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The Makers is a hot-list collection by The Aficionados for absolute style lovers and those that share our artisanal passion for handmade and crafted creativity. This is our little designers’ hub of independent excitement listing our friends discovered on our travels. From the hand-made to the luxury of bespoke, from rare creations to the everyday items made with intricacy, browse through this lifestyle community that is brimming with originality, thoughtful design and mama-cool creatives.
'Oh Yeah,' from cult band 'Yello' to producing ethical, fair-trade chocolate, Oro de Cacao is real chocolate using a manufacturing process that carefully extracts the actual flavour of the bean.
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From a bluebell wood in Perthshire to a smoothly sculpted piece of furniture for a special spot, Angus Ross is a wood crafter and expressive designer of extraordinary proportions.
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With a timeless design that transcends trends, Horgenglarus chairs, made in Switzerland, have achieved cult status with their unique craftsmanship in bending large pieces of wood.
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New York Footwear brand Feit is a counterpoint to consumerism and over-production, instead it is a label where product integrity and sustainability come first, while also emphasizing craftsmanship and individuality.
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Located in the heart of Mallorca’s old town in Palma, perfumier Arquinesia brings you on a journey through the Balearics with its evocative scents. One to take home with you.
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Unable to find a hat to hide his growing-out hairdo, Nuriel decided to make his own felt creation. He christened the look as ‘vagabond’ and within six months Nomade Moderne was born.
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Using simplicity, curiosity, and a deep respect for nature, Maloja is now known for its innovative and highly original skiwear and cycling kit.
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Patrizia Fabri is often the first port of call for film makers, fashion photographers, models, artists, pop stars and costume designers. From the practical to the outlandish, the brand has become synonymous with old-world charm set to a modern world.
Harnessing the power of nature into high-quality skincare through strict sustainable practices, Susanne Kaufmann products use ingredients sourced from the mountains of Austria.
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Exceptional pieces of precision engineering – Berlin based Mykita sunglasses fuse the handcrafted with high technology to produce eyewear that redefines the aesthetic of luxury.
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Polished Polish cool sums up Fashion designer Magda Butrym, whose label launched in Poland back in 2014, causing a fashion wave.
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Railing against bland made-for-all-noses perfumes, guerrilla fragrance-makers Le Labo started a revolution with unique, hand-formulated scents and plenty of soul.
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A brand this quirky yet with such cohesion, it makes sense that it was created by two brothers, Jan and Patrick Olyslager, who hail from Antwerp.
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An organic winery, on the sunny terrain of quaint village Oggau, is the location of Gut Oggau – a small family-run wine-making business which produces an abundance of red wine, elegant whites and international renowned sweet wine.
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Ever wondered why Cleopatra bathed in milk? Well, luckily for us, the founders of Vielö pondered this very question, discovering that the by-product of dairy - whey - held the key to locking in moisture.
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Founded by three self-confessed coffee addicts, Gringo Nordic are serious about its sourcing, production and roasting. Their speciality coffee beans come from small farms and cooperatives, to support farmers that focus on quality, from as far and as wide as Rwanda, Brazil and Sumatra.
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What do you do if you inherit six acres of fig orchards? If you’re Antonio Longo you start Santomiele, a luxury confectionary business that uses the sun-dried figs in delicious handmade chocolates, stuffed figs, cakes and syrups.
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The story starts in 1921 with a boy from Belfast who saw an advert for a tailoring apprentice position. Cycling over 100 miles to Donegal, with a dream in his pocket.
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For more than 120 years, this is the last of its kind, Ganterie Boon is a traditional glove shop in Antwerp, with around 10,000 pairs in stock to find the perfect mitt fit.
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Forth-generation hatmaker in Signa Florence since 1875, Grevi stands alongside iconic fashion brands, together celebrating the longevity of Italy’s renowned fashion heritage.
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For the stylish dog owner and canine-about-town, Maxbone is a one-stop shop of contemporary apparel and accessories.
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Topping the heads of stylish men and women since 1838, Basque country shop Casa Ponsol in San Sebastian is the oldest hat shop in Spain.
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In the hat industry since 1919, this Swiss business knocks out handmade, crafted, hats of every sort & kind from their hat making workshop 'Hutwerkstatt'.
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Inis Meáin is an oil painting of rough, turbulent seas, labyrinths of stone and carpets of moss and wild flora, all of which are reflected in each design, knit and stitch of the area’s famed ‘fisherman’s sweaters’.
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South Tyrol’s celebrated wool and cashmere fashion house, Moessmer has a client roster that ranges from the royal Habsburgs to the Obamas, demonstrating their seamless and successful fusion of high-end fashion and heritage design.
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When Daniel Dreifuss decided to change up time for good, he left behind the fast pace of the New York finance world to enter the slowed down lifestyle of Switzerland, where the intricate world of watchmaking occupied him.
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A highly attuned eco-thinker, Anna Paghera channels her creative senses into the fields of design, interiors and fragrance. All linked by a love of nature, each project she approaches comes from the soul.
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Meet Maria Svensson and Esmeralda-Vidfar, two wool-loving ladies from Gothenburg on the Swedish west coast. Based in an art-collective studio space with ten other designers and artists, they create the knitwear that they had always dreamed of wearing as spotted by the owners of the creative fashionista den of Gothenburg, Hotel Flora.
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Whisper the names – Rain Cloud, Driftwood, White Smoke and Ink - and already your nose is twitching to find out more. Meet cult Perfumer H, aka Lyn Harris.
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The three sisters that form Swedish fashion brand House of Dagmar stand by three pillars of production, including high quality in fabrics, production process and design, and live by an ever increasing awareness of sustainability which they strive to better each season with their classic women’s clothing, made to empower the wearer.
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Inspired by the works of artist Louise Bourgeois, who strives to recreate the relationship between the human body and the surrounding tangible world, Maison Femme’s collections stand for strength infused with emotion and intelligence
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Hat maker to the stars, family milliner business Mühlbauer’s designs began over a hundred years ago and now fly from Vienna to top some of the most famous heads in the world.
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Boldly British all the way through, family-run Ettinger London has been in the business of creating elegant leather goods for over 80 years, with a Royal Warrant to HRH the Prince of Wales.
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Austrian health brand Ringana have been bringing wellness solutions since 1996 with their ethical and sustainable line of beauty products, skin care and supplements.
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With a focus on handbags and leather goods, the brand merges the diversity of its founders Tanja Bradaric and Taro Ohmae, of Croatian and Japanese heritage respectively, with a love of Viennese tradition.
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Bringing together unique, artisanal brands from all over the world including Japan, Europe and the US, Trunk opens the door onto a highly stylised shopping experience where you can connect with emerging worldwide designers.
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From tinctures to tea blends, essential oils to medicinal mushrooms, you’ll find a huge array of products in this emporium of wellness – a pharmacy dedicated to the healing power of plants.
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Fusing safety, style and precision innovation with typical Swedish cool, Hövding have solved the conundrum of ‘hat hair’ with a neat collar-like band that sits around your neck, turning into an airbag that protects the head, neck and face if a collision occurs.
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Patchwork flat caps, flowing capes a flash of colour on on a windswept cliff walk, throws to accompany a fireside drink, blankets to cuddle up in after a day in the unspoilt wilderness: these are the mainstay of Eddie Doherty’s woven goods.
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Greece for Lovers must be one of the most original design studios around. Fusing their cheeky kitsch humour with a pastiche on the notion of Greekness, their contemporary products are completely one-of-a-kind.
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One of the rawest parts of Ireland – the Wild Atlantic Way - is home to McNutt’s, producers of the softest cashmere and woollen blankets, scarfs and throws, crafted by local artisan weavers.
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Zeus+Dione, a Greek resortwear brand that celebrates Hellenic culture, creates timeless fashion, with rare pieces that fit seamlessly into a sun-soaked lifestyle that values comfort and luxury.
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Hieronymus is a luxury Swiss stationer that treats its letter-printed cards, hand-bound notebooks, bespoke business cards, leather bags and everything stationery-related as precious products.
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A masterclass in minimalist cool, Glein lives and breathes its less-is-more philosophy with organic clothing, leather products and pared-back design wrapped up in a respectful and ethical business model.
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Rooted in the Viennese capital since 1886, this family apothecary not only kindles the rich heritage of European medicinal practises, it sits firmly in this century embracing an intelligent mixology of herbal, organic, natural and mineral remedies.
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