use locally sourced leathers from small factories and ethical suppliers in London.
Visit Ella in Studio 107 in Deptford.
Ella Merriman joined Cockpit on the 2024 Basketmakers’ Award. She works predominantly in rush, a traditional basket weaving material, to create pieces that she describes as being ‘love letters to Mother Nature’. With ambitions to bring rush to the forefront of the public’s attention and ensure that knowledge of rush is passed down to the next generation, her brand Studio Merriman is the perfect place to find unique handwoven baskets, homewares and art pieces.
Visit Ella in Studio E2M in Bloomsbury.
Kathryn Tomasetti joined Cockpit on the 2024 Dyers’ Award. She is a sustainable handweaver, natural dyer and eco-printer and the founder of Botanical Weaves, a textile business where she creates high-end baby carriers and one-of-a-kind all natural scarves, yoga and lap blankets. Kathryn hand dyes all her locally sourced fibres using traditional natural dye plants that she grows organically in an allotment, including woad (a traditional British blue dye) and goldenrod, and other ethically foraged plants.
Visit Kathryn in Studio E2M in Bloomsbury.
Leonie Edmead joined Cockpit on the 2024 Clothworkers’ Award. She is a textile designer and weaver, working primarily with West Indian Sea Island Cotton – one of the rarest cottons in the world with deep historical ties to her Caribbean heritage. Leonie’s work is often an exploration into how Caribbean identities and stories can be captured and woven in an array of materials, colours and forms and transformed into beautiful textiles.
Visit Leonie in Studio 213 in Deptford.
Megan Leech
Megan Leech joined Cockpit on the 2024 Clothworkers’ Award. Megan is a textile designer, weaver and fabric developer who uses both hand and digital weaving to create and narrate dialogues between the body and space. Through her work, she asks questions about the importance of interactions within the mundane, providing alternative perspectives on the everyday.
Visit Megan in Studio 214 in Deptford.
Nick McMillan joined Cockpit on the 2024 Basketmakers’ Award. He has worked with tree barks for over 20 years, harvesting the raw materials myself from local woodlands, in harmony with woodland management plans. Drawing inspiration from science, mathematics and the natural world, Nick’s work combines traditional craftsmanship with a zeal for the outdoors, inviting you to immerse yourself in the wonders of the woodlands and join the vital mission of preserving them for generations to come.
Visit Nick in Studio 305 in Deptford.
Ruby Smith joined Cockpit on the 2024 Clothworkers’ Award. Ruby is a textile artist and weaver whose passion for experimentation can be seen in her unconventional and playful work, made primarily using wool and re-purposed yarns. With a practice heavily influenced by her background in photography, she employs a hands-on approach in her practice, using traditional handcraft techniques such as hand embroidery and felting, as well as brushing, hand tufting and hand dyeing.
Visit Ruby in Studio 214 in Deptford.
Read our NEW FACES Journal series here.
Explore the complete directory of Cockpit makers here.
