Circular Block Party or Why I Love a Pop-up

I stumbled across the Circular Block Party pop-up shop quite by chance. I do like it when the Fates take a break from all that weighty business of spinning, measuring out, and snipping of the thread of life, and amuse themselves by arranging an unexpected little treat, A couple of weeks ago, the Fates contrived that my walk back home from the hairdresser should take me past a little shop in Shoreditch with an enticing window display …

It was the pyjamas that drew me in. I’m very keen on finding a new pyjama brand  to love. Having satisfied my silk pyjama cravings with the help of a sample sale or two a few years ago, my fickle self now wants something equally luxurious, but  crisp and chic – like these pyjamas (below) by Stola London.

I came for the pyjamas: I stayed for the additional fourteen or so young brands gathered within this space. Only one was known to me: Frankie. I’d seen and admired these denim and tapestry jackets before, but I hadn’t known until encountering them at the Circular Block Party space that they also made bags and small pieces.

I was completely enchanted by the Re_considered rail – who wouldn’t be? I hate trying things on, and my mantra when faced with a garment that might be too small, but that I’m going to buy anyway because I love the fabric is “But if it doesn’t fit, it will make a lovely cushion cover!”

Tabby from Re-considered does this in reverse – I couldn’t decide which I liked more: the 101 Dalmations bed linen repurposed into a cute little shirt (above), or the William Morris print minidress, shorts and barely there  top (below).

These three pieces seem to me to be a) perfect for Carnival (may it PLEASE return next year) and b) perfect for ‘meet the parents’ – especially if they are the type of parent that own a lovely big sofa upholstered in William Morris allowing you to blend into it like a particularly enchanting chameleon.

There was more, much more to admire. Everything Scandinavian in my soul started quivering at the first glimpse of the Sami-K rail – made to order unisex clothing for all the family: babies to adults, all in strong but subtle shades. I don’t have a grandchild (yet) but if I did, I’d be expecting the little dear to save up all its pocket money to buy Mormor something lovely from Sami-K.

Let’s go from plain to print and take a look at CeCe Finery: the brand founded by Cecile Essono. When I first glimpsed Essono’s jute bags, my immediate thoughts were something like this – ‘That’s gorgeous … I can fit a book in that … I bet I can’t afford that – *lifts bag, takes discreet look at price* – oh my word, I can afford that!”

CeCe Finery clothing is as striking and covetable as the bags, and I was delighted to realise that the founder would be delivering a workshop on ‘African Fashion For All’ the next morning.

I tipped off Margot that I had found some lovely clobber AND an interesting talk, both in the same place, (this is on my list of ‘Why I Love Pop-Ups and Destination Shops’: below this) and so we rolled up the next day to meet brand founder Cecile Essono. 

CeCe is a great communicator: she’s frank, funny, and passionate. She makes some wonderful points about the way in which Africa is spoken of as a country by many in the West. Not only that, but one monolithic ‘country’ to which the West gives, rather than a rich and varied continent which the West could actually learn from, admire, and emulate.

Recently, Cultural Appropriation has become a thing much discussed in the media: that’s to say, it’s gone from being a thing that has happened all the time, but has been ignored, to something that some people are now very indignant about being called out on doing, and also a thing that some other quite well-intended people are very scared of doing.

CeCe takes the view that Cultural Appropriation: the palming off of someone else’s culture/brilliance/efforts as your own is pretty deplorable (as indeed it is), but that Cultural Appreciation is pretty damn important, and not to be discouraged if  businesses like hers are to have a chance of success in the highly competitive arena of fashion. And I think she’s right.

My own view is that it’s a good thing that Cultural Appropriation is being recognised and condemned. But I raise a cynical eyebrow observing some self-appointed gatekeepers who are now choosing to develop a conscience about wearing things from other cultures when they’ve stolen from them for hundreds and hundreds of years. Now that they can buy rather than take, they’ve turned all squeamish? Hmmm. 

Anyway, back to  the fashion! Margot and I turned the CeCe Finery clothes rail inside out – literally, because the skirts are as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside.

I absolutely detest the ‘trend’ narrative in fashion journalism, and sadly, I’ve always seen African print and design in Western media and high street shops presented as a ‘moment’. These aren’t clothes to wear for a moment, nor are they accessories that will date. They are proper wardrobe staples, that you can love for as long as they, or you, last. 

And this is what draws the brands in the Circular Block Party together: they are all committed to sustainability. Sustainability is about investing in things you’ll treasure. It’s not about spending to fill an emotional gap, or because some overworked and underpaid Fashion Editor has decreed that ‘everyone’s wearing …’ in order to drive a redundant fashion narrative that just leads to dissatisfaction and more landfill. It’s about clothes that are for life, not just for one season.

Consequently, the prices are not what we’ve become used to in an unequal  society that’s addicted to fast fashion. It’s a society that has to be addicted to fast fashion, because the majority of people would realise how very poor they really are, if the true costs of the consumer goods they comfort themselves with were not carried by others, far away.

So what really impressed me about the story that Harriet of Saywood, and Teresa of Revive, (the two founders of Circular Block Party) were able to convey so adroitly with this pop-up shop is that at its heart is the fact that both of these women are at ease talking about issues that ‘polite society’ has long decreed that ‘ladies’ in England should avoid talking about: race, politics and MONEY. Because if we don’t have honest conversations about all those issues, then we can’t move to a more sustainable future. And if we don’t try for a more sustainable future, what kind of future awaits us?