Since I moved to London I’ve been really REALY missing crafting and creating. It’s been months since I picked up a glue gun, found sequins in usual places or scraped paint underneath my nails.

So you can imagine my delight when last weekend, I literally stumbled upon London’s largest craft fairs, while foraging for food in Brick Lane in Shoreditch.

Noticing a huge line snaking out the door of an unassuming building (The Truman Brewery, I learned) and a large sign with the words RENEGADE CRAFT FAIR I promptly sent my boyfriend home with a bagel and went to investigate.

IT was the stuff of DIYing dreams – a huge warehouse with a stallholders showcasing a dazzling hoard of jewellery, ceramics, stationary, posters, homewares and plush objects, with a modern, edgy flair. And my heart started beating that little bit faster.

After kicking myself quite hard for not bringing my camera, I whipped out my phone and got snapping (so I’ll apologise now for the quality of photos). I relished the chance to tap into the community over here, chat with the vendors, make some new friends and get inspired!

Renegade Craft Fair has been running for thirteen years and pride themselves on “showcasing the best and brightest talents from the modern maker community”.  Starting in the states and bringing the wildly popular fairs across the ditch to the UK a few years ago, in that time  they’ve done a brilliant job of curating a fair full of inspiring, young and progressive talents carving, stitching, yarning their own path.

When it comes to trends, there were defintly some re-occurring themes at Renegade. Here are the new and persisting trends I spotted that we’ll be no doubt seeing a lot more of!

Badges and broaches

Such a wonderful way of turning craft into wearable art!

 

 

 

Illustration

There are so many talented illustrators selling their wares – and what nicer way to have an affordable, unique and beautiful piece of art on your wall?

 

Soft Toys

There were all kinds of huggable animals at the fair!

Tree and bear

 

 

 

 

Terrariums & succulents

It’s never been easier to bring the inside in.

 

Badges

Oh yes, they are back.

DIY Kits

I love DIY kits – they take the hard work out of sourcing materials and are a perfect present for the beginners and experts alike! And there were plenty of inspirational kits on show.

Ceramics and pottery

Time to download Ghost and get some inspiration, because pottery and ceremics are alive and well. So much nicer than plain white plates, no?

 

Animals!!

If you’ve got sharp eyes, you’ve probably noticed another trend – if you’re going to draw, sculpt, yarn or stuff something, there’s no better subject matter than our furry, feathered and scaley friends.! Almost every stall drew inspiration from the animal kingdom, and they certainy make a beautiful subject matter

 

Phew, what an amazing weekend! If you’re inspired, you can find more details on the vendors at RenegadeArtFair.com