What more can be written about London, a true global city; the leading city in finance and the creative industries, but it wasn't always that way. It was a centre for trade and manufacturing. Although the number of people who work in manufacturing there is now only 250,000 out of 8.5 million; which makes the region of Britain with the least amount of people employed in manufacturing, only 2.8%. This though isn't so bad for the rest of the country, as rents astronomically rise in London, manufacturers have moved outside of the behemoth and created jobs in other regions.
But there is another side to London that offers craftspeople a chance to create what they love to do. London is peppered with artist's studios, craft workshops and small manufacturers. Inside people are busying themselves, creating modern brands with traditional techniques or reinventing heritage brands with modern techniques. The thrust of urban life makes people try new things, new ideas are boundless in the 'Smoke'. The East End is full of people on the cutting edge. From publishers to fashion houses and from apothecaries to homeware. These small industries are always welcome in London. They help to ground big business.
It is hard to find a true Londoner as you walk the streets. To be born within the sound of Bow Bells would be hard nowadays anyway due to the sound of the traffic. But that is exactly what drives the creative side of London. A melting pot of ideas and people, with over 300 languages spoken in the capital it would be hard not to be influenced in some way.
London for all its flaws, is still where new ideas flow.