C Tell us about Greater Goods. 

J Greater Goods was an extension of everything I like making and doing. I was interested in so many different avenues of design, graphics, carpentry, textiles, and I just didn't have an umbrella to put that under. So it became this vessel for everything I make.

I initially studied graphic design. But I loved making things in my hands. So then I went into bit of carpentry after university. Initially Greater Goods was woodwork. I was finding stuff in my local area, making benches and tables, and then selling them locally. But the space and machinery I needed was crazy, and London’s so cramped. So I learned how to sew. My second name’s Tailor, so I thought I’d give it a go, and I fell in love with it.

C Do you get more out of making something physically, with your hands?

J For me, making something physically is more rewarding. I might start with a blank piece of fabric and I finish the day with a physical bag or a garment. Whereas graphic design, I would start on my laptop, not finish on my laptop like nothing ever existed from it. I still love graphic design, but I get a different sense of reward from making something physical.

That’s how I learn, by physically doing something. That’s how I learnt the leather work for this project. It was my first proper time doing traditional leathercraft, but I wanted to give it a go.

C Designing a pair of spectacles, that's something a bit different.

J It is, but it was pretty, straightforward in my brain what I wanted to do. I like that utilitarian approach. I always have a multitool on me. Outside of the studio it's definitely like my most used tool.

I was like, What's always on me? Glasses. I wear my glasses all the time. My sunglasses are always on my bag. imagine that's merged with a multitool and it becomes these Swiss Army knife sunglasses. It just made sense. I wanted it to be hyper functional, hence adding all these different tools, but I wanted it to still be a functioning pair of sunglasses. I didn't want to push it to just an object.

Seeing the workshop process was incredible. I tell a lot of friends about how hands-on the workshop is at Cubitts. We don't see any of that in the final pair of spectacles. You just see the end result. So seeing it being CNC cut from a block, hand shaped, polished, tumbled for hours and hours, it's incredible to see. And I think a lot of people won't understand how much work goes into one pair of glasses. It's all behind the scenes. That helped my design process a lot more because I could understand how my sketches could be actually made.

C Did you know specifically you wanted to use the acetate offcuts? 

J For sure. That's in the nature of myself and Greater Goods. If something's going to waste, why not use it? It's still functional, it still looks good. It takes away a bit of control too, because you can only use what's available. 

My first few products for Greater Goods were using jackets to make bags. If I happened to get a black jacket, then it's a black bag. I like letting go of control a bit. Here, we only had what's in that bin of offcuts, and that allowed us to create the tiled effect.

C The auction is in support of the creative arts charity, Create. Is there a link for you between creating and your mental wellbeing?

J I've always needed to have to be making something. When days or maybe weeks go by and I’ve not made something it affects me. I need that process of sitting down, being quiet, and just going from start to finish with a project. The mental benefits of it—it’s like therapy for me. Watching a project change and evolve—problem solving as you go along—those are skills that are transferable. It teaches you a lot of patience and learning on the go problem solving. There's nothing better than learning a new skill and sewing is so accessible for that.

C Thank you.

J Thanks.