Showing posts with label Retail. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Retail. Show all posts

Nostalgic household goods_a life inspiration story

London shop Labour and wait
A shop with a name like 'Labour and wait', that needs some checking out.The emerald green facade suggests a typical English pub, but we were far from there.

No. 
Labour and wait is a cute store packed with all kind of cleaning stuff. They call it 'traditional products for the home'. 
No high tech nor toxic cleaning products or Swiffer-like gear. This store, established in 2000 got their 'nostalgic' inspiration at your grandma's kitchen. It's not about fun home gifts, but a real usable, carefully curated collection of new and vintage items for the new style men and woman. Everyday classics that become more precious and beautiful with use and age. 
Nice. 

London shop Labour and wait

London shop Labour and wait

London shop Labour and wait

© photo Labour and wait


Labour and wait
85 Redchurch Street, 
London, E2 7DJ

©ALL other photos by Kate Stockman_THE SQUID STORIES

London Shoreditch walk_a life inspiration story

Visiting a city is nice when you have time and no agenda, no city apps and no hip-guide. Just follow the scent, the vibe, the noise, the silence.
This post just a photo impression on our city walk in Shoreditch. (Next to come: our Roa walk that started also by accident and a walk trough Bricklane).
Enjoy!

London city walk Shoreditch Boxpark container shopping

Boxpark Shoreditch is a pop-up mall based in the heart of East London. Boxpark is constructed of stripped, and refitted shipping containers, creating unique, low cost, low risk pop-up stores.
Filled with a mix of fashion and lifestyle brands, galleries, cafés and restaurants – Boxpark places local and global brands side-by-side, creating a unique shopping and dining destination.
Boxpark is not some run-of-the-mall shopping centre. It’s a living, fertile community of brands packed with talent, innovation and attitude that puts creativity and fashion back where they belong: on the street.
London city walk Shoreditch Boxpark container shopping

London city walk Shoreditch Boxpark container shopping
© photo Boxpark
London city walk Shoreditch Boxpark container shopping

London city walk Shoreditch Boxpark container shopping

London city walk Shoreditch Boxpark container shopping

London Shoreditch city walk The Squid Stories cool hunt trendsThe EAT frenchise is everywhere in London. Nice window display with their coffee bekers.

London Shoreditch city walk The Squid Stories cool hunt trends


Street art rules in Shoreditch. Everywhere you look, there are amazing pieces to spot. Some by known artists, others but anonymous designers, leaving their traces.

London Shoreditch city walk The Squid Stories cool hunt trends

London Shoreditch city walk The Squid Stories cool hunt trends
Work by Australian Jimmy C.

London Shoreditch city walk The Squid Stories cool hunt trends

Commercial posters become 'paper street art', other artists reflect in another way and use the street walls as a canvas for their 3D work or other non-spray-can murals. (see below)
London Shoreditch street art



London Shoreditch city walk The Squid Stories cool hunt trends

Mirrors in the square windows of this minimal dark grey box reflect the opposite street designs.


London Shoreditch city walk The Squid Stories cool hunt trends Street art


Established artists from UK and abroad together with numerous less known or unknown locals regularly contribute to this ever-changing art scene. Check out all kinds of graffiti, stencil, wheatpasting, sticker art, poster art, street sculpture and street installations. 
London Shoreditch city walk The Squid Stories cool hunt trends

London Shoreditch city walk The Squid Stories cool hunt trends


London Shoreditch city walk The Squid Stories cool hunt trends


London Shoreditch city walk The Squid Stories cool hunt trends
 Beach Blanket Babylon: A London bar and restaurant in Shoreditch. A club for the discerning without requiring a membership. Weird, 'Wunderkamer'-like decorations build a great atmosphere.
London Shoreditch city walk The Squid Stories cool hunt trends

Franze and Evans, an eatery with modern food & quality with catering & deli service.

London Shoreditch city walk The Squid Stories cool hunt trends Street art
Work by Stik, a regular artist in the streets of Shoreditch.

London Shoreditch city walk The Squid Stories cool hunt trends Street art


London Shoreditch city walk The Squid Stories cool hunt trends

Shop and bar 'Les Trois Garcons". 

London Shoreditch city walk The Squid Stories cool hunt trends

London Shoreditch city walk The Squid Stories cool hunt trends


At Purple Shop: collections of kids wear suitable for newborns, babies to 12 year olds. The collections of tee shirts, slouchy jersey pants, sweatshirts and beanie hats are produced from fair trade, organic and ethical fabrics, all of the silk screen printed designs are hand produced in their Brick lane studio. They also design, create and up-cycle denim pieces into re-worked mini jeans, skirts and dresses.

© photos by Kate Stockman_THE SQUID STORIES


Aesop Love_a life inspiration story


I can be very short about this one.
I love Aesop.
I’m a huge fan, from the moment I had my first beauty product at hand. The smell, the graphics, the simplicity of the packaging. Pure love at first sight.
Introduced to us two years ago on a London trendseminar (LS:N Global)and never been out of stock since.
Not easy to find in Belgium though.
So, my stock was found in Paris (merci concept store), in London (different stores) and in Belgium (Brussels Senteurs D’Ailleurs).

Aesop skin and haircare London The Squid Stories

So much about our love affair.

Aesop skin and haircare London The Squid Stories

Aesop skin and haircare London The Squid Stories

Aesop skin and haircare London The Squid Stories

Aesop skin and haircare London The Squid Stories

Aesop skin and haircare London The Squid Stories



When walking in Shoreditch we visited a small Aesop store situated at the fashionably hip end of Redchurch Street.
The tiny store is simple, clean, authentic and yet so chic.

Every Aesop shop is done differently. The shops vary in size, props, plants but always keep an apothecary feel, with natural finishings: wood, porcelain tiles, concrete,glass, metal.
The Aesop Shoreditch location is kept sleek white with a very little wooden shelves. 
The best skincare products with the best scent are sold here. By a very helpful staff, friendly as ever to receive the 'die hard' fans, like me. 

Some back ground? Aesop was founded in Melbourne in 1987 with a quest to create a range of superlative products for the skin, hair and body. The team is committed to using both plant-based and laboratory-made ingredients of the highest quality and proven anti-oxidant efficacy. 


Aesop Concept Design different stores world wide
Aesop concept designs different stores world wide


A nice detail: my absolute favorite hand wash and hand cream duo Resurrection Aromatique handwash & Balm_mandarin rind, Rosemary leaf, Cedar Atlas_ (that I buy in large quantities) just hangs outside the store for people passing by, in need for some exquisite hand treatments. Lovely gesture, to make even more addicted fans. Quote under the bottles " One eye sees, the other feels" by Paul Klee.
Notice also the omni-present benches in front of nearly every shop, bar and resto in Shoreditch.

Aesop skin and haircare London The Squid Stories

Aesop products are available in signature spaces like this one, in department stores in New York, Paris, Hong Kong and beyond, online and at selected stockists internationally. 

Aesop Shoreditch
5A, Redchurch Street
E2 7DP London
Phone: +44 (0) 207 613 3793