The future is handmade: Crafts meets innovation

”Craft is not about hygge”.

With that one line, Elisa Kraatari slices clean through the soft-focus, pastel-filtered Instagram aesthetic that has come to define craft in the public imagination. This isn’t about weekend hobbies. Craft is serious business—political, material, and deeply tied to the way we live, consume, and imagine futures.

“As a young student,” Elisa Kraatari explains, “I had some kind of a cultural policy calling.”

That calling has evolved but never faded. Instead, it now encompasses a deeper curiosity of blending ancient handcraft and modern tech-led innovation.

Powerful evolution

Craft-led innovation is undergoing a bold transformation. In an era defined by speed and automation, a new generation of makers is fusing traditional techniques with contemporary ideas to drive sustainable, forward-thinking design. From artisans to material scientists, this movement is proving that the future of innovation might just be handmade. But how did we get there?

”Craft has often been treated as something in need of fixing. For decades—if not centuries—it’s been framed as unmodern, un-technological, and in need of being “brought up to date”. This perception has driven efforts to impose innovation onto craft, often by introducing new tools, materials, or digital technologies under the assumption that something new is the same as progress,” Elisa Kraatari explains.

Craft shouldn´t be “fixed”

Instead, what we’re seeing now is a shift in thinking. The world has changed—socially, environmentally, and economically—and so too has our understanding of culture. Craft traditions, once bound tightly to national or regional identities, are now revealing global commonalities: challenges of production and consumption, pressures of sustainability, and the undervaluing of manual knowledge.

“Craft cultures across continents have faced parallel struggles, and it’s only recently that we’ve begun to truly appreciate the inherent value of craft as a process—not something to be “fixed” but something to be respected, learned from, and evolved on its own terms,” says Elisa Kraatari.

A return to the core

Many artists and designers are leaning into instinctive, process-led practices — embracing rawness before calculated precision. This is a quiet rebellion against the polished, digital flatness that often dominates visual culture.

“Maybe we’ve just hit saturation with sleek, machine-made perfection. What once impressed us—something so polished it looked factory-made—doesn´t have any wow effect anymore. We’re craving something else: a return to material connection, to the core of craft. At the end of the day, we’re just playful apes with long thumbs—wired to think through our hands,” says Elisa Kraatari.

Soft skills in focus

Craft is inherently physical-rooted in touch, muscle memory, and the ability to navigate raw, often unruly materials. But as the world shifts, so too does craft. Its future rests not just in hands-on skill, but in the quieter strengths as soft skills: resilience, attentiveness, and an appreciation for nuance and time.

How can traditional craft practices be scaled without losing their essence? Especially concerning soft skills?

“Well, that is a big question, a big issue. My thoughts go directly to the sustainability transformation. If we’re scaling soft skills, it shouldn’t be toward force or dominance—but toward accepting that real change means rethinking the very logic of traditional business. It’s the only sane path forward,” says Elisa Kraatari.

“With my background in textiles, I see how little people know about what it actually takes to produce a piece of cloth—the water, the labor, the skill. It’s something that urgently needs more education, especially as we rethink how we consume,” says Elisa Kraatari. Photo: Leena Marsio

The consumer the key

The materials of the future are demanding less — less water, less energy, no cruelty, no harmful chemicals. These are innovations driven not by hype, but by a commitment to tangible change. Material innovation, in this context, is not a trend — it’s a return to essential values.

“I think the consumer is absolutely key. One of the most powerful things they can do is learn to truly understand and appreciate materials. With my background in textiles, I see how little people know about what it actually takes to produce a piece of cloth—the water, the labor, the skill. It’s something that urgently needs more education, especially as we rethink how we consume.”

Brands are rushing to rebrand as sustainable, often showcasing raw materials and natural textures online as symbols of authenticity. But beneath the curated visuals, the question lingers: is this real change or just a new kind of marketing gloss?

“I can immediately relate to this kind of imagery—close-ups of cotton in a field, all soft and idyllic—but it rarely shows what comes next: the processing, the factories, the wastewater. Maybe what we need is more of the messiness—of craft, yes, but also of mass production. What harm would there be in consumers seeing the reality, not just the polished version? Craft has become a cool aesthetic, a design trend—but do they really have craft at the centre? That’s the question according to Elisa Kraatari.

Cross – transfer innovation

Innovation is no longer the sole domain of cutting-edge tech. By blending diverse local expertise and encouraging open community dialogues, a deeper kind of innovation is emerging, one that honors cultural heritage and promotes the transmission of intangible knowledge across generations.

Elisa Kraatari wants see more cross-transfer—where inspiration flows both ways. The craftsperson’s way of thinking with their hands offers a completely different approach to imagination and creativity.

“The process could be incredibly enriching for those rooted in tech or business. Likewise, rapid digital development might spark something entirely new in the mind of a maker. It’s about stepping into the other field—tasting the grass on the other side, so to speak—and seeing what unexpected growth might happen.