HIGH above the STREET Pop-Up Store.

The most exciting about my on-going internship at HIGH above the STREET is the pop-up store element of the business. Steve Banks (the owner of HatS) had the idea to do something which would be more innovative than the traditional clothes store. The idea was to convert the top floor of Munro House into a store. Unlike a normal store it would be more laid-back and less formal. There would be areas to relax and socialise. The store is planned to be opened for just three days each month, starting on Thursday and running through to Saturday.

Steve gave me the opportunity to help with the design, concept and lay-out of the pop-up store. To say that I am only there for work experience he has invested a fantastic amount of trust in me, I have been actively involved the putting together of the event. Other things I helped with included sourcing materials, press and PR, budgeting and creating trial designs.

I created mood boards for ideas of how the garments we going to be displayed. Because Steve didn't want the area to be the same as a traditional shop a wider range of creativity was allowed. An idea we had was to use branches cut from a tree to hang the garments from the ceiling, with tree stumps used to display footwear and various other accessories. This made the room far more relaxed, and was a nice juxtaposition against the warehouse backdrop.

I also worked closely with Steve to plan the layout of the event. One of the most interesting parts was that we had a 'store within a store' for 'B Store' and 'Swear of London' - these are two brands which I was already a big fan of, so it was great to meet the guys from there. This is great for me because with our PPD work experience coming up in April I now have a direct link to these companies, rather than just sending them an email which will be forever unopened.