London has NEWGEN a scheme that supports, nurtures and
promotes new designers by offering financial support towards fashion shows, a time slot in the ‘NEWGEN pop-up showroom ‘ to showcase their collections &
introduces the new designers to influential press and buyers from around the
world. All funded by The British (ahem London) Fashion Council. Type Bristol
into the search on the British Fashion Council website and you will be greeted
with ‘no results’ I think we know where the British Fashion Councils priorities
lay…
Bristol supports itself, there is no fashion council and
despite Bristol being one of the Top 10 cities in the world to live in, the one
thing Bristol fails to do very well is support it’s creatives! Thank goodness Bristol creatives
have realised this with collaborations and co-working spaces popping up everywhere
in a D.I.Y approach to a problem that was just getting ignored and pushed aside
with Bristol favouring corporate businesses over the people who keep the heart of
the city beating. Basically if you can’t get the support from your city you support
each other! Don’t even get me started on the Bristol Fashion week thing again….Bristol
supporting corporate fashion week more like with B-list celebrities, bland
shows and corporate bloggers! No Thanks!
Co-LAB
Bristol’s largest Independent Art Shop and Gallery Co-LAB had conquered the sadly
decaying city centre, Broadmead with its mix of independent artists, designers
and creatives bringing a new, young and Bristolian feel to an area that had
been rejected by Bristol to make way for the new corporate Cabot Circus.
I loved to pop into Co-LAB on my lunch break and rarely came out empty handed,
there was so much going on from fashion items, jewellery, art prints & creative, bespoke gifts plus there was always a new art exibit in the PAPER gallery, with it's small café that made you feel at home, it didn't have that sterile feel that many galleries have, it’s
not a library, it’s buzzing and all made in Bristol. I Loved it!
Just as I thought Broadmead was getting more open minded and
creative I find out that Co-LAB have been made homeless due to high rents at
the Broadmead property! Independents cannot compete with corporates and the
gentrification of areas, the sad thing is the building will probably be sold to
another coffee shop, turned into more flats or even worse be left derelict,
making Broadmead look even more like a ghost town then it already does! There
was nothing that Co-LAB could do to compete with the high rents, nobody cared,
there was no Fashion Council or even Bristol Council to help them, leaving
Co-LAB and it’s 150 local designers involved to fend for themselves.
Help Save Co-LAB
Co-LAB supports local artists providing them with a platform and an opportunity to make a living out of their work, celebrating the individuality and creativity Bristol has to offer. Co-LAB also supports young people who have been long term unemployed to start a career in the arts, providing them with paid internships, work experience and creative enterprise training, showing the young designers how to use their creativity to produce sellable products by hosting workshops with links to the creative sector so that they can become part of it. Which is just brilliant, I wish I had that sort of support when I was a young designer!! Please donate!!
Find the crowdfunder here or search Co-LAB on the Crowdfunder website
Donating to Co-LAB will help towards funding a lease and a move to a new premises and the refitting of a new shop. They cannot do this without your help!
The crowdfunder still has 3 days to go!! Please donate to the crowdfunder to help raise funds towards Bristol's Co-LAB!
There are lots of exciting packages on the crowdfunder, for £10+ you can get yourself lots of Co-LAB goodies and invites to their new shop launch party with many other packages
available all created by Bristols finest
designers..... If you just feel like you would like to help there is a £5 donation giving you a chance to spread a little love and show you care.....who could resist getting involved for such a great cause??
Support Bristol! Support Local! Support independents! Get
Involved!
All images sourced from Co-LAB and PAPERarts
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Thanks for checking in Fashionistas xx
