We sat down with Duncan Riches in a quiet corner of SCP’s lower floor on a super comfy Philippe Malouin Element sofa that I could have slept on, to discuss his and SCP’s involvement in the Shoreditch Design Triangle for 2024.
Before we get into the who and where of LDF and the Shoreditch Design Triangle, can you please give the readers a bit of an introduction to your background and what you get up to
Okay. I’m Duncan Riches, I’m SCP’s Editor and currently Acting Head of Marketing. I’ve been working with SCP in-house and out since 2004. In 2007 | set up what l’d broadly call a communications consultancy. I’m fundamentally a writer who does a lot of work across the furniture and design industry. I help various brands with their content creation, strategy and tone of voice. I’m a content person.
SCP has organised and run the Shoreditch Design Triangle since 2007, and that’s a big focus of this moment in the year.
“We’ve got a common interest in working together, which is a good thing. It breaks down barriers, makes collaborations happen”
Are you up too much outside of this building right now?
Yes, I work with several other brands, but one that is relevant to Shoreditch Design Triangle is a project I’m doing with Michael Marriot and Tokyobike. It’s the launch of The Sori Yanagi Appreciation Society, which is happening in the Tokyobike store during SDT. We are launching the Society with a book, which has around 100 contributors, who are all fans of sori Yanagi. So, there is a lot on my plate right now, but I’m always open to offers….
A few industry heads said that you’re the man to speak to regarding what’s happening in Shoreditch from a furniture, culture and design perspective. We didn’t know SCP ran SDT and that you’ve had a hand in that.
Can you give us a brief explanation of how SDT is connected to LDF, how it started and what it’s become?
Absolutely. People sometimes forget that there was a Design Week established in London before the London Design Festival. I started in the industry in 2000, I worked on production and content with a company called Designersblock (who were established in 1998). They produced shows in transitionalarchitectural spaces at the same time as 100% Design and during Milan and Tokyo design weeks. They were a bit more punk and interesting than traditional trade shows. They provided a platform for a lot of up-and-coming talents and
were full of generosity.
The London Design Festival I think began in 2003, becoming and kind of umbrella event to help promote all the different activities in Design Week. In London at the time, the whole industry was really emerging. There were more studios and showrooms, more practitioners and designer-makers, more people just trying to make it. LDF came along and made it easier for people to understand there’s a complete design scene here in London, a multifaceted one at that. Before SCP showed anything here in their own space they would take a stand annually at 100% Design in Earls Court exhibition centre, along with a lot of other brands. But in 2006 SCP decided to move the show here to the Curtain Road showroom. It felt like there was enough going on in the area to make it a viable thing, rather than being at a trade show, and you can be more ambitious with a show in a space you control. The following year, we were aware of six or seven other businesses in the area who were exhibiting or putting on good events – so we just went to them and said we should all get together to cross-promote our activities and make it more of a coherent area. That was the start of the Shoreditch Design Triangle.
That’s also where the Triangle in the name comes from, the events in the first year were all within the bounds of Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch High Street and Old Street, which plotted on a map make the shape of a Triangle. It gave us a geographical centre, although we have extended way beyond those boundaries now.
It makes sense unlike other names in the industry, we’re looking at you Tsunami Axis.
Every year it got a bit bigger, and Shoreditch as an area started to attract more design related business. SCP has always run SDT as a not-for-profit making exercise, which allows us to keep the cost of participating low. We just ensure we can cover all the running costs, pay for the printed guide, the website, the graphic designer – the usual stuff.
You might not get any readies out of this, but it must enhance the area which in turn attracts more people and customers to SCP.
Exactly, but there’s a fine line. It’s a lot of work. I think one year it grew to 65 events, which is almost unmanageable at the scale we are working. We even had hairdressers wanting to get involved, but we had to make it more focused again.
Retail partners are welcome but there has to be a design element, the core must be and always will be industrial design and homeware – lighting, furniture, product and accessories.
We can be annoyingly competitive, there are some good things about that, it means everyone must keep moving forward, it drives business. But you should be able to respectfully big up your neighbours and collaborate.
We’ve got a common interest in working together, which is a good thing. It breaks down barriers, it makes collaborations happen. I often joke that when you go to Milan for Salone, you get off the plane and there’s someone there from the Dutch Embassy giving you a leaflet telling you where all the Dutch product designers and brands are. They collaborate and support each other so strongly. I think sometimes the Brits are scared to collaborate, and we certainly don’t get that level of institutional support here – so let’s build it.
Seems as if things are changing around here, what’s going on?
Vell, Vitra arrived in the area two years ago, which has made a huge difference. Having them here sends a positive message to other brands considering moving to the area.
When Vitra left Clerkenwell I believe it was the start of a slight decline in the amount of UK businesses renewing their showroom leases, starting to look elsewhere, and maybe following Vitra and join the community here. Have you noticed a resurgence and has that been from brands coming to the UK for the first time or….?
Without any doubt the effects of Brexit, then the pandemic and the resulting lockdowns were felt in the daytime economy in Shoreditch. There was a bit of a ghost town feeling, lots of businesses were not in their offices, cafes were shut or very quiet, the streets were slow, and the vibe was a bit desperate.
Thankfully, there’s been a bit of a reconfiguration going on since. Speaking with local businesses now, even with restaurants and bars, there is a feeling that the nighttime economy has gone a bit too far – it’s too busy, too messy, too inconsiderate of residents and the needs of the daytime economy. But the rebalance has started and collectively we’re trying to raise the standard of the daytime economy.
Clerkenwell feels like it’s still thriving, Clerkenwell Design Week was busy and engaging this year, but I do think it is changing. For some businesses, it would have been the natural choice a few years ago, but I thinksome of them would consider Shoreditch now instead. For example, The Collective moved in on Charlotte Street last year, they have about four different businesses under one roof, mostly British products. XAL Lighting just moved in on Batemans Row, a serious European brand, that also own and represents Wastberg. Tala, the British lighting brand, moved in next to Vitra last year, and now we’re getting another building which is getting activated for SDT, a place called The Wax Building and the great news is they will stay as a permanent resident.
What’s going on there? I’ve heard some interesting rumours.
There’s a building on Garden Walk (off Rivington Street) that’s been christened The Wax Building. From my understanding, it used to be involved in some kind of waxing in relation to the making of furniture, so like many around here, it was originally a furniture industry building. The brands that will be housed there are Tamart, Cozmo, Lightmass, Field-Day Studio and Minimalux and they will stay there after SDT is finished
It’s good to have a community where we can celebrate British design, or London culture within the design industry. There is a high density of UK business and furniture people around here and we should celebrate that.
Yes, I totally agree. If you look at it, even outside of the design week, we’ve got great permanent residents. Aside from the new ones I have mentioned, there is Jasper Morrison around the corner, Pearson Lloyd a short way up Hackney Road, Ally Capellino on Calvert Avenue, Lee Broom in the former chrome Electra Plating building on Rivington Street, Christopher Farr just off Brick Lane. Then we have emerging design studios like Mitre & Mondays and Joe Armitage. It’s a strong offering, and we should shout about it.
One of my favourite ever events in London was when Lee Broom put on the show at the top of the multi-storey car park at the bottom of Curtain Road. It was just so rouge, so punk, we need that back.
Lee is just so consistent with the quality of his show, every year he delivers.
And somehow looks younger.
True.
We’ve also got Leila’s Shop and Cafe on Calvert Avenue, which is like the unofficial canteen for the design industry around here. Talking of Mitre & Mondays, they’re doing a wonderful project for SDT called Café Tolerance. Which is a Bedford Rascal van which they have converted into a mobile café and design shop, which will be popping up at different spots throughout the week. I think the important thing to flag up is that there is a core of British practitioners around here, seriously good ones at that. For industry people coming from abroad, we must give them a good reason to visit, and in my view that is the reason.
I think the way to do this is with British brands, we go to Copenhagen to see the Danish brands, we go to Milan to celebrate Italian design. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with saying we have some of the best designers and a small number of the best manufacturers. And watching the British manufacturing industry fall over the last couple of decades, not celebrated and encouraged enough. Have we lost our confidence? We do have our own design history, which doesn’t get spoken about enough.
I agree. We have had world-leading designers here for many years, maybe not always working for British companies, but they are having an influence on an international scale. It’s so important not just to encourage design, but also business in general. l’ve gone to Milan for the last 20 years, and they’ve really got their stuff together there in recent years. Yet people complain about it being too busy.
There’s a reason Salone is incredibly busy.
There is, but I think people don’t consider how Milan as a city has changed. How different areas have helped reinvigorate the whole event, making it more public facing and engaging – help to open up some of the best spaces in the city. Yes, more public visit now, and some trade people are against promoting to non-trade, but I would be delighted if we could get more public engagement here.
3 Days of Design in Copenhagen has been great for a few years and now the number of people going there for proper business has significantly increased, which is what brands want to see. If you’re in the global design industry, and you’re looking at your calendar. Why are you going to come to London? What am I going to see that’s new? What’s innovative? Are there any up-and-coming designers?
When Design Junction finished, the idea of London having a serious trade event seemed to go with it, although Material Matters are trying to re-establish that. Serious trade events give international visitors a good reason to come.
“Tuesday night is the opening party night for everyone in the that way you can jump from one to another, 3, 4 5 Events within stumbling distance”
I’ve heard through the Furnitureland grapevine, there’s something going on at Cargo this year.
Something interesting and independent is happening under the arches that was once Cargo. They approached us saying they’d like to get involved, and they would open as a free space. We introduced several potentials and then Jess Berry who runs a PR company put a proposal forward called Proof of Concept which showcases a selection of designers from unknown to known presenting process and prototypes. We are delighted to have them in the heart of the triangle, a new up and coming show.
We are also very happy to say we have Kingston Product Design showing again, which is funded and run by the cohort who have recently graduated. They are in a new building in Tabernacle Gardens. Under One Roof which is another young collective showcasing a selection of other young designers, which we are delighted about. I agree with you, where else have you had a chance to see some many emerging designers in the UK on this scale?
They also need to be here for the events, the younger crowd, on the streets, speaking to each other, sharing ideas, and collaborating. This is a great place to make new contacts and likeminded friends. Another interesting event that migrated over to Shoreditch this year is the Travel Things Museum. Jill Tsai who runs it is brilliantly flamboyant. It’s non-profit for museum based on objects that are related to travel from around the world. It’s a physical show, so you can pick up everything, the opposite of most museums where precious things are tucked behind glass.
Derwent London who owns and manages the Tea Building, are hosting the show in their internal street, which has full public access. They are working closely with Jill to make something special for visitors. It broadens things out from just furniture, and we are very pleased they’re on board. Derwent London should get a mention, they are the only developers we have worked with who are willing to really engage and open their space.
They are also hosting the Bill Amberg 40th anniversary show in another of their buildings White Collar Factory on Old Street roundabout, which is going to be a strong event.
Another show we should mention is from Rapha, the cycling apparel brand, they’re doing a 20-yearanniversary show down in the Truman Brewery, which looks at the future of cycling in the city. A hugely important subject for the design community too.
SCP opening evening for LDF, and the Triangle is always a special evening, and last year I think it stepped up a gear, with sectioned off areas for different focuses and activities, that really used the whole space. Can you tell us what will be going on this year and who will be included? Everything that SCP puts out seems to be minimal, considered but for that one night there’s a different approach.
As someone who’s setting this up, l’d love it if scp would just do one show, it would make my life so much easier. But yes, the collective approach is great. Sheridan (Coakley – founder of SCP) always gets enthused about doing LDF and making it a showcase of all the different things we do. Which normally means we do a multifaceted event.
So upstairs we’re going to have the launch of new SCP furniture from Matthew Hilton, Sarah Kay, Wilkinson & Rivera, Samuel Wilkinson and Terence Woodgate, all paired with lighting from Joe Armitage, who is debuting his new Modernist Collection.
On the ground floor, we have the UK retail Launch of the Gummy chair by Toogood, and we have partnered with Danish brand Raawii for the UK launch the Arba lounge chair by Erwan Bouroullec. We have a talk with Erwan on Wednesday too.
They are the brand product launches, but the other activation points this year, which are also on the ground floor, we are calling Design Residencies. These are live-making spaces from the Sons of Beasley, which is a project by Alex Hellum and Carl Clerkin, who were also present last year. They use offcuts from a furniture company called Plykea to make a range of new furniture items, including chairs, stools and benches. All available to buy on site.
The other residency is from artist Daniel Eatock, who has partnered with leading art supplier Winsor & Newton on a project that sees him making his own new paint colours and producing pieces of art with these colours. It’s going to be a lot of fun.
So not much then, bloody hell.
I know, it’s going to be intense.
For us the big difference is hosting the live workspaces, it creates a totally different dynamic to the show. It encourages people to engage, it starts conversions and in general, adds to a convivial atmosphere.
Tuesday night is the opening party night for SCP and everyone else in the Triangle. The idea is that you can jump from one party to another, and ideally go to a few different events, all within stumbling distance.
This year we’ve also organised an after party from 9:30 at a bar called The Looking Glass Cocktail Club on Hackney Road. Which will be another place to network.
We’ve got 53 events this year, so my advice for any visitors is to make a day of it, ideally on foot. Then see all the other things the London Design Festival and the other Design Districts have to offer.
Absolutely.
