Collect Fair London - A Recap
As we mention every month, the fair landscape continues to expand - particularly within the collectible design / functional art categories. Alongside that growth is a renewed emphasis on craft, often operating in similar territory but with deeper ties to vernacular traditions.
To better understand where this movement is heading, our newest contributing writer, Esther Kroes-Weizman, founder of design procurement and consultancy studio WEIZ&CO, reports from London where she visited Collect 2026 at Somerset House. She shares her reflections below, with a longer-form analysis publishing later this week on TDR’s Journal:
I arrived at Collect with my usual agenda: check in with the go-to galleries, discover new talent, and meet the people behind the works. Design fairs are my playground for serious work. The difference this time? I took the tube to Charing Cross instead of flying to Paris or Milan.
A bit of context. Collect 2026, now in its 22nd edition and presented by the Crafts Council at Somerset House, positions itself as the leading international art fair for contemporary, museum-quality craft and design. That level of institutional backing may be exactly what the craft sector needs in order to grow and compete at scale.
At Collect, there was no shortage of beauty or materiality. The conversations with artists and gallerists felt meaningful. But most striking was the global range of craft disciplines and styles on view. From Japanese lacquering techniques and traditional African craft to Polish experimental material practices, the fair felt like a reflection of global exchange. It also underscored why London continues to matter as an international design hub - layered and culturally interconnected.
