Bethan Laura Wood
Serapian

English artist and designer Bethan Laura Wood has been running a mixed-media studio in London since 2009, specialising in material research, craft collaboration and a passion for colour and detail. Location is an important factor in her design process; she often works in conjunction with local producers or reflects the visual and material culture specific to that area in her work. Bethan is fascinated by the connections we make with the everyday objects that surround us and, as a collector, she loves to explore what drives people to keep a particular object while discarding another. Bethan explores these relationships and wonders how they could become cultural channels. She is interested in critical approaches to achieving sustainability within mass consumption and the production-driven context of the design industry. Her work is distinguished by a colourful mix of industrial production and high craftsmanship; it absorbs in-depth historical research, influences from travel and personal experiences lived with the collector’s attitude. Her eclecticism is the expression of an extrovert personality that crosses different disciplines – fashion, furnishings and installations – with projects exhibited in prestigious museums and cultural institutions.

Founded by Stefano Serapian in 1928, Serapian is one of the oldest leather goods maisons in Milan and still one of the city’s best-kept secrets. Located in the centre of the Lombard capital, in historical Villa Mozart, the brand’s Bespoke Atelier is overseen by Giovanni Nodari Serapian, third generation of the founding family. Serapian is known by the Milanese as a leather goods maison of impeccable design, high quality and craftsmanship. Throughout its history, Serapian has had close ties with artists and artisans, such as Giorgio de Chirico and many exponents of the world of architecture and design. Serapian represents the discreet and precise taste of Milanese people, the beauty that very often has to be discovered. Milan is in fact a city to be discovered, brimming with secrets: behind the apparently austere façades, one can often admire marble entrances, mosaics and even marvellous gardens. Serapian’s signature technique is called Mosaico, and was first developed in 1947 by Stefano Serapian: strips of lamb nappa leather are delicately hand-woven by expert artisans to create a graphic motif with the fluid, light appearance that is the hallmark of the Maison. The strips of nappa leather used for the Mosaico technique are available in a wide range of colours, from classic white to more vibrant shades.