This week, James Knowles casts an eye over two of award-winning global design and strategy studio Dalziel & Pow’s latest projects, including bringing a touch of Scottish heritage to London and creating a new identity for Crisis’ upcycling initiative.
Islander
Scottish accessories retailer Islander, which creates bags from heritage materials, opened the doors to its first store outside of Scotland this summer.
The store was designed by Dalziel & Pow and becomes the 10th location for the brand, which was founded in Edinburgh in 2010. Located just off Seven Dials at 29 Short’s Gardens in London’s Covent Garden, the new space is designed to reflect the brand’s commitment to heritage and craftsmanship, translating it into a modern retail experience.
Inside, customers will find earthy tones, rich greens and tactile materials that encourage them to explore its satchels made from the brand’s signature materials – Harris Tweed, leather, Locharron Tartan, seasonal wovens, and Islander finishes – with prices ranging from £30 for a Canvas Lunch Bag up to £120 for The Caithness Clutch. Alongside this, there is a curated collection of shoes and accessories.
In line with the in-store experiences that modern consumers crave, a long table sits pride of place in the center of the store, where customers can pause and share as they create and customise their own bespoke satchels in group workshops.
Strap and charm bars give those same customers more reasons to come back to the shop in the future, should they want to change-up the look of their personalised satchels.
The brand’s slogan ‘rooted in Scottish heritage’ adorns the wall as customers walk into the store, alongside its brand promise to ‘blend traditional craft with a modern twist’. Storytelling is woven throughout, with soft projections that share information about Harris Tweed, while bag illustrations and wall murals feature throughout the space.
The store is just the first step in Islander’s expansion South into London, with a second location on London’s Bloomsbury Street scheduled to open before the end of this year.
Crisis
Homelessness charity Crisis has unveiled a new identity for its fashion upcycling initiative Create for Crisis, as it brings together 12 independent makers and designers to give unsold clothing a new lease of life.
The identity was developed by design studio Dalziel & Pow and launched alongside UNSOLD. RETOLD., a creative collaboration celebrating Second-hand September. The initiative sees garments that might otherwise have been sent for textile recycling transformed into one-of-a-kind fashion pieces, which went on sale on 11 September across 16 Crisis stores in London and online.
To bring the initiative to life in-store, Dalziel & Pow created a bold, playful identity that reflected the craftsmanship and individuality behind the collections.
The new Create for Crisis logo features hand-printed lino-cut lettering alongside a reworked version of the charity’s existing logo, with a section of its square lifted away to resemble a pair of scissors at work.
Each maker has was given a dedicated space within participating stores, with Dalziel & Pow creating 24 bespoke pieces of storytelling that reflected their individual personalities, creative processes and designs.
The participating designers included Marie Lueder, founder of London fashion label LUEDER, alongside Hadiyah Hussain, Olli Hull, The Marcon Court Project, Planet Soph and Grandpa’s Shirts, among others.
The project built upon Dalziel & Pow’s existing relationship with Crisis, which has included the charity’s pop-up on London’s Savile Row and its Crisis Dropshop retail concept.
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