Carhartt WIP Meets Johnson Bespoke Joinery
Our creative team visited the workshop this October to learn about the business
and speak directly with Robin. We experienced a day immersed in sawdust, creativity and good old-fashioned elbow grease.
Having been a loyal customer of Urban Industry since he opened his business, Robin has kindly shared an introduction to his experience, thoughts on the trade, and why workwear is so imperative to the joinery world.
Where did your passion for woodwork begin?
Growing up as a kid, we had a workshop in the basement as my Dad was a tradesman, and I had my first working tool kit for my 5th birthday. I used to spend all my weekends and evenings in the basement working on toys, catapults, bows and arrows - those sorts of things.
Where does metalwork come in?
I learnt how to weld when I was 11, my Grandad gave me an old gas welder. I used to fill up the gas at a metal fabrication place - the same one my Dad used to use, and the man there, Jim, showed me how to weld. I’d go home and practise in the basement, burning my fingers, I’d always have burns on the tips of my fingers - from touching the metal.

What’s your favourite project you have worked on and why?
You’ve made several TV appearances, including Kings Of The Wood, a successful series that showcases the crafts of carpentry and furniture making. Why do you think programs that highlight a specific trade are important and enjoyable to watch?
Trades like mine are dying out. The local college has only got two people on the joinery course, there’s not a demand for it. No kid comes out of college going, ‘I want to make doors and windows’. When this art is lost, probably within the next ten years - especially within the South East it’ll be a real shame. I think it’s really important to prevent that, watching something come from a sawn bit of wood with splinters all over it to a fantastic cabinet, its inspiring - if someone else can do it, then I can do it.
My new show, 'The Travelling Auctioneers' is out on the BBC in the new year, and although not joinery specifically, it shows what you can do with a few tools and a bit of elbow grease - bringing objects back from the brink and saving them from landfill.
How long have you been shopping with Urban Industry, and what keeps you coming back?
We’re introducing you to the latest Carhartt WIP AW23 pieces. How essential is it to have stylish and hard-wearing clothing for your line of work?
