Our Makers
We design our collection in our studio in London and work with expert craftspeople around the world who use traditional techniques to bring our designs to life.
We seek out, preserve and transform heritage craft, recasting tradition for a modern audience.
Nurturing narrative is what makes our hearts sing – the colour, culture, provenance, and pattern that come with original pieces. We celebrate those origins, by searching for and forming partnerships with makers around the world, then delivering their hand crafted pieces to your home.
Our Inspiration
-
Caroline’s great grandmother, Lilly de Jongh was a scholar, lecturer and collector of Mesoamerican textiles and craft. Living in Central America in the early twentieth century, Lilly pioneered the studies of local textiles and crafts. A bold and inquisitive woman, Lilly rode on horseback around Guatemala visiting indigenous groups and documenting the techniques, motifs and colours that were specific to their woven textiles.
-
Caroline grew up surrounded by stories of her adventurous "Mamita" and her beautiful textile collection. Before launching Wicklewood, Caroline's spent time in Guatemala where she connected with her relatives and traveled to retrace Lilly's steps and meet with many different groups still weaving around the country.
Wicklewood works directly with weaving cooperatives in Guatemala and Mexico seeking to keep traditions alive.
Textiles
Backstrap Loom Weaving, Guatemala & Mexico
As the name suggests, a backstrap loom is an intricate kind of weaving loom that originated in South and Central America and is operated by hand and attached to the weaver via a strap which fits across their back. Incorporating this ancient weaving technique into the Wicklewood collection was inspired by Caroline’s grandmother – a collector of Guatemalan textiles.
Pedal Loom Weaving, Guatemala & Mexico
The pedal loom is an evolution of the backstrap loom and follows a similar process. This technique can create wider widths and be operated by multiple artisans. First, the warp threads are attached to the loom by hand, then the shuttle is threaded, ready to be passed back and forth with the weft, to create the pattern. Additional details are often added by hand stitching into the fabric.
Embroidery, Senegal
First discovered by Caroline on a trip to Paris during the early days of Wicklewood, CSAO (Compagnie du Sénégal et de l’Afrique de l’Ouest) is a Paris-based design studio working with a West African craft cooperative, CSAO creates beautiful embroidered textiles while supporting native artisan women with training and regular income.
Block Printing, India
Caroline has always loved the lines and quality of Indian block printing, an age-old Indian artisan technique which uses hand carved wooden blocks to print a repeat motif onto cotton. We work with a family run, eco-friendly printing workshop based in Jaipur in Rajasthan which preserves the local printing traditions while upholding safety standards and socially responsible working practices.
Blithfield, Silk Screen Printing, England
An ancient way of printing designs onto fabric, screen printing uses a series of silk screens (one for each colour), masked in certain areas, to force dye through the mesh and transfer a motif onto the base cloth. Caroline spent her childhood in screen printing studios with her mother’s home furnishings company, Blithfield. Wicklewood works with a London based screen printing studio who have been in operation since 1963.
Rugs
Rug Weaving, India
Handwoven by our artisan partners, we work with ancient rug weaving techniques to reimagine traditional designs with a modern twist.
Designed in our London studio, our rugs are colourful and ornate and brought to life by hand by master weavers who use age-old skills that have been handed down through the generations.
Ceramics
-
Gorky Gonzalez, Mexico
Gorky Gonzalez’s hand painted ceramics are crafted in the artist’s native Mexico and embody the Wicklewood ethos – Caroline fell in love with the collection after hunting for the rooster jugs her grandmother always had when she was a child.
-
Carol Rippon, South Africa
Caroline discovered our best-selling blue and white vases on her honeymoon in 2014. Handmade in South Africa by ceramicist Carol Rippon, each is hand painted in standout dots, stripes and dashes – statement designs, with or without flowers.
-
Italy & Portugal
Inspired by vintage pieces from Caroline's family home, these ceramics were created in collaboration with family workshops in Italy and Portugal where they have been moulding, turning and painting pottery for generations.
-
Uzes, France
Maison Pichon Uzès is an eighth-generation maker based in France. Founded in 1802, it’s much loved for its intricately braided ceramic baskets, which take up to a month to complete, in a careful process of handling and drying.
Glassware
Glassblowing, Mexico & Italy
Our glassware is made in Mexico and Italy. In Mexico we work with expert artisans who have created a sustainable glass blowing project, working with 95% recycled glass and blowing glass in ovens partially fuelled by recycled kitchen oil.
Our Italian glass designs are crafted in the ancient home of glass – Murano – using techniques passed down through many generations.
Reverse glass painting, Peru
Growing up, Caroline’s grandmother’s house was full of artful pieces from all over the world, in particular techniques from South and Central America. Peruvian reverse glass painting is an intricate technique that originated in the 16th century, as the name suggests, the artist paints the reverse side of the glass, layering the paint to create a motif on the opposite side.
Artist Collaborations
-
Natasha Hulse, UK
Shop Natasha's ArtCaroline has known bespoke fabric artist, Natasha Hulse, for years – originally through Blithfield’s work with Firmdale hotels. Natasha draws inspiration from the natural world to create three dimensional artworks which combine hand painting, embellishment, embroidery, applique and upholstery. Her alphabet is exclusive to Wicklewood.
-
Susan Fried, USA
Shop Susan's CollagesCaroline first discovered Susan's work at an exhibition in Boston and fell for her delightful, magical style. Our eight exclusive original pieces and two prints come in loose pairs, incorporating patterns and elements from our collections, all depicted in Susan’s signature layered style and accompanied with whimsical narratives.
-
Luvia Lazo, Mexico
Shop Luvia's ArtCaroline met Luvia at the Xtant artisan fair in Mallorca and fell in love with her evocative, colourful photographs. The award-winning Zapotec artist was born in Teotitlán del Valle, east of Oaxaca City, Mexico. Her unique work explores themes of identity and documents life in Oaxaca through the lens of the contemporary Zapotec woman.
-
Andrea Kashanipour, USA
Shop Andrea's CeramicsCaroline was introduced to Andrea Kashanipour by an American friend and was entranced by her mixing of humour and artistry. The Arizona-based ceramicist crafts imaginative, offbeat pieces she describes as ‘novelty’ – far from gimmicky, Andrea’s deft hand and keen eye for colour ensure each piece is a work of art.
-
Roseus Barbatus, France
Shop Paul's FlowersCaroline discovered the artist behind Roseus Barbatus’ handcrafted flowers on a trip to Paris with her children and instantly fell in love with his spellbinding artistry and the delicate final creations. Intricate works of art, each one takes many hours to craft by hand, creating precious plants which will bloom for years to come.
