Can a luxury ceramics studio give more back than it takes?

The main studio at FOUND.

FOUND is building a different kind of British luxury brand - one where exceptional craft, reclaimed materials, environmental responsibility and social impact are part of the same business.

What if luxury was not simply about owning something beautiful, but about knowing that its existence had created something positive, too?

It is a question at the heart of FOUND, a new, independent British ceramics brand founded by Jez Rose and Todd Gilbey at their rural studio on the Rutland and Northamptonshire border.

FOUND officially opened its doors on 23 September, welcoming more than 50 invited guests, collectors, local residents and VIPs, including HM Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland, Dr Sarah Furness; HM Deputy Lieutenant of Northamptonshire, Mandy Young MBE; and the Mayor of Corby, Councillor Dr Steve O’Brien.

The opening marked the launch of FOUND's debut collection, Candlelight, and the beginning of a much larger ambition: to build a contemporary British luxury brand in which commercial success creates the capacity for environmental and social good.

FOUND is the world's first certified carbon neutral ceramics studio and a Certified B Corporation brand, but certification is not the story. The starting point is the work itself.

Working primarily in porcelain and stoneware, FOUND creates functional and sculptural objects in small collections and limited editions, exploring natural and reclaimed materials including ash, minerals, and materials that might otherwise be overlooked or discarded.

For FOUND, this is part of a wider interpretation of luxury: fewer things, made exceptionally well, designed to be used, kept and passed on.

“Luxury and responsibility are often presented as though they belong at opposite ends of the spectrum,” says co-founder Jez Rose. “We don't believe they have to be. We want to demonstrate that you can make something beautiful, desirable and commercially successful while also taking responsibility for the effect that business has on people and the natural world.”

FOUND is developing a community programme that will use clay and creative activity to create opportunities for people who may benefit from time, connection, practical making and creative expression. Potential programmes include work with people experiencing mental health challenges or social isolation, young people and those rebuilding their lives following involvement with the criminal justice system.

The programme will be developed with specialist organisations and community partners, with a focus on meaningful participation and measurable outcomes rather than simply offering creative activity for its own sake.

“Clay gives you something very immediate to work with,” says co-founder Todd Gilbey. “You can change it, start again, make a mistake, try something different. There is a real sense of agency in that. We want to explore what happens when people are given the opportunity to experience that for themselves.”

Alongside its collections and community work, FOUND is developing a programme of private luxury experiences and collaborations with designers, hospitality businesses, luxury brands, and other organisations.

The experiences bring guests into the studio to work with clay, share food and spend time with the makers. Collaborations will explore bespoke objects, limited editions and creative experiences.

FOUND's long-term ambition is to become a measurably regenerative business that gives back more than it takes.

For a brand built around objects designed to be held and kept, it is an idea that extends well beyond ceramics.