In a world where mass production of identical products at high speed is the norm, SGW Lab stands apart. It’s a young business – founded in London in 2018 and run by a small group under the visionary leadership of Japanese-born ceramic artist Yuta Segawa.

SGW Lab draws its influence from the ideas of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. Its philosophy is that seeing the work, skill and pleasure of the human maker in a piece of art creates a direct link between the artist and the user. Yuta Segawa wants us to see past the apparent perfection of machine making and learn to appreciate the importance of the crafter once again.

The exploration of the possibilities of craftsmanship is evident in the ceramics produced by SGW Lab. Its slip-cast mugs are shaped to be irresistibly holdable. As they’re all produced by hand, each is unique to its creator and bears individual ‘inaccuracies’.

All SGW Lab mugs bear the signature colour-contrast glaze. While shades may be earthy and tonal or vibrant and clashing, each piece features drips, splashes and blending that transitions one hue into another. When you’re making by hand, you can’t replicate a drip pattern from one piece to another. That’s the beauty of SGW Labs – you can put together a set, but it’ll never be 100% matching.