Gareth Pugh gets a studio at Somerset House after being priced out of Dalston
A fashion designer who has dressed Beyoncé and Kylie Minogue says it is “getting increasingly difficult to make ends meet” in the capital.
Gareth Pugh was considering quitting London for Los Angeles before he was approached about becoming the first tenant at a new project at Somerset House which provides affordable studio space for creatives in 36,000sq ft of former Inland Revenue offices.
The designer, who left his studio in Dalston in February after 10 years when landlords said they wanted to convert it to office space, said council tax and business rates on top of rent were “killers”.
He said: “We were looking at spaces that were a similar size to my studio in Dalston and the business rates were £160,000 a year.
“We work with a company in LA and we were thinking of upping sticks. But with regards to the people I work with and the way we work, the idea of staying in London was very important. It baffles me that this kind of thing isn’t something that is tackled squarely by a more official body.
“There is so much about creativity and how London is this place people go to and look to, but it’s getting increasingly difficult to actually make ends meet and make things work.”
Pugh, who studied at Central Saint Martins and whose creations are worn by stars including Beyoncé, has been joined by other artists, including singer Julie Campbell, who performs as LoneLady and has turned the building’s former rifle range into a recording studio, and artist Larry Achiampong, who left his old studio after a 200 per cent rent rise.
The scheme, Somerset House Studios, includes 35 studios, rehearsal rooms and exhibition space. Some 25 arrivals are expected next year.
ArticleDesigners get Somerset House studio after being priced out of DalstonGareth PughDalstonSomerset House StudiosSomerset HouseBeyonceKylie MinogueCentral Saint MartinsPugh's designs are worn by stars including the likes of Beyoncé