We’re still recovering from last night’s raucous launch of Guts for Garters, a new art/fashion concept store in Camden, London.
Store founders and Courtauld Institute Art History graduates, Rachel Chudley and Cassie Beadle, know how to party arty with guests treated to a saucy burlesque performance from a Kate Middleton lookalike and other entertainment in the gallery space/concept store based on the opening theme of ‘The Royal We’.
Guts for Garters – whose name was inspired by the space’s former life as a Victorian butcher’s shop – is a modern day curiosity shop-cum-art installation. The unique stock rotation policy embodies the concept store ethos, adopting three different themes per year which totally dictate the store’s content and what product ranges are on offer, and run for around six weeks each.
The current ‘Royal We’ theme sees a mish mash of old and new as archive pieces from the best of British designers including Vivienne Westwood and Norman Hartnell, sit alongside vintage items dating back to the Victorian era and specially commissioned pieces from young and emerging labels like Braille and A Child of the Jago, all surrounded by art from Jamie Reid, Keith Coventry and MA students from the Royal College of Art.
Chudley and Beadle’s objective is to offer a new perspective on art, fashion and design and offer an alternative arena where it can be viewed, desired and made accessible to all. As art historians, they understand how vital artistic collaboration and creativity is in times of recession and want to encourage this discussion by highlighting the importance of creativity and quality over quantity.
Rachel explains:
“Guts for Garters strives to create without destroying. Making new works with old clothes, furniture and art, we look to the future while conserving what resources we have. As a rebellion against the mass reproduction and unscrupulous manufacturing of many shops and brands, Guts for Garters have sourced artists and designers who hand make every product, and who will be credited for their passion and skill.”
Guts for Garters (inside the Cob Gallery), 205 Royal College Street, London NW1 0SG