“Today marks a major new milestone for fashion in East London,” said Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries Justine Simmons OBE, at the launch of new workspace Poplar Works.

The site houses 40 new low-cost workshops and studios, plus enterprise support and training programmes for the creative industries in East London.

Bethany Williams, Rahemur Rahman, Loot Forever, Tolu Coker, Alex Mullins and Not Very Well Clothing are some of the first designers to make Poplar Works their new home.

The space has been launched as a new hub for anyone working in fashion: designers, makers, jewellers, experienced business owners, and first-year start-ups, and is home to London College of Fashion, UAL’s Making for Change programme.

It is a partnership between Poplar HARCA, London College of Fashion, UAL and The Trampery, supported by the Mayor of London, and part of the Fashion District.

Simmons said: “East London has long been a home for the fashion industry, from silk weaving in Spitalfields to East End tailors and seamstresses. Jimmy Choo even had his first studio here and of course today it is home to designers like Craig Green and Christopher Raeburn.”

She underlined the importance of fashion to the UK economy and particularly the need for workspace for all parts of the fashion ecosystem.

Poplar Works is part of the Leaside Fashion and Creative Cluster, which aims to reintroduce the fashion and creative economy into the Lower Lea Valley. It has identified 50,000 sqm of potential workspace which will be home to light industrial, retail, making and manufacturing space.

Find out more here.