Made in Northamptonshire still going strong

Made in NorthamptonshireTrading for just over three months, the Made in Northamptonshire pop up store in St Giles Street, Northampton is still going strong. Helen Senogles, who oversees the project, explained: “We opened two weeks before Christmas and we have the lease for nine months. It is a showcase for all local artists, designers and crafts people.”

a\The project has been supported by a range of groups which includes Creative Northants, the University of Northampton, the Business Improvement district and the Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership

Helen said: “Creative Northants put out an advert two weeks before Christmas and we have had more than 200 artists and designers already. We took that down to 40 for the first month and since then we have taken on more artists from across the county – Wellingborough, Kettering, Corby – and they have all sorts of skills, from contemporary to traditional. There are so many different artists and so many different people producing things in the county.”

She added: “We had an amazing Christmas and smashed every target and, now we are growing to accommodate different targets, we are holding drop-in sessions with Creative Northants. We have until August and then we will have to see how the project develops from there.”

Pop up shop for cancer

Samantha Burak’s world fell apart when she discovered her mum had terminal cancer, but the 21 year old student vowed to honour her mum by fund-raising in aid of Cancer Research UK.

Samantha and six of her fellow students are now set to open up a pop up shop to drum up cash for the charity and famous faces have donated clothes, bags and accessories for the shop.

Fearne Cotton, Gok Wan and model Zara Martin have all donated items and the pop up shop opens for one day only on 2nd March at the Pavillions Shopping Mall in Birmingham.

The students, who have organised the event as part of their degrees in Fashion Retail Management, will be also raising money to help fund the university’s Graduate Fashion Week.

Samantha, who splits her time between her studies and travelling to stay at her mum’s hospital bedside in Hertfordshire, says: “When we were told to think up a charity to benefit from the event, Cancer Research UK was really a no-brainer as all of us had been affected by the illness in some kind of way. My mum was diagnosed with ovarian cancer four years ago and she got the all-clear, but then it spread to her bowel. We were then told that the cancer was incurable. Words can’t describe how devastating that was.”

For more information, follow @popupforcancer on Twitter.

Jane Davidson pop up designer boutique

Jane DavidsonEdinburgh designer boutique Jane Davidson is hosting a pop up shop with well known designer brands at cut price. Opening at 10am on 18th February at 22 Randolph Place in Edinburgh, the shop will be known as ‘Jane’s Dressing Room’ and is just around the corner from Jane’s usual premises.

Nikki Clark, Boutique Manager at Jane Davidson, said: “People can expect a great range of fantastic reductions and bargains right through from jeans to gowns. We always have fantastic pieces from previous collections and you can grab a pair of designer jeans at high street prices. For those of us who may feel too intimidated by the triple figures on the labels the shop gives you the chance to pick up a new outfit at an affordable price. This will also give you the chance to purchase an exclusive outfit that you would not find on the high street avoiding those embarrassing outfit clashes during a night out.”

Forest Hill Fashion Week Pops Up

Forest Hill Fashion WeekForest Hill becomes an essential destination for fashionistas from 15th-19th February, as the team behind the SEE3 pop up shops stages ‘Forest Hill Fashion Week’.

 SEE3 is one of Boris Johnson’s London Portas Pilots, which was awarded £300,000 in order help revitalise high streets and promoting job creation in Lambeth and Tower Hamlets. Lewisham Council is providing an additional £137k to help rejuvenate the areas high streets with new street markets, start-up opportunities for new businesses and creative exhibitions. The aim of the team is to provide a springboard for businesses to trial their propositions in the high street and to stimulate long-term demand for empty shops. With The Butchery, who had a pop up shop at Christmas in Forest Hill, opening the doors of their permanent shop later this month the team have a pretty good record at bringing businesses to the high street that meet the needs of the community.

Louise Brooks, the Project Manager tasked with delivery of SEE3‘s pop up shop programme ‘The Shop Revolution’, said: “Forest Hill has become a hub for designer-makers and fashionable boutiques in recent years and so it is an ideal time to stage a celebration of local design talent and style. And of course the event will see the opening of our latest pop up shop SEE Boutique on Dartmouth Road with pop up tenants Love Ur Look selling their fabulous reproduction vintage outfits.”

With collections from local designers at Forest Hill’s boutiques, in-store events, textile and accessory workshops, fashion and jewellery upcycling, frock-swapping, markets, catwalk shows (including a dress-up catwalk for children) there will be something for all ages. For a full list of events taking place during this festival of local fashion interested you can visit www.see3.co.uk/fhfw.

 

Swatch pop up project shop

Swatch opened a pop up project store on 26th January on Oxford Street, London, featuring the brand’s Spring/Summer collection and a new campaign to launch the newest addition to their collection. The ‘True Love Has Nothing To Hide’ campaign is up and running and the store features a Swatch kissing booth and Swatch cupids to celebrate the launch of A La Folie.

There will be competitions for visitors to win watches, and from 15th February the store will also host a variety of live art projects to showcase talent and creativity.

For further information see http://shop.swatch.com/gb/en/Home.aspx

Rock My Boutique

With the first of their pop up shops appearing at Hampton Manor, West Midlands on 17th March, Rock My Wedding are putting together a boutique of all things wedding. It includes pieces from their own AW12 collection as well as from DC Bouquets and Shoes from Harriet Whilde.

Pop in to see them if you are a blushing bride to be and see if you can find something to rock your world!

Marks and Spencer opened first ever Oxfam charity pop up shop

M & SMarble Arch was the location for the new M&S two day Oxfam pop up shwop shop. Over 40 celebrities including Alexa Chung, Daisy Lowe and Plan B all donated items that were sold. To gain entry to the shop you needed a special ticket – something to “shwop” (an unwanted or unused item of clothing).

Adam Elman, Head of Plan A Delivery at Marks & Spencer, said: “The Shwop Shop is a celebration of shwopping. Fashion influencers, designers, stylists, thought-leaders and visionaries have given their sign of approval by donating their unwanted items and we hope this will inspire a new generation of shwoppers who see fashion and sustainability as one. The aim is to change people’s attitudes towards clothes recycling and give unwanted garments a future.”

 The celebrity shop was staffed by a host of famous faces throughout the two days including shwopping guru Joanna Lumley, who said:

“By opening your hearts, minds and your wardrobe and going shwopping, you can not only bag an outfit worn on the red carpet or to a glitzy awards evening, but help the environment too. Fashion with a conscience, it is perfect isn’t it? By shwopping all we want you to do is give your unwanted items stuffed in the back of your wardrobe a future. Simply bring an old item back every time you buy a new outfit, shwop and shop! Come to the Shwop Shop, shwop and shop and leave with a smile – the world will then feel a better place!”

Marks and Spencer has pioneered the idea of shwopping – a revolutionary clothes recycling initiative where customers can donate any item of clothing, of any brand, to be re-used, resold or recycled by charity partner Oxfam.

The campaign aims to put an end to the one billion items currently ending up in landfill every year. All M&S clothing stores now accept used and unwanted items of clothing from any brand, all year round. The ultimate aim for M&S is to collect 350 million items a year – recycling as many clothes as it sells.

Vintage clothes pop up shop

MacmillanOld Market, Bristol is the location of a pop up shop selling vintage burlesque and evening clothing. The Rio Grande shop will open in 24 West Street from January 12th to Sunday 14th.

Funds raised will be going to Macmillan Cancer Support, PositiveCauses and One25.

People are being encouraged to donate unwanted clothes. Evening and burlesque wear will be sold in the pop up shop, with any other women’s clothing being sent to One25 for the women they support.

Art students’ jute bag pop up shop

ECAPrinces Mall in Edinburgh is playing host to a pop up shop selling limited edition reusable jute bags.

Students from Edinburgh College of Art have teamed up with Jutexpo, a UK manufacturer who ran a competition for the students to have their bag designs made and sold in the pop up. The designs had to reflect the three chosen charities that will benefit from the funds raised – Sick Kids Friends Foundation, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and The Poppy Appeal.

Cambridge Satchel Company pop up shop

CambridgeAward winning Julie Deane, Owner of the Cambridge Satchel Company, has opened a pop up shop in Covent Garden and will hold a further pop up in the same location in February during London Fashion Week.

The Cambridge Satchel Company has already collaborated with fashion superstars including Comme des Garçons, and the bags are regularly seen on the shoulders of fashion editors and celebrities.

You can visit the pop up shop at 15 Shorts Gardens, Seven Dials.