HOW TO PUT ON A GROUP SHOW

Find a venue

The Lab E20

Together, this group of designers was able to pool a small contribution each from their showcasing fund to pay towards the costs of the venue. The Lab E20 is an established sustainable fashion networking hub. It was established in 2021 by the Olympic Village property developer Get Living with cultural placemakers Future City and Raeburn Design as part of the Olympic legacy East Village place making strategy. The space is unique in that it offers a 3500 sq ft wellequipped showroom complete with rails, projectors and it is a flexible venue for talks, workshops and events. The Lab E20 is subsidised by Get Living and Raeburn Design but there were small costs for contribution towards running and staffing the space.

Fashion Revolution Open Studio and Fashion Revolution are showcasing partners with the Lab and for 2023, ‘Regenerative by Design’ is a cultural programme produced by RAEBURN and supported by Get Living celebrating London’s cultural innovation across Climate Action, Low Carbon Living and the Circular Economy.

Keep it simple

Set up was straightforward, with each SME responsible for their own display and inviting their own clients and contacts. The venue was equipped with tables, rails, hangers, a projector and screen.

Power in numbers

The advantages of pooling resources to create a group show are numerous. Together a cohort of designers has more power. There is an opportunity to share audiences, create a diverse programme and bring interest throughout the day with talks, workshops and presentations.

We created the first showroom event –Fashion Revolution Open Studio Showroom, designed for buyers and press and industry partners and stakeholders to attend, meet the SMEs and exchange information.

Work with a PR specialist

For the Small but Perfect Showroom at The Lab E20, Fashion Revolution Open Studio worked with Jenny Houghton PR who was responsible for sharing press releases about the two-day event, generating press interest, and inviting press and contacts to attend. Press generated included stories in Bricks Magazine, 10 Magazine, Fashion United, BBC Radio London, and influencers including Scott and Brett Staniland.

Share and exchange ideas openly

We created an event in the evening, inviting guests, press and industry professionals to attend an interactive discussion with each of the entrepreneurs talking honestly about their projects and the challenges they encountered along the way. The session was moderated by FT journalist Yasmin JonesHenry and was an opportunity to delve into the processes and ideas. Audience participation was encouraged. Attendees included buyers, influencers, press, activists, and other designers and stakeholders.

Work with partners

The Sustainable Angle

The Sustainable Angle hosted Materials Really Matter! Amanda Johnston, Curator and Educational Consultant at The Sustainable Angle hosted a workshop exploring our raw material dependencies and why our material choices really matter. The workshop focused on understanding their relationship with natural systems, fully circular flows and how an understanding of the critical impacts of materials upon our natural resources and systems must be at the core of a sustainable business. From their engagement with the Fashion Revolution Open Studio showroom, a number of SMEs were offered space at the Future Fabrics Expo 2023.

xyz.exchange

David Leigh, founder and CEO of xyz.exchange and lecturer at UAL, presented ‘Fashion 2.0’ – making more from less, his vision for a new more democratic and sustainable fashion paradigm, now fast emerging. One that could liberate independent MSME fashion designers and brands from the traditional (‘fashion 1.0’) industry that took shape throughout the 20th century. David posits that through highly flexible, agile, efficient and more distributed zeroinventory and circular technology and business models, these smaller brands –often the true trend and style trailblazers for the industry at large –should find both entering the market, and sustaining a healthy and happy business once there, far more manageable: thriving, through making more from less.

Currently in its final R&D stage, xyz.exchange is a new digital system designed from the ground up, with a mission to help the industry become more democratic, diverse and sustainable. It aims to put the designer at the centre of everything, minimising and simplifying their workflow and making things more convenient, collaborative, transparent and trustworthy. A place where designers can effortlessly work together towards a better future.

Xyz.exchange hosted an intimate workshop for SMEs to attend and explore digital tags and how they can be used to promote transparency within circular systems, looking at all aspects from IP to policy, new materials, pre and post consumer waste and certifications.

Read more here

The resulting installation with xyz.exchange is being exhibited at the Future Fabrics Expo, with three case studies from the showroom taking part – Patchwork Family, Planet of the Grapes x Under Her Vines and Loom x Preloved x Studio Sarmite x Roua Atelier. Collaboration always reaps rewards, can spread costs of resources and services, and shares audiences and communities.

How was it?

There was a risk to creating a stand alone event that is not part of a more established exhibition or showroom in that the audience is not guaranteed and it’s important to work hard to bring people to an event. However, by partnering with The Sustainable Angle and xyz.exchange and working with PR specialist, Jenny Houghton, and leveraging the Fashion Revolution Open Studio and Fashion Revolution network, there was enough interest and excitement to get these brands talked about and create opportunities for them to make connections. By connecting the Sustainable Angle with the projects, Fashion Revolution Open Studio were able to introduce all of the Small but Perfect projects to the curators and have enabled a selection of SMEs to show at the Future Fabrics Expo in June 2023.