WEST DESIGN cover_ADS 19/04/2018 17:21 Page 1 £3.50 ISSUE 131 MAY 2018 CraftBusinesswww.craftbusiness.com The leading trade title for the craft industry INTERVIEW TRENDS CROCHET Enter What’s setting Who casts the stationery their influence dragon on fire? over you? P22 P20 P13 2 NEWS Welcome z Mark Hayhurst z @craftbiz z
[email protected] z As a craft industry journalist, it’s important for me to become entrenched within the industry. It’s part of my job to know the pressures and motivators within our sector that drive every business owner, from the large manufacturers and distributors, right the way through to the bricks-and-mortar high street craft shop. Sometimes, however, it can be a breath of fresh air to momentarily get a glimpse at how the wider world sees our industry, and that was an insight I was offered when I was invited to speak on BBC Breakfast for their business segment. We filmed at the Creative Craft Show at the ExCel London and the Beeb talked about how booming the UK’s creative industries were, how we’re seeing an upsurge in younger generations taking up craft as an antidote to screen time and how suddenly, the area we’ve all been working in for years is really rather… well, cool! And it’s not hard to see why. Craft works hand-in-hand with BBC Two announces trend-creating social media, allowing makers to reach out and connect with others for advice and inspiration, or often, just to show off their brilliant projects.