By Design Director, Nina Luminati
Many people leave Fogo Island with a feeling that it was special, but without being able to articulate exactly what made it so exceptional. For me, part of its charm lies in the island’s ability to connect people to both place and craft – something our Fogo Island Collection, created in collaboration with Fogo Island Workshops, beautifully embodies. It’s a celebration of Newfoundland’s rich cultural heritage and the traditional craftsmanship that the islanders have preserved for generations.
In contrast to the hectic rhythm of modern life and overconsumption, Fogo Island offers a rare moment to pause and reconnect with the natural world, the beauty of the changing seasons, and the knowledge and stories of a community rooted in its place for generations. I was lucky enough to visit during berry-picking season, greeted by a landscape woven with carpets of red and green, dotted with bright yellow shrubs and lilac daisies, all nestled among jagged grey rocks speckled with lichen. Fogo’s distinct “seven seasons” make fleeting moments like this feel particularly special. The anticipation of changing scenery and seasonal flavours makes them even more precious – particularly at Fogo Island Inn where the menu is built around what the land and sea provide locally.
Beyond the untouched scenery, what struck me most was the warmth and pride of the people. Thanks to Fogo Island Arts and ‘Shore Time,’ we were invited into local artists’ studios to engage with the community. The island’s craftspeople have long expressed their creativity through everyday work—whether it’s cod fishing, quilt making, or boat building. Today, this artistry extends to contemporary practices, as locals craft ceramics in salt-fired kilns, carve ornaments from Caribou antlers, and make lampshades from dried kelp. Their ingenuity and resourcefulness mirror the stories woven into our Fogo Island Collection, like Nick Herder’s "Make Fish," a design that captures the island’s long standing relationship with cod fishing, or Donna Wilson’s whimsical “Set the Scene,” which brings to life Fogo’s architecture and wildlife in a playful reinterpretation of the classic toile de Jouy.
Another initiative, the artist residency program on Fogo Island, provides spaces for creatives to explore new ways of seeing. I was fortunate to visit several of the studios, including Squish, Bridge, and Tower Studios. These spaces are tucked away in remote locations and designed with minimal environmental impact, featuring solar power, composting toilets, and wood stoves. Artists come here not just to create, but to deepen their connection to the landscape and community.
One of the most thought-provoking experiences of my trip was a conversation with Zita Cobb and Indy Johar. Zita is an eighth-generation islander and the driving force behind Shorefast, a charity dedicated to sustaining Fogo Island. Indy Johar, an architect and co-founder of Dark Matter Labs, a social innovator focused on creating generative economies and sustainable systems. Together, they discussed how we measure value in modern society, highlighting a gap between what we price and what we should truly value – like stable supplies and resilient communities in the face of climate change. The Inn is designed to foster a new sense of value, inviting guests on a learning journey, one that encourages us to rethink how we interact with the world. It’s not just about sustainability as a static goal but as an active, ongoing process – caring for the world around us, acting where we can and valuing systems and creativity over commodification.
On my last morning on the island, I woke early to enjoy a cup of tea at the Inn with a view of the Atlantic Ocean. I picked up Pam Hall’s Encyclopedia of Local Knowledge, where she wrote about her view on being an artist as someone who “makes knowledge and moves it around”, an idea that resonated with me and aligns with our ethos of collaboration at Christopher Farr Cloth and sharing stories from diverse perspectives through design.
Fogo Island is a place where isolation has bred a self-reliance that makes its community resilient yet profoundly connected to the world through art, ideas and the shared desire to preserve and protect what truly matters.
“Some might describe artmaking as the creation of rare and beautiful objects—paintings, sculptures, things that reside in galleries and museums. Others view artmaking as meaning-making, a process of research and expression that is both material and conceptual. However one defines or describes it, artmaking is driven by the desire to create something meaningful—rooted in memory, place, and purpose.”
On Fogo Island, the layers of process, practice, and engagement with the environment are visible, woven into the fabric of everyday life. By visiting, I felt as though I had uncovered some of those layers, finding a connection not only to the island but to its people. This connection is deepened by the shared ethos between Christopher Farr Cloth and the Shorefast Foundation. Both organisations value sustainability, craftsmanship, and the meaningful use of resources. Our collaboration reflects a mutual commitment to slow design, ethical production, and fostering community ties.
