In our final episode of mini-episodes reporting from the London Design Festival, an annual event that takes over the UK capital every September, we visit Material Matters on London’s Southbank. Now in its second year, the fair has sprung from a podcast of the same name and occupies the atmospheric Bargehouse at the Oxo Tower. On until September 23, across five floors, it houses over 40 brands, designers, makers, manufacturers and organisations who all celebrate the importance of materials in bringing us closer to a circular economy. We speak to the journalist and podcaster behind the fair, Grant Gibson, and also hear about new material innovations and techniques from the likes of leading UK design duo Pearson Lloyd, East London-based contemporary crafter Gareth Neal and Danish textile artist Tanja Kirst.

In our next episode, we jump from the London Design Festival to Singapore Design Week.