Each and every year at We Out Here, we work with the wonderful team at Crafty Fox Market to curate a whole selection of independent craft and fashion traders who join us at the festival.
We handed over our next blog post to Sinead from Crafty Fox to talk about her journey, shining a light on makers and fashion retailers across the UK, reflecting on the incredible work she puts into the festival and giving us a sneak peak of what’s in store for the markets of We Out Here Festival this year…
Over the past 14 years, I have been on a mission to champion and elevate the work of creative, independent makers, artists, and retailers. This journey began in London back in 2010 when I started making jewellery as a side hustle and selling at markets around London. That’s where I first came into contact with the large community of incredibly talented independent creatives that we now support.
My experiences of market trading at that time weren’t great and I noticed that markets largely seemed to lack community – it got me thinking that I could organise something myself which would be very much centred around the makers. I teamed up with my partner, Stephan who had a background in running soulful house nights in Dublin where we both used to live. Instead of handing out club night flyers at 4am and postering across town, we started handing out flyers at the tube during the morning commute to promote the Crafty Fox Market.
Our first Crafty Fox Market events were in the Dogstar, a landmark pub in the heart of Brixton where we were living at the time. The manager was also a producer and DJ and was very supportive as was the local creative community including Chris and Cyndi from Handson Family who ran a record shop in Brixton Village at the time. It was Cyndi who introduced us to the team at Peckham’s CLF art café at The Bussey Building which became our next venue from 2011 – 2017. At that time, we sought out venues with great sound systems – markets at Oval Space in Bethnal Green being another highlight!
Since then, the concept has evolved and we’ve worked in a huge variety of venues and cultural spaces across London and beyond. This year will be our 4th year working with We Out Here. It’s a big highlight of our year and we’ve got a really exciting line-up taking shape for 2024.
The Crafty Fox Market at We Out Here is a large marquee full of amazing artists and makers waiting to meet you. Everything is lovingly handmade – you can meet the makers to find out more about them and their products at their stalls. New for this year we have Sunshine Jo who will be drawing live portraits in just 10 minutes – a fun way to capture the festival and take home a unique memory.
The Sustainable Fashion Market is also back, better than ever – we’ve been working with Babes on Waves to showcase some of their members. You’ll find upcycled, handmade and vintage clothing and accessories here. Alongside our two main shopping marquees, there will also be a curated range of traders across the site bringing diverse and unique products. A lot of work has gone into the selection of traders and we are honoured to have them all with us in 2024.
Sunshine Jo creating portraits.
The line-up features exciting new brands and collaborations alongside a selection of well-loved repeat traders. A couple of the new traders we are excited to showcase include Quazi Design – described as ‘‘sustainable design for social impact’ with products made in Eswatini, Southern Africa. They will be launching their new range of clothing as part of the sustainable fashion market. We will also be introducing Proper Good – a colourful and affordable range of art prints by Manchester based graphic designer, Abbie.
If you’ve been in previous years, you may remember Periodical who make comfortable co-ord sets and jumpsuits in fun screen-printed patterns. We love spotting their recognizable designs out in the wild at We Out Here. We are also really happy that Afi Akos will be returning again to Crafty Fox Market – they will be bringing a colourful range of products handmade in Ghana along with buckets of positive energy.
L – R: Luke Una kitted out at Crafty Fox Market, Quazi Design earrings made from waste magazines.
Festivals offer an immersive experience and We Out Here is a distinct setting where traders can really take the time to share the stories behind their brands, and infuse a sense of fun into the shopping experience, all with the backdrop of great music. Last year, our markets had a view of the main stage which was a real treat. Many of the traders are music lovers and there’s always a ripple of excitement when the artists and DJs pop in for a browse!
Make sure you set aside some time at the festival to browse the stalls and discover all the inspiring creativity on offer.
