Fresh Young Designers Find a New Home in Poplar Works
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MOST POPLAR: A new space known as Poplar Works, dedicated to supporting young creative talent, has opened in East London. The project, a cross collaboration between the London mayor’s office, housing association Poplar HARCA, London College of Fashion, UAL and The Trampery, aims to nurture young talent and entrepreneurs by offering affordable studio space.
The studios in Poplar Works will be shared with The Trampery, a social enterprise specializing in coworking spaces and training programs for creative entrepreneurs. Working with London College of Fashion’s Centre for Fashion Enterprise, five studios will be provided to emerging fashion start-ups for a period of two years. Bethany Williams, Rahemur Rahman, Loot Forever, Alex Mullins, Tolu Coker, A Perfect Fit and Not Very Well will all be taking studio space there.
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“One of the big challenges we’ve got in London is the affordability of [creative spaces], in common with a lot of big, global capitals around the world,” said deputy mayor for culture and the creative industries, Justine Simons. “The spaces here, you can have for as little as 200 pounds a month, or up to 800 pounds, depending on your circumstances and where your business is.”
Central Saint Martins alum Rahemur Rahman said the new space will help take the business to a more professional level.
“What’s really great about this is that it helps young designers evolve,” he said.
Other workshops and studios will be occupied by small businesses outside fashion, with some graphic designers and carpenters already confirmed for the move-in.
London College of Fashion’s Centre for Fashion Enterprise program will also be based out of Poplar Works, a move that will tie in with London College of Fashion’s consolidated shift to a central campus in The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in 2022, combining six campuses into one.
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