Gianfranco Chicco
I'm a London-based creative producer, strategist and writer connecting design, technology and craft.
I write The Craftsman Newsletter.
When Apricots Blossom - Milan Design Week 2026
Working with The Crosses, led by Adnan Abbasi, I was a creative producer and digital strategist for When Apricots Blossom, Uzbekistan's first national exhibition at Milan Design Week 2026 (20–26 April, Palazzo Citterio). Commissioned by Gayane Umerova, Chairperson of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF)
Kamon, the original logos of Japan
Traditions are living entities. The Hatoba family enriches and evolves the role of the Monsho Uwaeshi, the artisans of Japanese family crests, ensuring that the thousand-year-old craft of mon making remains relevant in the 21st century. I come from an Italian family on my father’s side with
London Design Festival
I was the Head of Content & Digital of London Design Festival (LDF), overseeing the 2021, 2022 and 2023 editions. Founded in 2003, London Design Festival celebrates and promotes the city as a design capital on the global stage and is one of the world's leading design events.
Teachings from Japanese craftsmanship: what is enough?
This essay has been adapted from a short talk I gave at the Grande Finale of the House of Beautiful Business in Lisbon on November 6th, 2019 (watch the video). In March of this year I quit my job. I was feeling exhausted physically and mentally, and there was something
The Opposite of Sameness - Lecture at Domus Academy
On the limits of convenience and how having a craft sensibility changes how you design, lead and build. On 5 June 2026, I gave an online lecture for master's students at Domus Academy, Milan, across disciplines including fashion, design, and business. What follows is a summary of the
When Apricots Blossom - Milan Design Week 2026
Working with The Crosses, led by Adnan Abbasi, I was a creative producer and digital strategist for When Apricots Blossom, Uzbekistan's first national exhibition at Milan Design Week 2026 (20–26 April, Palazzo Citterio). Commissioned by Gayane Umerova, Chairperson of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF)
Carving a Cha He from Soot Bamboo
For some time I've been wanting a small cha he (茶荷), a vessel used to measure and present dry tea leaves before brewing. It's especially useful for transferring tea into a small teapot or gaiwan. Instead of buying one, I made it from Japanese susudake (煤竹)
Happy as an Otter with a Fancy Pebble
A few years ago I wrote about how I identified more as a “user” of craft, ceramics above all, rather than a collector. My reticence to use the c-word was possibly rooted in a feeling that collectors are just hoarders or people with abundant disposable income. The truth is
WAJOY at Collect Art Fair 2026
WAJOY (website, instagram) is a new cultural platform founded and directed by Mayumi Tachikawa to connect Japanese craft traditions with international contemporary art audiences. Rather than framing craft as heritage, WAJOY positions it as a living practice addressing present-day concerns around material, time, and sustainability. I joined as creative
What Wood Wants: Correspondence With Shuji Nakagawa
A week before my experience Kaida sensei, I found myself in another workshop in Shiga prefecture, this time starting not with carefully selected bamboo but with a mallet, a wedge and a massive tree trunk. I was visiting Shuji Nakagawa's studio - an accomplished artisan known for his wooden
Mountain Eel: Making Chashaku with Kaida Sensei
When I confirmed my return to Kyoto, I took it as an opportunity to progress in my chashaku-making. My friend Toshiyuki Matsubayashi from the Asahiyaki kiln recommended we visit Mai Miyake's studio in the mountains of Shiga to study under Kaida sensei. When someone from a 400-
The Structure of Sui: Exporting Japan's Quiet Luxury
In November I made an unexpected return to Japan* after a 2-year hiatus to attend the presentation of the JAPAN SUI COLLECTION at the Kyōto Geihinkan (Kyoto State Guest House) within the Imperial Park. While the country is enjoying unprecedented global interest, from record tourism to the 'matcha
Salt and Pepper at Kennin-ji
If you asked me barely a month ago, I would have told you that I was feeling down because I hadn’t been able to return to Japan in two years. And then, thanks to a tip by Erik during a press tour in Dubai I was involved with, I
Winter Special 2025: Books and Ceramics
There are two things I’m partial to and will often indulge in without too much thinking: books and ceramics. From my point of view, you can never have too much of any of them :) I'm returning momentarily to the origin of this newsletter in 2017, when it
Bamboo, Blades and YouTube
During the summer of 2025 I gave myself the task to learn to carve chashaku as part of my embodied research of Japanese crafts. If that sounds too esoteric, let me clarify. Chashaku (茶杓) are the small bamboo tea scoops used in the Japanese tea ceremony to transfer matcha from
Sketches of Japanese Craftsmanship in London, September 2025
Sketches are my half-baked ideas, projects and notes for articles. I scribble them on napkins, random notebook pages or in my phone’s notes app. Today's missive is from several activities I took part in during London Design Festival in September 2025. The common denominator was Japanese
