Beyond the Cracker Crown: A Sustainable Take on a Christmas Classic
If you’ve ever found yourself at a festive table, balancing a crumpled paper hat on your head — the kind that slips over your eyes mid-dinner and ends up in the bin before dessert — you’ll appreciate The Shop Floor Project’s thoughtful alternative. This year, the mother-and-daughter team Denise and Samantha Allan invite us to swap the disposable for the delightful with their new collection of Pop Out Crowns — festive headpieces designed to be cherished, not tossed away.
"Halo" pop out crown, The Shop Floor Project
Each one, painted by artist and co-founder Denise Allan, is printed carbon-neutral in England on robust card, with careful construction that allows it to be adjusted, displayed, and stored for many Christmases to come. Designed for adults but suitable for all ages, these crowns are a celebration of craft and imagination, and offer a sustainable twist on a much-loved festive tradition.
"Golden Oak Leaf" pop out crown, The Shop Floor Project
The three designs each tell their own story. Halo glows like Renaissance gold, inspired by Fra Angelico’s celestial paintings, its scalloped edges catching the light like rays from an angel’s crown. Sailing Ship is a triumph of whimsy — a three-dimensional miniature vessel complete with painted sails, curling waves, and delicate pearl details, a nod to Marie Antoinette’s audacious “pouf à la Belle Poule.” Golden Oak Leaf feels timeless and regal, a wreath of interlocking gilded leaves reminiscent of ancient Roman victory crowns and the carved oak motifs of English churches.
"Sailing Ship" pop out crown, The Shop Floor project.
This week on the blog, Shop Floor Project director Samantha Allan joins us for “Five Minutes with a Friend”. She shares her thoughts on textiles, and how craftsmanship, creativity, and a touch of magic come together in their timeless designs.
Samantha Allan
Samantha, what is your first memory of a textile?
I remember the old Sanderson fabric that we had our sofa upholstered in. The pattern had birds and vines in a faded, dusky brick red colour. I remember tracing the pattern with my fingers when watching TV.
Can you put into words what you love about textiles?
I’ve always loved textiles; from fashion, interiors, and film costumes to art objects made from fabric by artists such as Louise Bourgeois and Magdalena Abakanowicz. I love the many layers of references in textiles, from domesticity to couture, natural dyes and hand woven threads - I suppose it’s the history and human story running through it all.
Where is your most inspiring space / place to create?
I often incorporate textiles into my work, or am inspired by them – a pattern or texture for instance. I work in my studio in Cumbria, by the woodturning stove, always with music on and many cups of tea! I have a 6ft glass-fronted cupboard that I try and keep organised which is full of my textile collection that I keep for future projects.
What has inspired you recently?
Our recent collection of Pop Out Crowns have been inspired by several things: early Renaissance frescoes, the films of Derek Jarman, Orlando by Sally Potter and the 18th century French craze for ship hair sculptures, as worn by Marie Antoinette! All of our collections are inspired by history in some way.
What is your most cherished textile, and why?
One of my most treasured textiles is a woven wall hanging made in the 1960’s by the ELC Craft Centre at Rorke’s Drift in South Africa. It’s a huge piece, and tells a folk tale full of animals, houses and people. I just love it! They are quite hard to find now, but I’d love another one to add to my collection.
Where did you learn your craft?
I studied Fine Art and Sculpture at the Sir John Cass school of fine art at London Guildhall University. It was a wonderful time and we were encouraged to use whatever material we wanted to express the themes and ideas we felt were worth exploring. Experimentation is so important and all the skilled technicians helped up to learn about materials and what we could do with them.
-
Further Information:
-
Image Credits:
All images are courtesy of The Shop Floor Project, and the following contributors to the Pop Out Crowns photo shoot:
@locartandfilm
@swarthmoorhall
@hamaji_studio
@fern_cj
@velvetbrowntextiles