A lovely friend, Missy, gave me the heads-up about this insanely cool store in the Hackney area, charmingly named King & Queen of Bethnal Green. "You have to go see it, I just ordered a jacket from Kim and I love it". And when I finally made my way down, true enough, it was fabulous.
The window display, which is given to budding designers to transform every few weeks
Situated on a quiet street, you wouldn't imagine finding such a gem of a shop here. And above is the sight that will greet you first, but only if you make your way down soon, because various creative designers and artists are constantly being invited to give their take on it.
Kim and Paulo, co-founders of the shop and mom & dad to 5 month-old Gypsy, had always wanted to open a shop together selling the vintage and ethnic finds they picked up in their travels. With Paulo's 20 years' experience with vintage items and Kimiko's fashion background (take a Central Saint Martins graduate, add a successful 7-month collaboration with Jean Paul Gaultier, and a well-trained eye for picking out the identifying detail in all sorts of garments and accessories), both were more than ready to showcase what they had. When they came across the newly refurbished shop space on Temple Street, they decided to take the jump, and London's all the better for it :)
At first glance, the store carries an eclectic assortment of accessories and garments, but if you look closely, it is quite apparent that each item has been singled out by the unique eyes of Kim and Paulo. You will be able to find anything from a beautifully restored vintage Vivienne Westwood dress for £700, to a cute red-beaded cuff bracelet for just £15. Definitely check out the gorgeously handcrafted leather pieces by Kim as well (www.kimikored.com).
Another awesome thing (there are so many, I know!) about the store's philosophy is their support for budding fashion designers, who are featured on a rotational basis to create awareness and help their labels take flight. At the moment it's the talented Kristian Steinberg, whom Kim studied with at CSM, a young menswear designer who produces very interesting shirts that incorporate japanese print fabrics and interesting detailing. Every item in the store teases you into trying it on, either with its history (Blackadder coat anyone?), detailing (thousands of sequins, trimmings or mother of pearl buttons), unique cut or silhouette.
KQ-BG opens Thursdays to Sundays, eleven to seven. On the other days of the week, the shop is open by appointment, usually to photographers, stylists, artists and designers. As if this isn't cool enough (I'm actually running out of apt adjectives here) they are regularly approached by large fashion houses in search of vintage or sourced pieces as inspiration for the next season's collections!
Doesn't it make you want to try them all on? I really liked the one with the shoulder detail.
To round off this post, here's a picture of me with Kim, Gypsy (isn't she cute??), and Juliet, interior designer and latest extraordinaire invited to takeover KQ-BG's windows. See you soon!
King & Queen of Bethnal Green
41 Temple Street
London
E2 6QQ
0207 729 0197
open: thurs - sun, 11-7
mon-wed by appointment
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