Sarabande, the charitable foundation established by the late designer Lee Alexander McQueen to support creative and visionary talent, has a new permanent shop. The House of Bandits – which is located at the charity’s home in Tottenham – opens on Monday and will sell the work of 150+ artists, from one-off pieces of jewellery to black-and-white photographic prints.
Christmas shopping just got a whole lot more exciting. Sarabande – the charitable foundation established by the late designer Lee Alexander McQueen to accelerate the careers of emerging creatives – is opening a permanent art and fashion store. Called The House of Bandits, it is in Sarabande’s recently-opened studios, located in a pair of handsome newly-restored Grade II-listed Georgian townhouses in Tottenham.
Following on from the huge success of its Mayfair pop-up of the same name in December 2020, the foundation’s new shop will sell the work of the artists and designers it champions. Launching on Monday 6 November (and online this Saturday) you’ll be able to purchase everything from paintings, photography and sculpture to clothing, accessories, homewares and more. The shop is spread over a series of rooms, their period detailing – original wooden floorboards, huge windows, architraves and ornate fireplaces – the perfect backdrop for the one-off pieces on display.
All profits from the sales will go directly to the artists themselves, with a percentage to Sarabande. Launched by McQueen in 2007, the organisation has helped to support more than 150 creatives (visual artists, sculptors, filmmakers and photographers as well as accessories and fashion designers) by providing scholarships, mentoring and, crucially, heavily-subsidised studio space. The studios at the Tottenham townhouses are let at around £1 per sq ft, in a bid to give the artists and designers a helping hand at a crucial stage of their careers and build peer-to-peer communities.
According to Trino Verkade, CEO of Sarabande, the House of Bandits store will give “Sarabande artists control and presents the work they want to show. They benefit as you will buy directly from them, bypassing the need for their own retail space.” Fashion lovers can pick up one-off pieces, such as pearl and crystal-embellished knitwear by Pariser, Jo Millar’s latest and cotton bucket hats, and jewellery by Trinidadian artist Mairi Millar and Christopher Thompson-Royds, who transforms wildflowers into exquisite pieces. Also standout is an antique tapestry and repurposed silk cotton jacket from Welsh designer Paolo Carzana’s ‘My Heart is a River for You to Bend’ SS24 collection.
This is also the place to find one-of-a-kind artworks and homewares. Sculptor and ceramist Emmely Elgersma’s bold papier maché lamps certainly catch the eye; made using sustainable materials, each piece is totally unique. Japanese designer and artist Kuniko Maeda’s framed 3D paper sculptures are extraordinary in their intricacy; while Chinese Canadian textile artist Jia Xi Li’s knitted duck sculpture won’t fail to raise a smile.
There is much to hang on your wall too. Photographic prints for sale include those by French photographer Michelle Marshall, award-winning documentary photographer Hannah Norton and Kasia Wozniak, whose work VOSS is exclusive to House of Bandits. Idiosyncratic artwork for sale includes graphic prints and paintings by Rosie Gibbens, faux naïve French artist Leyman Lahcine, the interdisciplinary artist Hamed Maiye and John Hui, whose oil on canvas WHEN I AM OLDER is sure to be snapped up.
You’ll be able to buy Sarabande’s limited edition bone china plates, too. With designs by McQueen, Francesca Amfitheatrof, Jake Chapman and Sir Ridley Scott, there are now two new additions to the collection by Tim Burton and Daniel Roseberry for Schiaparelli, available to purchase in sets of two or as a full set.
Sarabande will be located at the Tottenham townhouses for the next three years while a permanent home, a few doors down at 808 High Road, is restored and transformed into studios, complete with a sculpture garden and public café. Once complete, these new buildings in N17 will take the total number of studio spaces to 30. The charity’s HQ and further studios are in Haggerston, east London, which opened in 2015.
“House of Bandits is an energetic, innovative store where visitors can enjoy and buy work by the hottest talent,” continues Verkade. “The store dynamic will change often and I urge everyone to visit it in person, or if you can’t make it to Tottenham, online.”
The House of Bandits, 794 High Road, Tottenham, London N17 0DH
sarabandefoundation.org
