The Art of the Hamper · Piccadilly, London · 2026
It was an honour for us to 3D print a British icon.
For The Art of the Hamper, Fortnum’s invited eight artists to reinterpret its iconic hamper in a material other than wicker. Arthur Mamou-Mani’s contribution brought together Mamou-Mani’s computational design and Fab.Pub’s London fabrication workshop, translating a familiar woven object into a one-off 3D-printed piece for the Piccadilly windows.
This was more than a new way to make a basket. It was an opportunity to bring digital craft into a celebration of making, and to continue a relationship built through the 3’6 Bar and the Food & Drink Awards.
Learning from the original weave
We began by looking closely at the original wicker hamper. Strand thickness, spacing and the rhythm of each row were not perfectly uniform. Those small differences were part of its character, not imperfections to be erased.
Measurements and reference comparisons informed a parametric model of the body and lid. Rather than apply a woven-looking texture to a solid box, we developed the geometry alongside the path the printer would follow, connecting what the hamper looked like with how it could be made.
From code to a physical weave
A toolpath is the sequence of movements that guides a 3D printer as it deposits material. For this project, we explored how alternating layers could create the depth and rhythm of a weave.
The studies below show that thinking in elevation, section and three dimensions. Digital modelling let us vary the pattern; physical tests showed how those variations behaved when printed. Each informed the next.
Material testing, printing and hands-on making
Working with wood-filled PLA, the team tested material behaviour, extrusion and layer formation alongside the evolving geometry. Colour, texture and the way each strand connected all mattered to the result.
Large-scale 3D printing was one part of the process, not a replacement for hands-on craft. The printed components were finished and assembled in our workshop. Handles were heat-formed, the lid and base were fitted, and straps and lettering completed the piece.
That conversation between design, material and fabrication is central to Fab.Pub’s work. We develop the process around the project, from early tests to a finished object that can be installed and experienced.
A continuing collaboration with Fortnum’s
The hamper joins The Wavery at the 3’6 Bar and our 3D-printed Food & Drink Awards as another chapter in our collaboration with Fortnum’s.
“Having already worked with Fortnum’s, this feels like a meaningful continuation of our relationship.”
Commission: The Art of the Hamper, a one-off window-display piece
Client: Fortnum’s
Location: Piccadilly, London
Year: 2026
Design development: Mamou-Mani
Fabrication: Fab.Pub
Exhibition photography: Courtesy of Fortnum’s
Design studies: Mamou-Mani / Fab.Pub
Let’s make something distinctive for your brand
Planning a window display, retail installation or bespoke object? Fab.Pub brings together computational design, material testing, prototyping and fabrication in London.
Tell us what you would like to make, its scale, where it will be installed and your deadline. We can then discuss a practical route from your brief to the finished piece.
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