Co-LAB Bristol

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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