Meet the Maker: ReNew - In conversation with 3RD Diadem

Image credit: Jonny Storey

Main image credit: Andreas Klassen

 

For our latest craft and design showcase, we want to spotlight artists and makers who bring new life to existing materials. From cleverly repurposed discarded items, to reworked waste, to revisiting their own off cuts, these creatives transform what already exists into something considered and new. For the second edition of our Meet the Maker series, we spoke to Gow Tanaka of 3RD/DIADEM to learn more about his process and practice.

Gow is a London based designer, maker, and founder of 3RD/DIADEM. Working from his Hackney workshop, he creates sustainable luxury pieces crafted from compressed recycled paper. His work is defined by Japanese minimalism, careful finishing, and a deep respect for materials chosen for longevity.

Image credit: Jonny Storey

What inspires your work?

I’m drawn to the quiet intelligence of natural form and the evidence of time. Curves shaped by erosion, subtle surface topographies, and old objects that carry wear, repair, and use. I’m also interested in how light can alter a simple object, how a slight deformation or edge condition changes what we read and feel.

Tell us a bit more about the inspiration for the pieces you have included in the ReNew showcase.

The pieces in ReNew continue my interest in restrained, functional objects that reveal themselves through touch and close looking. They are informed by curves found in nature and the textures of aged materials, where use becomes a kind of finish. I work with a minimal vocabulary, so proportion, edge, and surface do the work rather than ornament.

Tell us a bit more about your practice.

My process begins with personal analysis and observation, then moves into drawing and 3D CAD. From there I work through prototypes, refining proportion and ergonomics, and then resolve each object through a combination of digital fabrication and hand finishing. I like the precision of digital tools, but I rely on hand work to bring the final surface and tactility into balance.

Describe your workspace.

I work from Batch.Space in London, a shared workshop with a mix of makers and small businesses. I have my own dedicated corner with my tools and machines, and I also have access to the shared wood workshop and equipment. It’s an environment that keeps the work grounded, practical, and in dialogue with other disciplines.

Who has influenced and inspired you?

I respect Tadao Ando’s approach to minimalism and restraint, where space, light, and material carry the emotion. I’m also influenced by Martin Margiela for the strength of reduction and the dignity of wear, where time becomes part of the object rather than something to hide. More broadly, I’m continually influenced by anonymous, unknown craft objects that show signs of use and time.

What is your favourite piece or design you have made?

My most meaningful work is my latest project: an eyewear collection that is now close to release. It brings together everything I have learnt over time: my earlier career in fashion hairstyling and a sensitivity to face framing, years of material study, product design, and the craft language developed through my 3RD/DIADEM collections, alongside my Japanese heritage. It feels like a true synthesis, both technically and emotionally.