74. The Crafty Episode with Guy Salter, founder of London Craft Week, and Rosalind McKever, co-curator of Fashioning Masculinities at the V&A

On this week’s episode we hear from Guy Salter about London Craft Week, the capital-wide festival celebrating talented makers from all over Britain and around the globe, opening on Monday 9th May.  We also chat to Rosalind McKever about the extraordinary craft down the ages that’s gone into menswear.  Fashioning Masculinities,  in partnership with Gucci,  is on at the V & A until November and culminates in a celebratory ‘Finale Room’ showcasing three fabulous outfits – the tuxedo gown by Christian Siriano that Billy Porter wore to the Oscars, the Alessandro Michele for Gucci gown and tailored jacket worn by Harry Styles on the cover of Vogue and the Ella Lynch wedding dress worn by Bimini Bon Boulash in Ru Paul’s Drag Race. No-one is more knowledgeable or passionate about the glories of craft than Guy and he provides the perfect guide to all that’s on offer this week, from learning about silk weaving with the Queen of Malaysia to knitting beanies out of upcycled materials.  Along the way, Pimlico Road will be open to all, Design Centre Chelsea Harbour hosts Artefact, an opportunity to meet the makers and much, much more. There will be over 300 events celebrating the capital as the global fulcrum of craft, putting craft firmly in the cultural mainstream and encouraging visitors to have the confidence e to assert their individuality and commission bespoke pieces.