Let’s get together: the activist young designers swapping lonely sheds for local co-operatives in response to rising London rents

Design is now the most popular subject at universities, but recent figures show that only a quarter of graduates subsequently get paid employment in the design industry.

The rest, though highly skilled, have either to abandon what they trained for over three years plus a foundation course, or start a business of their own, which means not just designing and making but, crucially, selling their work direct to customers.

This is why, all over London, designers are coming together in “co-operatives” to get their goods to market. Selling mainly to local communities in events they organise themselves, they are activists fighting against industry indifference and prohibitive retail mark-ups.

And as developers create new London “villages”, the selling of locally produced goods, from food to furniture, helps to create that all-important sense of place.

Ironically, the new wave of designers has driven up studio rents, forcing some new entrepreneurs to work from their spare room or a souped-up garden shed.

SMALL BUT DYNAMIC

Muswell Hill Creatives is made up of 11 designers in N8 and N10 who came together three years ago. Members put on four local markets a year. “Our regular meetings provide friendship and feedback. A designer can lead a rather solitary life,” says designer and artist Jo Angell.

Textile artist Rob Jones agrees: “It was very lonely working at home and there was so much to cover as a new maker — not only designing and making but finance, press, marketing, craft fairs, and photography. The group helped with all that.”

Recently joined are weaver Cecilia Child — her brand is By Cecil — and designer Richard Evans of RichCraft, making furniture from London trees.

IT’S SHOWTIME

A much larger affair is Urban Makers East, set up in Bow also about three years ago by illustrator and printer Ilka Dickens and jeweller Julia Redgrove. Says Dickens: “There were so many established and budding designers, artists, crafters and all-round great people on our doorstep, so it gave them a showcase in local spaces.”

A small market off Roman Road started things off in 2015, with 20 subsequent events. They now offer business advice/PR workshops and will have a web shop soon. New members “need at least a professional-looking Instagram account, and preferably a proper website,” says Dickens.

The E17 Designers network was founded in 2006 by textile designer Carolyn Abbott and two friends. “We’re distinctive, diverse, inspiring and local,” says Abbott. “There was no business plan or big idea; it has grown organically, to suit needs. Social media has created a new buzz.”

One early member is award-winning Mother’s Ruin, for gin-based liqueurs made with locally foraged ingredients. Abbott adds: “Individuality is everything these days. Londoners love buying local and meeting the makers, rather than a soulless click online.”

LOCAL FOCUS

Most co-operatives depend on the ongoing initiative, energy and even altruism of individuals, such as friends Lucy James and Helen Osgerby who organised South East Makers Club covering Deptford, Woolwich and Greenwich. It sprang from fringe activities at London Design Festivals, with 17 events last year and more planned this September.

Here, local maker Georgia Bosson with her Deptford Makers House enterprise, says: “I think local co-ops are definitely the way forward. Big trade shows are out of our reach, and you don’t control who you exhibit with. We can stay focused and support each other. Local makers selling to local people can enhance and humanise a rapidly evolving area like Deptford.”

New in west London is Chiswick Creatives (tweet @ChiswickCreates). The Arches Studios in Peckham is nurtured by founder ceramicist Loraine Rutt, who makes fine-crafted modern versions of old-style “pocket globes”.

Nearby are two woodworkers, two more ceramicists, and Blenheim Forge with a name in handmade knives. On a larger scale at Pullens Yards in Elephant & Castle, tenants of Victorian workshops run regular open studios.

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