MADE10 - Brighton's Design & Craft Fair: 19-21st Nov

This week MADE10 takes place and so today I am going to hand you over to another guest poster - Jon Tutton - to give you the insider's guide to the Design & Craft Fair...

MADE – Brighton’s Design and Craft Fair is now five year old, and is a continuation of the Brighton Art Fair, founded from our desire to help promote innovative makers and designers and to champion the best in craft and design. Pretty much that's what has happened; we've been able to attract some of the best makers in the country and the show has always been very well attended with many visitors using MADE as their main opportunity for buying unusual, beautiful Christmas presents that can't be found in the usual High Street shops or just taking the opportunity to browse the beautiful work and buy for themselves.

This year we're looking forward to seeing; Barbara Keal's animal hats, made from felted wool sourced from the Downs; Kate Fishers ceramics inspired by the colours and shapes of the sea and landscape of her home in East Anglia and the quirky silver and the acrylic jewellery by Helen Noakes featuring characters trapped in resin - swimmers in a ring or a polar bear in a frosty white bracelet.

There’s a lot to see (110 stands) and everything exhibited is designed by and mostly made by the makers. All prices are catered for from notebooks, mugs and teatowels at the lower end of the price bracket to furniture and silverware at the upper end.

Over our 5 years we've finally seen the fusty image of 'craft' starting to change - more people are 'making' themselves, knitting on the bus into work or altering or making clothes. More people are appreciating the design and craft skills of makers and many people are turning their backs on mass-produced objects opting instead for objects that carry the personality of the maker.

MADE10 has again teamed up with Brighton and Hove Museums to fund a £1000 award to purchase or commission innovative work to go in Brighton and Hove Museum's collection.

For more information please go to www.made10.co.uk