designers were given advice on marketing, pricing and business strategies, all for a very reasonable 10 per cent commission. By April that year, Vogue had named Wolf & Badger one of Britain’s best boutiques. At the end of that summer, barely six months after launching, the store took up residency in Selfridges’ Wonder Room. Having propelled the fledgling concept’s lightning speed ascent, Samir and Zoe stepped back, and from there Debut Contemporary
A Ãú Øã«ÜãÜ ÊÃʰã ¹ÃÊô ¨Êô ãÊ Â ¹ Øã ó« ¼ èÜ«Ã ÜÜ was born. Although the two projects belong in different worlds, those of art and fashion, there are many similarities between them: both offer vital support to emerging talent, and both are pioneering an approach otherwise unexplored. Debut Contemporary, 82 Westbourne Grove, W2 5RT (debutcontemporary.com); Wolf & Badger, 46 Ledbury Road, W11 2AB (wolfandbadger.com)
home. It becomes something quite special.â€? What advice can he offer novices making their ďŹ rst foray into the art collectors’ world? “Buy what you fall in love with. When you’re looking at emerging artists, don’t buy for investment because rapid increases in value are rare. Go for artwork you connect with.â€? The art dinners are a crucial facet of Samir’s driving goal because they allow the all-important interaction between the creator and buyer of art. For the artist, this point of contact is a vital element of career development. “It’s hard to advance your career if you’re not listening to feedback from your customers.â€? Customer feedback has typically never held much inuence over artistic development, an uncomfortable reality that has long dogged the art industry. It’s something Debut Contemporary wants to correct, as part of its two-winged approach to redirecting the art industry. “If artists interact with their buyers, the relationship between the two lasts much longer and the artists are consequently more successful.â€? The experience of artists lies at the heart of
Debut Contemporary philosophy. At its core, it is a career development platform for young and emerging artists. Central to Samir’s end goal of propelling these artists into successful careers is educating them in the business aspects of the art world – a realm nearly all art schools don’t seem to want to touch. The reluctance of art institutions to equip their artists with business acumen leaves graduates unprepared for the harsh realities of working in the art industry. “Many artists don’t know how to make art
Â—ÂŒĂ¨ĂŁ ĂŠĂƒĂŁÂ—Ă‚Ă•ĂŠĂ˜Â Ă˜Ăş Ă•Ă˜ĂŠĂłÂŤÂ“Â—Ăœ ÂŤĂŁĂœ Â?Â Ă˜Â—ÂĄĂ¨ÂźÂźĂş ĂœÂ—ÂźÂ—Â?㗓 Â Ă˜ĂŁÂŤĂœĂŁĂœ ôã¨ Ă´ĂŠĂ˜ÂšĂœÂ¨ĂŠĂ•Ăœ ÂŤĂƒ ĂœĂ¨ÂŒÂśÂ—Â?ĂŁĂœ ĂœĂ¨Â?¨ Â Ăœ  Â?Â?ĂŠĂ¨ĂƒĂŁÂ ĂƒÂ?Ăş Â ĂƒÂ“ Â?ĂŠĂ•ĂşĂ˜ÂŤÂ˘Â¨ĂŁ Ÿ ô a viable business,â€? explains Samir. To correct this, Debut Contemporary provides its carefully selected artists with workshops in subjects such as accountancy and copyright law, so that they can protect themselves as they navigate the industry. “We act as an incubator for each artist here,
offering them a tailor-made approach. But they absolutely have to learn the business side of the equation,â€? says Samir. Artists stay with Debut Contemporary for up to one year. It must be a competitive process, I suggest, for budding creatives to secure a spot. How does Debut Contemporary decide on new intakes? “For me it’s about how the artist will grow professionally, as well as whether I connect with an artist’s work,â€? says Samir. “I always ask: can they always see themselves doing art? Do they understand the road of a creative entrepreneur? We turn down those artists who just want to stay in the studio and leave selling and marketing to someone else.â€? Before they turned their gaze to art, Samir and Zoe tackled another industry renowned for being tricky to break into: in 2010 they spearheaded the launch of Wolf & Badger, a fashion store in which emerging designers can rent their own space to sell their wares. The Notting Hill agship store offered something utterly unique: on top of a much sought after retail space that acted as a launch pad to attract future stockists and buyers,
Residents’ Culture A PLATFORM FOR THE VOICES OF OUR LOCAL RESIDENTS
An Inspiring Debut LULU RUMSEY meets Samir Ceric, CEO of Debut Contemporary, to find out how it’s bridging the gap between artist and audience.
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rt is not exempt from that universal truth of life: it’s a two way street. There cannot be an artist without the collector, and vice versa. Universal or not, it’s a truth the art industry has by and large ignored, with the exception of a small pocket of wisdom on Westbourne Grove. Step in Debut Contemporary, a unique professional development and career platform that has spent the past two years promoting the entrepreneurial advancement of aspiring artists. Established by husband and wife duo Samir Ceric and Zoe Knight, at the root of Debut Contemporary lies an acceptance of that unavoidable truth: that for artists to be successful, there needs to be a connection between the creator and the collector. “Art is for everyone,â€? says CEO Samir Ceric. He believes in shedding art’s somewhat intimidating reputation, for the beneďŹ t of
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collectors, enthusiasts and artists alike. Debut Contemporary aims to engage audiences to collect art and to learn more about it. “We
want to empower collectors and enthusiasts as much as the artists,â€? says Samir. “That’s why we have art dinners [which take place in the Debut Contemporary gallery space and host ďŹ ve artists and 25 visitors], because we’re trying to bridge the gap between collectors and artists.â€? The art dinners have been synonymous with Debut Contemporary’s rising reputation and have heralded ringing endorsements from attendees. “We talk about everything, not just art,â€? admits Samir. “People very quickly feel at