Those with an eye for independent design talent, buckle up. The Fabootique, a shop hosting and showcasing London’s up-and-coming faces in fashion and art, is set to swing open its Brick Lane doors this Sunday.
Expect high glamour and frayed hems from this off-shoot of DJ Josh Quinton and film maker Jeanie Crystal’s queer arts collective, Faboo, which is open every Sunday until October.
The group grew a cult following through sequin-splashed East London parties at the start of 2020, before turning into a TV show during the pandemic, and springing out with the first iteration of their shop on Camden High Street last summer. Now, with a fresh line up of new talent and a facelift inside, the pair are raring to welcome everyone back in.
“Last year was amazing because we got this space and, with a budget of £300, made a fully designed shop. It really was DIY – we were taking cash in a shoe box,” says Crystal. “This year it’s new and improved. 100 per cent of the money will go straight to the designers. It’s so important for creative energy to be able to flow without the pressure of profit.”
Quinton has spent the last week handmaking fresh interiors. “We did tinfoil walls before, so it’s getting a new look – polka dots! The only pattern to be seen in this summer,” he says, with a wink. “We want to tap into that old, makeshift energy from another era.”
The pop-up nods to the heyday shopping destinations of the Eighties, like the Sign of the Times boutique to Kensington Market, and has congregated a stellar set of rising stars, many of whom will be selling their wares for the first time. You will find Dua Lipa-approved knitwear designer George Trochopoulos alongside Ed Curtis’ clothes which come with ironic childishness.
Look for rave-wear by Sports Banger, screen printed deadstock Levi’s from Pip Paz-Howlett, and zero-waste ribbon dresses by Central Saint Martins grad Maximilian Raynor. Laura Thomas’ Rosette label is offering “lamé wedding dresses, upcycled dancewear and dresses,” she says, and there will be a run of safety pin draped t-shirts from Jawara Alleyne – the man who infamously dressed Rihanna as a spliff for Dazed magazine. “Independent pop-ups that work with young designers are so needed now,” says Alleyne. “Covid and Brexit have shaken the market, so spaces where upcoming creatives can experiment, test their product and find their customer are key.”
If off-beat is not your style, there is plenty to enjoy besides from the shopping. A cocktail bar will be run by Glass House, the LGBTQ+ venue hosting the pop-up, plus sets and performances from the Faboo founders along with DJ Prince Harri. A show piece garment will also be exhibited each week: first up, a silk stitched look by Johannes Warnke, who counts Lady Gaga as a fan. “It is such an exciting project by young artists for young artists, bringing back that queer artistic energy that London is known for,” Warkne says.
Above all, though, it’s an excuse for people to dust off Saturday night’s slip-ups and plot new plans. “When you’re out in the club you don’t get a chance to really talk to people,” Crystal says. Quinton agrees. “This is a better opportunity to immerse yourself in the community, especially if you’re new in town and don’t really know people – come down and make friends.”
