This year we partnered with Moncole magazine to identify top makers in the UK. View their maker.me profiles on the Makers Monday website.
The combination of rain and umbrellas is a quintessential image of London. However, the manufacturing of this noble and essential object has largely been farmed out, relying on cheaper imports. Along came Edward Gucewicz and Moses Manly, who founded Lockwood in 2014.
Q&A WITH EDWARD GUCEWICZ, DIRECTOR
Talk us through how you make your umbrellas.
We source the treated bent wooden sticks from the best specialists in mainly Germany and central Europe and then apply the parts and components that make for a string umbrella here in London. The metal parts made of turned brass are clamped onto the stick and then the rib, with its many familiar spokes, is attached with metal wiring. The covers are all hand-sewn from cotton cloth at our workshop in east London. It is important that the cloth cushions the structure where the brass and metal parts meet, preventing the spokes from bending; this makes for a strong, windproof umbrella.
Is making your product in London important to your brand?
It is very important. London is well known for rain and for its umbrellas, so absolutely. Making in London is not always easy though, as everyone knows high rents are forcing people such as manufacturers further and further out; many have stopped altogether. But I think small digitally minded start-ups such as us can still manufacture in London – and thrive.
What is the gap in the market that you are filling?
There are still old-fashioned makers that have changed little since the 19th century and their umbrellas are almost always all black. But having worked in that world I saw that much of that manufacturing was being farmed out with many high-end umbrellas being imported from Italy. By focusing on a community-driven model, our colourful umbrellas have really been able to find a market. I am always surprised how interested our customers are in Lockwood’s latest features and developments.
Why is it important to keep manufacturing local?
For me it is really nice to speak the same language as the people you work with every day – that sounds ridiculously simple, I know. Speaking in the same vernacular is important; speaking English as opposed to international English, for instance. I find you can smooth out a lot of the initial problems a lot quicker. It’s simply more efficient.