For many decades, London has been a global fashion capital, and although this stature comes with perks on the consumer side, it’s somewhat different when working in the industry. There’s obviously an infrastructure laid out for established names, but when being an up-and-coming designer it’s a slightly different storey. Enter 50m, a new experimental concept store in the leafy Belgravia neighbourhood, dedicated to supporting and showcasing emerging designers. The retail space is established by Something & Son, a collaborative and activist led collective that works across art, design and architecture, and occupies have converted garage in Eccleston Yards, a newly opened hub for independent businesses. Previously derelict and underused, the premises have been fully revamped and 50m – its name is inspired by the 50 metres of clothes rail that runs throughout the store – is now rubbing shoulders with a number of entrepreneurs operating in food, fashion, co-working and wellbeing. As said, the store supports emerging designers who often can’t afford retail space in London‘s notoriously overheated property market, offering them exposure for an affordable monthly fee in one of the most affluent areas in town.
The interior is simple and has a raw edge, featuring whitewashed walls, an exposed ceiling and concrete flooring. Furnishings and fixtures comprise of wooden worktables, plastic crates that serve as displays, seating and room dividers, and of course, the aforementioned suspended rails that showcase the wide range of garments. Interestingly, the clothes rails use a tracking system which automatically notifies each designer when a piece from their collections is tried on or bought, giving them instant feedback even when they’re not present in the store. 50m showcases up to 30 designers at one time, and its roster features some of the most exciting emerging names in the industry. The list currently includes menswear designer Daniel Fletcher, womenswear designer Ryan Lo, leather accessory designer Alfie Douglas, emerging menswear label DANSHAN, womenswear designer Faustine Steinmetz, London College of Fashion graduates Laundry Service, sustainable fashion advocate and designer Bethany Williams, and contemporary jewellery studio Jakhu Studio. Alongside the collection of designers, 50m also carries niche publications, books, fine ceramics and jewellery. Next to the retail area, a shared working space and a meeting place where to privately meet with clients can also be found on the premises, and very soon, an in-house bar will open as well.
50m
21 Eccleston Place, Unit 14-15 (Belgravia)
London SW1W 9AZ
Telephone: +44 7736 002006
Tue 12-5
Wed 11-5
Thu-Sat 11-8
Sun 12-5
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
