The Barbican’s new shop will showcase designer collections

The Barbican will showcase the work of designers including Lindsey Lang in its new shop, set to open in autumn.

The new 330m² retail space will include areas dedicated to collections covering homeware, stationery, clothing and jewellery, and a changing pop-up space devoted to showcasing emerging talent.

Lang and the likes of Kate Farley and Alfred & Wilde have been commissioned to interpret elements of the architecture and interior design of the Barbican’s buildings in their designs.

The Barbican says: “The result is a collection of impeccably designed objects that subtly convey the gravitas of the building.”

Lang has created a series of geometric homeware, inspired by the Brutalist architecture of the Barbican’s residential estate the Lauderdale Tower, focusing in particular on its textured, concrete walls.

Alfred & Wilde’s Elements collection spans textiles, prints and homeware, and uses simple graphic illustrations and motifs to depict the modernist architecture of the Barbican Centre. The design studio has also collaborated with jeweller Wolf & Moon on a jewellery collection.

Illustrators Daniel Clarke and Kate Farley have created homeware and stationery ranges which also use graphics to interpret the architectural forms of the Barbican estate, while illustrator James Brown has created prints which visualises the language of music.

Charlotte Trounce has created a colourful kids’ collection of stationery and games which incorporates characters and illustrations seen around the Barbican building, while photographer Anton Rodriguez and design writer Katie Treggiden have produced a book exploring the work of Barbican residents and the history of the site.

The new Barbican shop has been designed by architectural practice Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM), which has worked with the organisation on various projects over the last 15 years.

AHMM director Peter Morris says that the main aim of the shop was “flexibility and neutrality”, as it includes modular units which can be moved as the Barbican Centre’s programme changes.

“In the context of the arts centre, [we wanted] to think of this more as a museum or gallery than a shop,” he says.

All the items will be available to buy at the new shop or via the Barbican’s online shop from October, and range from £4 – £55.

The new Barbican shop will open in October. At the time of publishing, The Barbican could not reveal an exact date.

All photos © Oliver Douglas, styled by Anna Sheridan.