Nestled in a spacious warehouse a few minutes from Hackney Wick, Gubbins is London’s newest space for established and emerging creatives.
Having recently made their debut earlier this month, the Gubbins collective of creatives transformed the formerly industrialised venue into an eclectic landscape of circus-themed eccentricity – a difficult task rendered easy thanks to Kiara Gourlay’s set design expertise.
A kaleidoscope of talent filled the space, with stalls featuring work from Caitlin Hazell, Seeing Red, Gloriya Komarova, Karthur Studio, Baos Graph, Tuff Tooth, Nazifa Begum, The Back To Front, Katapunxu, Lowig, Trashy Treasure, and Everrette. From scintillating silver jewellery and upcycled outerwear to one-of-a-kind artworks and subversive silhouettes, the market shone a light on the individual work of each creative.
Yet, perhaps one of the market’s most alluring aspects was its sense of warmth. Built upon friendship, altruism, and respect, Gubbins’ first market rivalled the innate competitiveness running rife in the creative industry and, instead, celebrated inclusivity and care. Each stall had been meticulously curated, resulting in energetic displays of originality and individualism. Meanwhile, Gubbins members rallied behind each other, working together to adorn the space with delicate minutiae such as draped fabrics and hand-crafted frames.
But what makes Gubbins different from other London markets? We spoke to Fred from Seeing Red – a member of Gubbins – to see what’s next for the group.
Cold Magazine: What does Gubbins mean?
Fred: Imagine you’re preparing for bed after a long day. You’re yawning as you
climb the wooden hill and start to decloth. As you do, you reach into your pockets, grappling with the contents, bringing forth an array of keys, random odds and sods, receipts, loose change and the delectable goodies you hoarded away during your day—gum, sweets etc. Otherwise known as – Gubbins. A miscellaneous concoction of paraphernalia. It reflects us as a group perfectly – a combination of different
disciplines all combining in one space and selling together under one roof.
CM: What inspired Gubbins?
F: The vision for Gubbins was to create a space where like-minded creatives – be it artists, painters, jewellers, fashion designers, architects and whoever else – all have a place to congregate, to display, or sell their ‘Gubbinses’. Inspired by the pop-up market scene in New York, we wanted Gubbins to foster a similar approach. Setting up a shop front with what we have at our disposal, working together as a team to transform a space, using fabrics cobbled together to create a ‘circus’ of creativity. Our styles lend themselves to that, each of us setting up our spaces to reflect our own studios /inner minds, creating an experience for the people to come, take a gander and be inspired.
Open, face-to-face interactions with customers are what we love. Having an opportunity to explain and describe your work and let people be a part of it.
CM: How does Gubbins stand out amongst London’s countless pop-up markets?
F: London’s alternative market scene is saturated with middlemen that take a cut and commission on each sale or have high margins on weekly rail rentals to present your work within their pop-up shop. We’re tired of it. And, as we’ve proven with Gubbins,
you don’t need these middlemen to make something great. There’s a sense of responsibility when it rests on all our shoulders. You’re looking after your own stall & you’re responsible for your own sales. So it’s on you to promote the space. You want to make the space as good as it can be, draw in as many customers and start to build a community.
CM: What inspired the circus theme of the market?
F: The circus theme felt right. Bright colours and a mishmash of fabrics lent themselves to the patchwork of designers. We all have something different to offer, showcasing our individual ‘acts’. So the theme fit nicely for an initial debut. That being said, we’re constantly inspired, not wanting to be limited or put in a box, so expect something different for next time.
CM: What’s next for Gubbins?
F: We’ve got plans to expand from just a market, no need to box ourselves in so early.
We want to create events, exhibitions, and maybe even hold dinner parties. We’ll be holding events every 2 months, so expect us back in January.
All photographs by Christina Matacotta. For more information on Gubbins, please visit here.