Permalink to Review of Origin 2011
Review of Origin 2011
Review of Origin 2011 by Florence Harmelin
Hello!
The first in the series “Shows & Shops London”, this post will present a review of Origin 2011. It is intended for designer-makers who might not have the opportunity to visit the show themselves, but wonder about it, or have considered applying for it. As they say, knowledge is power and more than any other, Origin is a show to come prepared for!
Origin took place from the 22-28 of September 2011 at the Old Spitalfields Market (E16EW), a stone throw from Liverpool Street Station. It is the second year of the show in this new location, and the show is over the course of 8 days rather than 2 weeks as in previous locations (it was the Chelsea Craft Fair for years).
I visited Origin on the first day of opening to the public. It was a sunny Thursday, around lunchtime and the area was hoping with office workers on their lunch breaks. The fair itself was fairly busy, and getting busier as the afternoon progressed. You can get an idea of the show by looking at the Flickr pictures on the right.
Origin is particularly well advertised as a craft fair. On top of the PR efforts, it takes place during the London Design week, and it is based in one of the most popular weekend shopping destinations in London (regularly 34,000 weekend visitors).
Origin is a high profile craft fair with prices to match! The lower price points are around £40-£50 for knitwear accessories, £60-£100 for non-precious jewellery and £70-£90 for hand woven scarves. Of course, there are cheaper items available for purchase, but the price levels are distinctly higher than any other craft fair I visited (maybe not a surprise when looking at the price of stands, see next post).
During my tour, I talked to 9 exhibitors and asked them a couple of simple questions (I won’t be quoting people directly this time).
Is it your first time at Origin?
