as they say in their website blurb: “east london. two words that sum up everything that’s innovative, fresh and exciting about the capital right now.”

following the immense success of the 2012 olympics in the borough, i’m excited to be able to share with you a little project that a dear friend of mine – katie aka london plinth – has been working on in conjunction with vivo london, alongside dezeen and the londoneer.

vivo challenged them to curate a collection to coincide with a new housing development, and acquire ten pieces of original design by creatives from surrounding stepney green, and set about hunting down arts, fashion, jewellery, sculptures, furniture, photography or textiles, to bring together 30 hidden gems from the heart of east london’s arts scene.

the stepney green design collection opens at the genesis cinema on the mile end road in october, and some of my favourite designers from the curation include east london furniture, bespoke jeweller jennie sharman-cox, illustrator alice gabb and the ever-popular welovekaoru.

katie has even commissioned petra storrs, who designed lady gaga’s stained glass dress for the born this way video, and props for florence and the machine’s kiss with a fist, to produce a fairyground-inspired lighting piece for the collection, which i cannot wait to see!

so, if you’re in the east end of london anytime soon, make sure you check it out…

stepney green design collection, genesis cinema, 93-95 mile end road, whitechapel, e1 4uj