Factory Friday: Vanilla Ink Studios

Jewellery workshop and studio space, Vanilla Ink, quickly become the go-to facility for jewellery graduates when it opened in Dundee's industrial quarter six years ago. We speak to founder Kate Pickering about the studio's recent relocation to Glasgow. 

After a fair few months hiatus, Vanilla Ink is re-opening in Glasgow. What can we expect from the new Vanilla Ink? Are there any differences between the set up or services?

Vanilla Ink Studios has become 'Vanilla Ink Workshop' in a temporary home within MAKLab Charing Cross. We have set up camp and provided jewellers a space to make, share facilities and build the foundations of a community of jewellers. We have trimmed back our services while we work on a bigger project in the background by simply offering a workspace for jewellers. We aim to bolt on our events, jewellery classes (public and professional) and professional development workshops very soon. We have rented out our five workbenches to some incredibly talented jewellers and it’s nice to hear those jewellery sounds that I have missed so much.

We are so excited to be working on the master plan and we are so thankful to MAKLab for providing us with a place to call home while we keep our presence up. We can’t wait to share the future plans but we have to keep a lid on it for now, but it is big…very big! 

Vanilla Ink Dundee has had some incredible events over the years. Do you have any plans to run events in Glasgow?

I love creating new and unique events, it’s such a great way of getting new people to interact with you and your business. We certainly hope to bring a few events to Glasgow, kicking off with our popular ‘Meet the Maker’ events, a really informal and open chat with a maker, a chance to ask questions and gain insight into a profession you are interested in. I’m also hoping to introduce you to the new jewellers in the Vanilla Ink Workshop and what better way than with a drink in hand and some pretty jewellery to look at. You can also expect the return of Scottish Jewellery Week in 2016, our bi-annual festival that celebrates the incredible talent within the Scottish Jewellery industry.

For your Dundee fans, is there anyway they can still be involved with Vanilla Ink?

Once an Inker always an Inker - you are part of the family and are welcome to anything that we host. We like to think that we are growing a community. We also love visitors, drop by the Vanilla Ink Workshop and say hi. Scottish Jewellery Week will be rolled out across Scotland and will once again be hosted in Dundee, they can’t get rid of us too easily.

You described Dundee as having a strong grassroots community. Have you noticed any big changes between being based in Glasgow and Dundee?

The beauty of Dundee is that it is a tight knit community where you get to know everyone quite well. Glasgow is HUGE, it takes a little longer to get to know everyone you need to. It takes me forever to get anywhere, I’m always late or lost, in Dundee you can get to anywhere you need to be within 15 minutes, it’s keeping me fit if anything. Glasgow’s design community is strong willed and I think it shares the same ‘Just do it’ attitude with Dundee and I love and respect that and can relate to it.

Will you be having a launch party?

We will be having a collaborative launch with MAKLab who will be celebrating an official launch of their new services in the very near future. We will let you know the dates, it will be a goody!

Vanilla Ink is now back on Make Works. You can take a look at their listing here. 

You can about last weeks Factory Friday with plastic manufacturer, Adam's Plastics, here.