Tag: designers

Native Edinburgh announces Community Creation Initiative

£1000 fund now open to designers

Budding artists and designers now have the chance to make their mark on a historic building in Edinburgh, with a piece of their commissioned art set to be displayed in the lobby of aparthotel group Native Edinburgh as part of their refurbishment plans. 

Bringing sustainability and a sense of local place into their renovations, the exciting new community collaboration sees Native Edinburgh supporting Scottish designers ahead of their relaunch in May as a lifestyle destination.

Launching today (Monday, 14th March) the new initiative will give local designers the chance to take home £1000, on top of having their commissioned art or designs on display and becoming part of the hotel interiors.

Native is calling out artists with a keen eye on sustainability using wood carving – modern or traditional in the creation of their aesthetic objects to apply to win the commission fund. This is a rare chance to be part of the aparthotel’s stylish decor, and any designers are encouraged to send fill out this form with Native choosing the first successful designer of the fund by March 31st.

The Native Community Creations campaign will see each of their aparthotels in the UK collaborate with designers, artists, suppliers to run year-long creative programming on property that supports creativity and sustainability. 

Nestled in the original fabric of Edinburgh’s historic New Town, an area of outstanding neo-classical and Georgian architecture, and a UNESCO world heritage site, Native Edinburgh is ensuring their interiors are as beautifully adorned as their exteriors, with this new competition open to all designers in Edinburgh and beyond. 

Awarded double gold from Greengage’s ECOsmart programme in 2021, Native has embraced a road to recovery that targets sustainable travellers and an eco-friendly approach to operations.

Believing that by choosing sustainable accommodation you can, amongst other things, cut down your own carbon footprint without compromising on a comfortable and stylish stay, Native’s latest style elevation has even looked to the Scottish environment for inspiration. 

With 82 apartments comprising studios, one bedrooms, and ground floor leisure, Native Edinburgh provides the flexibility and amenities of a design-led boutique hotel, coupled with the space, comfort and privacy of a home from home in the heart of the city.

Rani Saidi, head of marketing of Native Places UK said: “Collaboration is part of our fabric here at Native. We are always championing the independents in the cities we feature, and it’s now time to shine the spotlight on creatives. 

“This new community initiative will support designers across the UK in our properties, and in Edinburgh, we will be marking our refurbishment with a collaboration with a local designer. 

“With a £1000 prize fund, we are inviting creatives across Scotland to apply to our fund and help us bring a sense of community to our lobby in Edinburgh.”

The Community Initiative Fund is now open to designers and artists. The fund will close on 31 March 2022, with one designer picked to receive £1000 and their work commissioned for Native Edinburgh.

To apply now, enter here. 

St James Quarter’s first ever fashion festival ‘Edinburgh Style’

Grab your heels, dress to impress and prepare to be inspired as St James Quarter presents its very first ‘Edinburgh Style’ event from Thursday 14th – Sunday 17th October.

Scotland’s new fashion capital, St James Quarter will host an array of stylish events over the long weekend. The line-up includes fashion and beauty workshops hosted by world-renowned influencers, autumnal wreath demonstrations to live music with Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival and an unmissable fashion show in partnership Edinburgh College of Art.

Kicking off from 11am each day, St James Quarter will have a variety of pop-up locations for fashionistas to explore including the ‘Style Dome’ on St James Square and the ‘Style Lounge’ in the galleria.

Attendees can drop into the ’Style Dome’ to watch a series of talks hosted by eight iconic influencers over the course of the weekend. The influential hosts include the beauty icon who boasts Kim Kardashian as one of their number one fans, Reuben de Maid, Scottish fashion guru and Dula fashion house founder, Jilly Isabella and food expert Just Jess.

John Lewis will also host an exclusive session with established model Chioma who will provide top tips on how to style your wardrobe this winter.

And it doesn’t stop there: Edinburgh College of Art graduates will be presenting their collections with models in the galleria and onto the car park for a one-off not to be missed boutique fashion show.

Attendees can also admire work created by Textiles and Jewellery & Silversmithing graduates displayed in the ‘Style Dome’, as well as hear from Edinburgh College of Art and Graduate Fashion Week 2019 Award Winner Rosie Baird, who will be discussing her own graduate collection and inspiration behind the St James Quarter Tartan that she designed.

Throughout the weekend shoppers will be entertained with pop-up bars, an art exhibition, selfie stations at the ‘Style Stories’ and so much more. A number of brands from The Quarter including Boots, Peloton, Ixia Flowers, Bodyshop, Keihl’s and IOLLA are also set to get involved throughout the weekend.

 Rochelle Weir, brand and marketing director at St James Quarter, said: “What an event we have lined up. Not only will this give people an opportunity to see all the amazing brands, including Keihl’s and IOLLA, we have here at St James Quarter but it’s also a chance to flaunt your own style and be inspired by others. The influencers attending to host our fashion and beauty workshops are some of the best in the business.

“Who better to give you glam tips than Reuben de Maid – the person who has worked one to one with Kim Kardashian!

“We are also extremely excited to be working with Edinburgh College of Art graduates to bring our very own fashion show to life. If you’re in Edinburgh from the 14th-17th October, make sure to come down and check out everything we have going on – it’s not to be missed!”

Mal Burkinshaw, Head of Design at Edinburgh College of Art, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with St James Quarter for this unique event. This opportunity gives our graduates a platform within a high-end retail context and will be an invaluable experience for them.”

Edinburgh Style events are free to attend and will be allocated on the day through a first come, first served basis. For more information on the events taking place from Thursday 14th – Sunday 17th October visit St James Quarter’s event page at: https://stjamesquarter.com/events/

To celebrate Edinburgh Style and other upcoming events, St James Quarter is offering all customers half price car parking from 5:30pm every night until Sunday 31st October.