Not only does MAKLab support the country’s budding designers and business people by providing low-cost production technology, it also teaches our throwaway generation of flat-packed furniture fans and bargain shoppers how to repair our broken belongings.
The groundbreaking company, based in Glasgow’s iconic Lighthouse building, assists hundreds of young Scottish entrepreneurs to build their businesses every year and has been shortlisted for the prestigious Google Global Impact Challenge award for its efforts.
The award recognises the work of British not-for-profit organisations that use technology and innovation to tackle difficult human challenges. MAKLab has been shortlisted alongside ten finalists including War Child, a charity that uses crowdsourced digital mapping to improve child safety, and an Age UK initiative that gives older people training in digital technology.
With the 500,000 prize money that’s up for grabs, MAKLab hope to expand their studios outside Glasgow and strengthen their international network of makers.
“On a daily basis there's a constant flood of thousands of ideas in the MAKLab, a cross-over from architecture to jewellery and fashion,” said Richard Clifford, Studio Director at MAKlab.
“We already have an established network of makers in Scotland, but we want to create a backbone for that network with physical locations so that it spreads internationally.
“In Glasgow we have a physical studio, but we want to create other hubs so a greater network can feed around that.”
Among MAKLab’s many success stories is Caroline Nadzanja, an Edinburgh College of Art student whose textile knots are due to appear in Vogue magazine.
The existence of the MAKLab allows students, graduates and young people access to facilities that are usually beyond their budget, allowing them to apply their creativity and skill to their business ideas.
“If you can imagine being a jewellery or architecture grad - you’re learning CAD and milling techniques at college, but then when you leave, buying a machine can cost between 8000 to 20,000,” said Richard.
“We provide machines at their running cost for makers, graduates and school leavers.”
The studio has also aided entrepreneurs David Kellock and Michael Corrigan create prototypes of their unique travel pillow scarf, Powernap, which won them the attention of BBC documentary The Entrepreneurs and allowed them to create a special Powernap product for Virgin owner Sir Richard Branson.
“MakLab were fantastic when Michael and I were prototyping our product,” said David Kellock, 26.
“They let us use a machine called a CNC router, which without them we wouldn’t have had access to.
“We managed to get a product to Sir Richard Branson - the whole thing was made in MakLab. The Velcro and internal support were laser cut there, we electronically embroidered ‘Virgin Atlantic’ into the product with their electronic embroidery machine and made a really nice box combining the logos for Virgin and Powernap on the cover.”
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