Barbican To Open Avant-Garde Fashion Market In Hackney

By Stuart Black Last edited 117 months ago
Barbican To Open Avant-Garde Fashion Market In Hackney

Events will include a "Lego dress promenade" by designer Anne-Sophie Cochevelou and Camoufleur.

A derelict warehouse in Hackney will be transformed into a cutting edge pop-up fashion market for nine days in July. The Barbican has tasked designer Jeff Horsley with curating the project called Ram Place Fashion Market, which will turn a roofless shell into a vibrant hub showcasing avant-garde street style alongside talks, food, gigs and workshops.

Inspired by the Barbican’s current Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition, the market aims to celebrate the Frenchman’s love of youth culture and street fashion in London, which he says was a big influence on his work in the 90s.

The market will feature stalls run by new graduates and 'rising stars' from East London with names already confirmed including Jelka Quintellier, Arlette, Kelly Shaw and Meihui Liu. There will also be talks by stars such as James Long and demonstrations by craftspeople Sebastian Tarek, Sahar Freemantle and Queenie and Ted.

The performance program promises an alternative view of fashion with recreations of Gaultier’s haute couture in moss, an appearance by legendary anti-drag act The Divine David and 'a participative Lego dress promenade'. Other events include a Swishing evening about ethical fashion by the Dalston Darlings WI group and talks dissecting fashion and body image and fashion and music videos (the latter featuring film maker Kathryn Ferguson who has worked with singers such as Lady Gaga and Paloma Faith).

On top of all the stuff to see, arts organisation Create London will recruit 30 local young people to be mentored throughout the programme. There will also be collaborations with artists and fashion mags i-D and Vogue.

Ram Place is located off Morning Lane and near the new designer shopping hotspot around Chatham Place near Hackney Central — during the week, free guided tours of the area will be run by Hackney Historical Society and consultancy Patternity.

Food will be available from a special café in the venue serving southern style BBQ, while local restaurant Rita's will offer cocktails from the market's bar. For those on a budget, Monday 14 will be BYOB.

Ram Place Fashion Market runs from Saturday 12 July to Sunday 20 July, from 11am to 10pm daily, admission free. For evening events entry is on a first come first served basis with wristbands distributed daily from 11am from the Barbican market stall.

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk continues in the Barbican until 25 August, 2014.

Last Updated 28 June 2014