Gucci Circolo Pop-Up, Shoreditch
In October of last year The Frying Squad were asked to provide food and refreshments for a rather unusually exciting pop-up venture in Shoreditch, east London. Gucci, the Italian luxury fashion house based in Florence, decided to open a pop-up community space and café in London in celebration of its 100th anniversary.
Named Gucci Circolo, and situated just past Shoreditch’s overground station, on the corner of Chance Street, the square building was covered in spray painted images of the Italian designer’s trademark “G” print monogram and sapphire print.
We were there at the VIP opening night to offer our luxury fish and chips and veggie/vegan options to the gathering of press and paparazzi. That wasn’t us having had our famous van re-liveried but basking in the reflection of the stunning installation.
The building, which was designed by Ghanian-British architect Sir David Adjaye for artist Sue Webster, encompassed a café (below), a bookstore and a boutique store.
Gucci said the space was designed to offer a “multi-sensory experience”, which, as well as hosting workshops and other events, also included a listening lounge where it was possible to play vinyls curated by the likes of Billie Eilish, Arlo Parks and Sir Elton John.
Songs could be selected from the a vintage jukebox (Gucci Gang being the most tempting offer) before you entered a glowing white space presenting the ‘Gucci 100’ collection, a celebration of the fashion house’s centenary year. Upstairs there was a Shoreditch House style work space and café, with the added bonus that all the food and refreshments were free of charge.
Gucci said that during the week it would serve as an area for work meetings and space for London’s “creative communities” to connect.