London Made Me
1 iconic shopping street. 12 creatives. 4 weeks to build a destination retail experience.
Back for its second year, London Made Me returned with more energy, more makers and a bold new location in the heart of Carnaby Street. Building on the success of the 2022 pilot, the 2023 edition levelled up – taking over a high-footfall space and transforming it into one of the season’s most vibrant festive shopping experiences.
This time, the brand had already been born. The mission remained the same: to give London’s brightest creatives the tools and platform to launch their own high street retail experience. But this edition went bigger – featuring 12 creative entrepreneurs (including collectives), representing more than 60 individual makers, designers and artists from across London’s Creative Enterprise Zones.
The Brief
To evolve the successful retail accelerator model and support a new cohort of creative businesses in delivering an even more impactful shop.
To guide the design and build of a multi-brand space that could accommodate more creatives, a packed programme of live events, and thousands of festive shoppers.
To mentor the creatives through the process of visual merchandising, customer experience and in-store storytelling.
The Shop
A lively, ever-changing space on Carnaby Street, trading through December and attracting press, celebrities and loyal customers alike. The space combined curated retail with interactive experiences – from daily live art and demos, to workshops and evening events.
The Impact
- 1,600+ hours of creative business support delivered
- £82,000+ in sales – more than double the previous year’s total
- 4,000+ products sold, with an average basket spend of £34
- 20+ live activations, from workshops to product demos
- Coverage from the BBC, City AM, Visit London and more
As Creative Consultant and Shop Design Lead, I worked with Director Alice Mayor and a team of partners to steer the space build, mentor the makers, and elevate the visual storytelling. Together, we helped this second edition not just meet expectations, but smash them.
From the first sketch to the final shelf display, this pop-up was a celebration of London’s creativity – more collaborative, more dynamic, and more ambitious than ever.
Credit: Fernando Manoso
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