Eiko Kawaguchi of Studio A & Co lives and works in Waikuku, North Canterbury, her home for the last seventeen years. From her studio in a heritage mill complex she creates stunning, ethereal jewellery and tablewares in heat resistant borosilicate glass. Her love of glass as a material, and the lampworking method, shines through in her unique, delicate creations.
When Canterbury jeweller Fiona Boeyen of Fantail & Co Jewellery was younger, she wanted to be an archaeologist. How people lived a long time ago – and how they decorated themselves with jewellery – fascinated her. As she grew up, this interest developed into being a jeweller herself, still with a strong interest in history. Fiona enjoys making her distinctive style of earrings, rings and pendants, and loves to meld river stones, sea glass, and semi precious stones into her work.
Nurse and creative stitcher Hannah Bentley of Hannah B. Creative designs and hand embroiders all sorts of original and fun hand embroidered art work from her Christchurch home. Her modern, quirky take on traditional hoop embroidery is at times beautiful, at times humorous, and sometimes fantastically surreal.
Christchurch jeweller Lara Hopwood of Geo Jewellery makes exquisite silver jewellery that is not just inspired by our dramatic landscape but also has a very personal connection to our local environment. A mum of two and wife of one supportive husband, Lara trained in molecular biology and conducted research on viruses that cause cancer – and alongside this she has been creating in silver for over 20 years.
Matt Akehurst of Liberation Jewellery worked as a scientist in microbiology for twenty-seven years before leaving to follow his passion. Now navigating through the world of small business together with his wife Julie, they place an emphasis on community, handmade, and reducing the environmental impact of their products.
The Christchurch Arts Centre is the place to be this Friday and Saturday, when the Midwinter Carnival brings locals and visitors together to warm hearts and minds by celebrating our many cultures.
Simone Bensdorp of Wild Felt loves that she’s working with the world’s oldest known textile, and that making felt connects her to thousands of years of human history. Her beautiful and imaginative Felt clothing and accessories combine snuggly merino wool with recycled and repurposed materials…
Hilary Jacomb of Boa handcrafts beautiful, eco-friendly and functional homewares, a business that she developed after teaching herself to crochet in her first year of university. Her original designs are a modern take on a traditional craft, and use only repurposed materials: discarded fabric off cuts from the clothing industry that would otherwise be destined for landfill…
Christchurch maker Angie Agatsiotis makes and sells a luxurious selection of organic soaps, shampoo, face oil, scrubs, natural room spray and beeswax wraps under her label Kerrs Road Organic Beauty. Using certified organic plant based ingredients where possible, she weaves her philosophy of making beautiful and sustainable goods into every aspect of her business
