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Books & Journalism

Katie Treggiden is the author of six books about craft, design and environmentalism and countless articles for newspapers and magazines worldwide. She believes that defiant hope sparks meaningful change and writes stories about the role that craft is already playing in the transition to a circular economy to inspire that optimism.

With 20 years’ experience in the creative industries, she has columns on both sides of the Atlantic – for Dezeen and Design Milk – and regularly contributes to publications such as The Guardian, The Observer, Viewpoint and Crafts Magazine. Her latest book is Broken: Mending and Repair in a Throwaway World (Ludion, 2023).

She has launched, edited and published an award-winning design blog (confessions of a design geek) and an independent print magazine (Fiera). In 2021, Homes & Gardens named Katie their Eco Champion – Thought Leader, the first time they have given an award to someone who is not a professional designer.

“This made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. A brilliant, well-thought-out, and concise piece of writing, all brought together at the end for a massive uplift”

Selected Writing

“Katie's column is always fresh, fun and thoughtful - and it's gained a loyal following. What more could you ask for?”

Selected books

Broken: Mending and repair in a throwaway world

We live in a single-use society, where fashion is fast, disposability is the norm and it is easier to replace than to repair. We don’t need to mend things anymore – and yet we do. What is it about Homo faber – man the maker – that cannot resist fixing what is broken?

As we start to decouple from the linear take-make-waste model that has dominated Western economies since the Industrial Revolution and seek something more circular, an enquiry into what mending means has never been more urgent.

With a foreword by The Repair Shop’s Jay Blades, this new book by craft and circularity advocate Katie Treggiden celebrates 25 artists, curators, menders and re-makers who have rejected the allure of the fast, disposable and easy in favour of the patina of use, the stories of age and the longevity of care and repair. Accompanying these profiles, six in-depth essays explore the societal, cultural and environmental roles of mending in a throwaway world.

Published by Ludion, 2023

Wasted: When Trash Becomes Treasure

We live in the age of the Anthropocene; human activity is the dominant force affecting the climate and man-made and organic materials are becoming irreversibly intertwined. As natural resources dwindle, designers are exploring the potential of increasingly plentiful waste streams to become the raw materials of the future.

Wasted. When trash becomes treasure celebrates 30 optimistic and enterprising designers, makers and manufacturers who use waste as their primary resource, offering a rare glimpse into the embryonic world they inhabit. Accompanying these profiles, five in-depth and thematic essays will explore the societal, cultural and environmental implications of their work.

Katie Treggiden is a craft and design journalist with almost 20 years experience in the creative industries. She regularly contributes to publications such as The Guardian, Crafts Magazine, and Design Milk. This is her fifth book and third for Ludion, after the success of Urban Potters (2017) and Weaving (2018). She has a Masters in the History of Design from the University of Oxford.

Published by Ludion, 2020

Weaving: Contemporary Makers on the Loom

Weaving is a centuries-old craft with a fascinating history, and one that continues to evolve. It is being revitalized today by designers, artists and modern craftspeople all over the world: from wall-hangings and carpets to art installations and technological tours-de-force.

Weaving – Contemporary Makers on the Loom presents a survey of this vibrant revival, with profiles of over twenty contemporary weavers: Alexandra Kehayoglou, for example, designs breath-taking natural landscapes (for the likes of Dries van Noten), while Daniel Harris makes textiles for famous clothing brands using nineteenth century looms. Brent Wadden weaves beautiful, museum-standard fabrics. The book includes beautiful images of their studios, work and inspiration.

Author Katie Treggiden’s essays explore the craft’s relationship with themes such as emancipation, migration and new technologies. The Bauhaus weaver Anni Albers is also discussed at length – a reference for everyone involved in textiles today.

Published by Ludion, 2018

Urban Potters: Makers in the City

Clay is back: the age-old craft of ceramics is being embraced by a new generation of urban makers and collectors. Author Katie Treggiden explores the contemporary revival of pottery, focusing on six inspiring cities and their makers. 27 young and passionate ceramicists in New York, London, Tokyo, Copenhagen, Sydney and Sao Paulo introduce us to their work, their studios and their inspiration.

Urban Potters: Makers in the City will appeal to a broad audience – not only those who practice pottery themselves, but anyone who is interested in the handmade. The book also includes a practical source list of places to buy handmade ceramics in the six cities featured.

Katie Treggiden is a design writer, editor, curator, lecturer and consultant. Treggiden writes for the Guardian Magazine, the Telegraph Magazine, Elle Decoration and Icon, among others. She is the author of The Makers of East London and of The Residents: Inside the Iconic Barbican Estate.

Edited by Micha Pycke and Ruth Ruyffelaere.

Published by Ludion, 2017

Makers of East London

“Makers of East London captures the energy and spirit of a unique part of the capital. Evocative photography alongside insightful profiles of makers reveals hidden processes behind objects both everyday and exceptional.” Annie Warburton, Crafts Council

Bike builders, violin makers, ceramicists…East London is the creative hub of one of the world’s most dynamic cities and is now seeing a resurgence of craftspeople breathing life back into traditional disciplines. This book takes a tour of their studios and practices to see what it takes to be a maker in a world of mass production. Our largest and most ambitious book yet.

Photography by Charlotte Schreiber, written by Katie Treggiden

336pp, 264 x 198 mm, hardback, clothbound, foil embossed.

Published by Hoxton Mini Press, 2015

Fiera Magazine

2014—2016

Fiera was an independent magazine discovering new talent at the world’s design fairs published across four issues 2014 – 2016.

Exploring themes, trends and movements through the lenses of editorial writing, creative writing, illustration and photography, Fiera shed new light on the ideas shaping the future of the industry and the wider world. It was Shortlisted for Best Launch in the inaugural Stack Awards and Nominated for Best New Magazine in the Magpile Magazine Awards 2014.

“This rich issue is a giant step forward from their first, packed with imagery and information and smartly designed and well-paced. This is a textbook example of how to launch and build an engaging, reader-friendly and visually-striking magazine.”

“Fiera Magazine is EXACTLY what designer makers need!”

“A really great new design title. I love the playfulness of the approach, which begins with a kaleidoscopic overview of the design objects themselves and then spins off into a deeper, more artful appraisal of them, encouraging the reader to flip back and forth as they move through the magazine.”

Confessions of a Design Geek

2010—2017

confessions of a design geek was established in 2010 by design journalist Katie Treggiden, to discover, champion and inspire new designers. Within just five weeks of launch, it was nominated for mydeco’s Best Interior Design Blog in Great Britain award, which it went on to win. It has since won accolades and awards from Cision, The Sunday Times, Elle Deco Italia and Dwell US.

“I check confessions of a design geek every lunchtime for inspiration and new talent.”

“confessions of a design geek turns designers into real people. It allows designers to speak in the same words as the people who use what they’ve made. There is something very democratic about that.”

“…beautifully designed, consistent, thoughtful and a very distinct point of view.”

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Katie Treggiden is also the founder and director of Making Design Circular — an international membership community and online learning platform for environmentally conscious designers, makers, artists and craftspeople.
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