Artek Workshop at Vitra

Vitra opens its doors in celebration of the release of the new RIVI fabric from Artek. Hosting a workshop, guests were invited to make their own bags.

Celebrating the launch of the new RIVI fabric from Artek, Vitra hosted a sewing and craft workshop in partnership with Kuku Big Bag at their showroom in Clerkenwell for a lucky selection of guests. The workshop was the perfect opportunity to introduce the new fabric design to guests in an interactive way, combining it with customised leather to create a bag design, made from scratch to take away at the end of the evening. Having very limited sewing skills but a huge passion for textile, I could not wait to get stuck in and discover if I had any hidden talents when it comes to bag making.

The workshop started with a preview of the design that we aimed to replicate, a simple pouch with leather trim that fastened shut, and a demonstration on how to do so. With an option of blue fabric or reverse white, it was time to prepare the fabric for the sewing. I must admit that I am quite terrified of sewing machines, they seem to have two speed settings, extremely slow or incredibly fast so was a little apprehensive to try it out for myself. With expert guidance, however, and a sample sheet to test on, I soon got the hang of things and was ready to try it out the real thing. Sewing complete, it was time to get onto the best bit, adding the fasteners.

The fasteners were added by creating pre punched holes in the leather and fabric for the metal to pass through before being fixed with some very nifty tools. Using permanent fasteners for one side and hitch style for the other (allowing one part of the fabric to attach and detach) we now had a lip for the bag that allowed it to open and close. As simple as that, the main part of the bag had been created and guests were invited to customise their designs by embossing their initials or words onto the leather by lightly hammering metal rods, each with an individual letter to complete the design.

The workshop and evening gave us the perfect opportunity to explore the Vitra showroom and beautiful products on display, from comfortable reclining chairs to a mesmerising collection of clocks to beautifully our homes with. A design in particular that attracted my attention the whole evening was the Nuage vase by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec (top photo of last collection above) Available in three sizes and four colour, this unique vase with eight separate compartments can be mixed and match with other sizes and colours to create "cloud formations" and striking centrepieces.

I would like to thank Vitra, Artek and Kuku Big Bag for the opportunity to experience the evening whilst learning about some incredible products and designs. I will be keeping a keen eye on all that goes on and look forward to discovering more from the brands very soon.

For further information and details on the featured brands, click the links to view the official websites for Vitra, Artek and Kuku Big Bag

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Shannon Bartlett-Smith / Wreath Making Workshop