For the seventh year running, Shoreditch Design Triangle, in association with London Design Week, has showcased a selection of the best talent in design. With an array of designers and brands, exhibiting their work in galleries, studios stores and cafes, this one week design festival has become one of the most important in the world. Attracting the UK’s top designers, retailers, and thinkers, this event is home to the best of the best in design. With more than 350,000 people visiting the festival, this year’s Shoreditch Design Triangle was one of the biggest yet.
One exciting newcomer to the festival is Old Street Station, which has allowed brands to rent space inside the station adn showcase their designs to the impressive footfall of both residents and commuters.Located right in the heart of East London’s Tech City, next door to Shoreditch’s creative scene and just a short walk from the City of London’s biggest businesses, this is the destination to catch the eye of a forward thinking and design savvy crowd. For these brands, appearing in Old Street station during Shoreditch Design Triangle has offered them a great opportunity to boost their exposure during a key moment for their audience. Here, we have picked our favourite brands who we think caught the wave of the festival and reaped the benefits.
Barnaby & CO
Barnaby & Co recently launched a pop-up in Old Street Underground Station for the duration of the design festival. This home and interior specialist brand only established their online store in the summer of this year, and have used the pop-up as a complementary retail channel to raise brand awareness and drive traffic to their website. Their shop featured an array of ceramics, baskets, textiles and furnishings attracting many young home makers.
We caught up with founder, Julianna Barnaby, to find out how it went, “it’s been great appearing in the Shoreditch Design Triangle - we've met some really interesting people, both customers and suppliers, who enjoy what we are doing and have loved the pop up shop. It's provided invaluable exposure for Barnaby & Co. We have only started up recently so it is nice to meet new people and get our name out there, and to talk to people about the designer makers we have been working with.”
For Julianna, the highlight of London Design Week for Barnaby & Co was, “the number of people that have come in because someone's told them about the pop up. We've only been here a day and a half so far and that's happened quite a few times. It's always good to hear that people have nice things to say about you.”
Tranzit Store
Tranzit Store fuses the best of Britain and Slovenia to create an exciting range of independent fashion and furniture products. Founder, Petra Green launched her collective, ROOM39, back in 2010, a furnishings brand dedicated to unique, well-crafted pieces. Shoreditch Design Triangle has given Petra the chance to bring the delights of Slovenia in a showcase of the brand’s best work, aptly named Tranzit Store, in a week-long store in Old Street Station. Tranzit Store pop-up has been an opportunity for the brand to tell its story of craftsmanship and reach out to customers on a very personal level.
We chatted to curator Petra Green who told us that, “Tranzit store is for me a new format of exhibiting products and at the same time reaching out to the general public during London Design Festival. The footfall, location and being part of Shoreditch Design Triangle meant that we were able to capture the target audience we were aiming for. The response so far exceeded our expectations and we are now plotting our next outing!”
Very Good and Proper
Okay, so this store isn’t quite in Old Street Station, but it still sits near one of the busiest areas of Shoreditch, Redchurch Street. Very Good and Proper are the designers of the practical, the long lasting and the beautiful. With furnishings ranging from canteen style chairs with a new-age twist, to lino topped tables, this brand delivers high-quality products for any setting. Shoreditch Design Triangle gave Very Good and Proper the opportunity to showcase designs from their Autumn collection, allowing them to get a head start in exhibiting their products ahead of their competitors. Appearing at this annual festival has meant that they’ve had the chance to create a buzz around their new collection and reignite the custom for their previous work.
Pop-up stores have become a way for brands to get involved with events and festivals. These events attract big crowds which allow brands in short-term spaces a chance to get noticed, not just by their loyal following of customers, but by potential customers who may not have otherwise had the opportunity to see what a brand is doing. If you’re considering opening a pop-up store, check out our guides for more information.