London’s sustainable pop‑ups
African and UK designers launched a new sustainable creative skills exchange and pop‑up collaborations in London, putting eco‑friendly production and cross‑continental design front and center this spring. The initiative is already positioning London pop‑ups as places to discover original, planet‑minded fashion pieces. (maravipost.com)
The programme is officially named Creative DNA x Studio Smithfield and was announced by the British Council in partnership with Paul Smith’s Foundation and Projekt. (paulsmithsfoundation.org) Organisers say six designers were chosen for the cross‑continental exchange: Solome Asfaw (Ethiopia), Renata Brenha (UK), Chido Kaseke (Zimbabwe), Bettydora Odhiambo (Kenya), Karoline Vitto (UK) and YAKU (UK). (paulsmithsfoundation.org) The programme opened with an on‑the‑ground residency in Addis Ababa running 16–23 March 2026 as part of Creative DNA activities in Ethiopia. (africanmediaagency.com) Participants will be based in studios within The Fashion Residency at Studio Smithfield, a Projekt‑run creative hub of roughly 27,000 sq ft above Smithfield Market in London’s Culture Mile. (studiosmithfield.com) Programme benefits include free studio space for up to 18 months, more than 80 hours of business training, production support during collection development and six months of sustained commercial guidance after the residency. (paulsmithsfoundation.org) An international jury that included IB Kamara selected the cohort, and the project is delivered with backing from the Mayor of London and support from the City of London Corporation, British GQ and Projekt. (paulsmithsfoundation.org)
