Daiki Hiramura | Ainu Woodworker

The Ainu are the Indigenous peoples of northern Japan, with their own language, traditions, and a worldview shaped by reverence for nature and its spirits—the kamuy. Craft sits at the heart of Ainu life, spanning the everyday and ceremonial: carved woodwork such as the Nibutani ita and textile traditions like attus, a resilient bark cloth woven from tree fibers. Born in Biratori, in southern Hokkaido, Daiki Hiramura is among the young makers carrying these traditions forward.

Embroiderer Hanny Newton revives the near-extinct art of straw embroidery from her studio on the Powys–Shropshire border. Trained in metal thread at the Royal School of Needlework, she now works with locally grown grains and meadow grasses to create delicate, place-rooted pieces. In 2024, she received the inaugural QEST Sanderson Rising Star Award for her pioneering use of straw as sustainable gold.

Giovanni Baccani, the shop famous for its deep-blue fabric paneling, was founded in 1903 in the heart of Florence and remains one of the few surviving artisan ateliers where time seems to stand still. An art devotee, Giovanni began by offering objects that represented the finest Florentine craftsmanship — particularly gilded wooden pieces made using age-old artisanal techniques.

The story of Florentine bronze artisan, Alamberto Banchi, is in many ways both familiar and extraordinary – and in 1987 was published as a tribute to craftsmanship by the Cultural Commissioner of Florence. Today, together with his son, Duccio, Alamberto continues to create wonders in bronze at their renowned family-run workshops in the city, where the community views them as both makers, and custodians of Florence’s cultural and artisanal legacy.

Far out in the eastern reaches of the Nusa Tenggara Timur archipelago lies Sumba—an island of windswept savannah, ancient animist traditions, and a rhythm of life seemingly untouched by time. Often referred to as the forgotten island, Sumba is a land where spirits still inhabit the trees and stones, where wild horses gallop freely alongside buffalo, pigs, and goats, and where the art of weaving is not merely a craft but a sacred ritual. From the deep indigo-dyed Ikat textiles to the intricately woven pandan-leaf baskets, every thread and fibre is imbued with meaning, connecting the Sumbanese people to their ancestors and the divine.

Tucked away in one of Pigalle’s sloping streets, Atelier Toporkoff, specializing in contemporary stained glass, occupies a beautiful historic building whose shopfront strikes a perfect balance between classic elegance and contemporary flair. This harmony comes as no surprise: the space reflects the vision of Sophie Toporkoff, an artist whose creations move gracefully between the ancient and the avant-garde.

Kath Griffiths delves into the Indigo dyeing techniques which arrived in Central Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries, influenced by broader European indigo dyeing traditions that originated in Asia. This kind of craft is known as Kekfesto in Hungary and Blaudruck in Austria.

Nestled amidst Bali’s verdant rice terraces and whispering coconut palms lies a tradition as deeply rooted as the banyan trees shading its temples: The Art of Wood carving. For centuries, Balinese artisans have breathed life into timber, shaping sacred narratives and daily stories with unparalleled grace. To understand Balinese wood carving is to embark on a journey through time, spirit, and landscape. 

The Cozzi bookbinding workshop was founded by great-great-grandfather Alberto Cozzi together with his wife in the early 1900s. This ancient craft has been handed down from generation to generation, and to this day the workshop still uses the same traditional techniques of binding and of restoring paper and antique volumes.

A serendipitous conversation led designer turned ceramicist Berengere Lux to leave the world of fashion accessories for a new life in clay. She draws on her background in fashion and jewelry for her charming collections of decorative objects. She talks Cabana through her process.

A former monk, Arjan Boo, keeps alive a centuries-old form of spiritual tattooing. In Thailand, the sacred tattoo—sak yant—is a living form of spiritual protection. Each design carries a blessing drawn from Buddhist and animist traditions: strength, fortune, charm, or safety in travel.

Step inside Berkshire Pottery, a family-run ceramics workshop helmed by husband and wife duo, Erika Stosiek-Radice and Christian Radice, founded in 1960 by Erika's parents, Gertraud and Martin Stosiek. Within an atmospheric Dutch barn on an old 19th century dairy farm, the couple craft abundant ceramic creations and run the day-to-day business. Erika shares their story.