SAMPLE Autumn comes to Greenwich Peninsula this September

BY JAMES TWOMEY

A curated modern take on a traditional market will be open for one day this September designed to support local businesses with clothes, artisanal foods, art and craftworks on offer.

SAMPLE Autumn will take place in Greenwich Peninsula on Saturday, September 7 from 11am until 7pm, presenting fashion, hand-made homeware and sustainable design in a one-stop shopping experience.

Find everything you need to kick off the new season, from streetwear, cool kids’ clothes, sophisticated work apparel to beautifully designed homeware.

The team at Greenwich Peninsula have created SAMPLE to support sustainability, small-scale enterprise and locally-sourced goods, with 100 traders from across the capital and beyond, Stock up your larder with fresh produce, sip cocktails at the outdoor bar and preen and pamper at the Beauty Box, all to the sound of live DJs.

There will be a range of free workshops throughout the day, including ’Clay Habitat’, who invite big and little kids to produce a wall of craft, and ‘Let’s Make Art’ who stimulate youngsters’ imaginations with their Harvest Festival and Andy Warhol-inspired soup-can paper costume designs.

You can also soak up some culture at the next-door NOW Gallery with their latest exhibition.

There is plenty of great food on offer for hungry shoppers to enjoy, Liberty Kitchen – which works with men in prison – produces delicious, fish, veggie and vegan streetballs.

Ben’s Bakery, voted one of the Top 10 pastry chefs, will provide his fine dining style delicacies at affordable prices.

New to SAMPLE Autumn this year will be a pop-up beauty bar to get you ready for your Saturday night – offering braiding, a brow bar and nail technician.

Throughout the day, socially conscious business Braidbox will offer on-trend traditional hair braiding, plus two paid workshops, ‘Back To School Hair’ and ‘Parent and Child’ to help parents style their kids’ hair.

Their team of stylists will be available throughout the day to give helpful advice on healthier product options and the history of braiding.

Braidbox founder, Brixton born Natalie Dinsmore, created the business to address the lack of provision, especially to help those families with dual heritage manage their hair.

Natalie said: “I meet a number of mothers with children of mixed heritage feeling their child’s hair was a burden and they didn’t know how to care for it.

“I also felt annoyed at the blatant cultural appropriation of braiding by companies like Topshop and The Braid Bar in Selfridges, and wanted to create an environment that appreciated the culture instead of exploiting it.

“The Braidbox has had a rough start but also many blessings. Being a part of Sample is certainly a blessing as we will have the space and capacity to reach thousands of people in a day in order to share knowledge and our services, as well as being a part of something bringing the community together.”

Another business on show will be Pasman Leather, a Deptford founded brand which creates purses, bags and leather accessories.

Their founder, Joost Pasman, said: “This show has been very high on my list. I have only heard good stories, it seems like a vibrant show with a nice and urban crowd.

“Autumn is a great time to exhibit because people are starting to think of gifts for the winter season.

“To me it seems the best way of bringing the community together, through sharing art and design.

“I will put South London on the map. Hopefully the event will attract a lot of people that haven’t been to South London before, so we can show them how great it is to be part of this area of London.”