Always a pleasure never a chore
- Hannah Tapping
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Words by Hannah Tapping
Cornish creators become the muse for a collaboration that celebrates meaning and material.
My day always feels just that little bit better when I chat with Amelia Pemberton. Her positive outlook on life, combined with her gentle tone and inflection is balm for the soul. I first met Amelia when I wrote about her own limited-edition designs: delightfully playful cotton and silk scarves and decadent silk pyjamas. But as with many of the most interesting people, Amelia has many other strings to her bow. Launched in 2019, DARN is Amelia's creative studio – a universe of play that moves between photography, art direction, design and events. Not least of these talents is her photography. Known for an authenticity and originality that is often lost in modern brand photography, Amelia’s gift lies in her ability to bring both the person and the product to life.
One of her latest collaborations is with the Paynter Jacket Co. Sold in limited editions just four times a year, these remakes of iconic chore jackets sell out within an hour of being released. Made using the very best materials and makers, once you have purchased a jacket you get to watch its evolution firsthand. The eight-week make time is documented from the fabric production in the French mill to the jacket being sewn in the workshop in Guimarães in northern Portugal. No stock means no waste. All jackets are made to order, with offcuts from the making process recycled into new thread, and water used in the dyeing process cleaned and re-used onsite.
Six years on from its first release, Batch No.21 is the latest evolution of the Paynter Chore Jacket. Each version is more refined than the last, the fabric for this iteration was chosen for its quality and provenance. Sourced from near Alsace, the fabric was made in the last remaining corduroy fabric mill in France. The campaign for Paynter’s Batch No.21 was shot by Amelia. Working with ten local creatives across Cornwall, she brought the jackets to life in real-work settings.
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Through her venture - Kettle - Cat collaborates on yearly editions of beautifully crafted objects centred around the kitchen. Cat also writes about 'figuring out life through food' via her weekly newsletter Since No One Asked from her cottage in Penzance.
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As a sculptor, Cat’s artistry is all about carving out beauty from the physical landscape, both wood and stone are her canvas. Cat works out of Quarry House Studio, a collective that takes shape in a traditional Cornish granite quarry just outside of Mabe.
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Having operated out of Spargo’s workshop for over a decade, and after years of making beautiful wooden objects for Gail’s Bakery in London, Felix’s craft of woodworking and furniture-making has led him to co-run Many Hands, a design and fabrication workshop specialising in furniture and architectural design.
ABOVE Ali is the founder of Francli, crafting leather and canvas goods out of her workshop studio in Argal Farm, Ali’s pieces are rooted in her love of the outdoors and making things thoughtfully. francli.co.uk
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Towing the line between artist, surfer and model, Holly creates beautiful sculptures in her clifftop workshop in Zennor and is perhaps best known for her masterful bronze piece “Dave and Bird” which sits permanently in Porthleven.
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Rich is the owner of Argoe in Newlyn. With an emphasis on sustainable sourcing and authentically local produce, Rich has managed to combine elevated wood fired cooking with genuinely community-focused dining.
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Rich has been running Yallah, a coffee roastery overlooking the rolling hills of Falmouth, for just over ten years. Full of beans and passionate about provenance, Rich’s vision for Yallah is all about sustainable sourcing and social impact.
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Rohit and Emma, owners of Lovett's in Newlyn have turned this little corner of Cornwall into a community hub serving up natural wine, coffee, homemade sweet treats and the occasional dinner pop up featuring roving chefs.
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Rosa’s pinch pot ceramics are a lesson in building worlds by hand. One half (or as she puts it, 50g) of Mud Club, Rosa makes beautiful objects out of clay and also teaches others how to hand-build through workshops and courses in Cornwall.
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Sam Bassett’s studio in Penzance is a rush of energy – jungle music at full volume and colour everywhere – which brilliantly reflects Sam’s paintings and sculptures, where texture, motion and colour collide.
