Studio Souk is moving from Spires Mall to Castle Lane, the new space is open to the public on Tuesday 25th November.

Studio Souk: A fresh new concept to hit the high street

Studio Souk is moving from Spires Mall to Castle Lane, the new space is open to the public on Tuesday 25th November. Studio Souk is an open plan Studio and retail space, which allows artists and designers to work while the general public brose for handmade & unique treasures. Amazingly the expansion is in the same month Studio Souk turns 1.

Linzi Rooney, the director, took over Fashion Souk last year and rebranded the well know brand to incorporate a whole new ethos & concept. This charitable organisation supports local artists and designers in a stimulating and creative environment, giving lots of single person enterprises, valuable peer support and a opportunity to be involved in a creative community. The support within the Studio creates an atmosphere in which creativity thrives, as artists learn from one another and collaborate together.

Souk promotes the professional development of creative entrepreneurs with workshops in specialist areas such as social media, visual merchandising, branding & networking. It allows local creative’s to engage with potential customers and get direct feedback about their products.

Souk also promotes a healthy lifestyle and a reduce, reuse, recycle ethos so everything in Souk has to be handmade or pre loved. Souk wants to help the Belfast City Council reach their target of 45% recycling by 2015. There is a whole range of vintage clothes, accessories, homewares and up-cycled furniture to appeal to those who love a bargain and want to do their bit for the environment.

Castle Lane is an exciting new venture for the expanding Souk family, the new space was already at maximum capacity weeks before it opened. This quirky space is divided into three sections. Preloved Lane, chock full of up cycled items, Makers Mews is home to designers and artists making their creations in front of the stream of customers and Vintage Alley.

The new space will also have a coffee bar with healthy snacks and an e cigarette lounge. The E-Cigarette Club stocks only the funnest USA and UK e-Liquids which are all tested. Propylene Glycol is the main ingredient, the same ingredient in asthma inhalers. E cigarettes also reduce litter and promote recycling as you can re-use elements of them. There is also a second hand “Book Nook” were all books are only £1 and you can sit in the quirky sofa and read until your heart’s content.

Studio Souk have some exciting up and coming designers on board Kiera Ann from Kam Kouture, Nicola Drennan Ceramics and Sharon Hay from Innocent Chaos who is also Studio Souk’s award winning visual merchandiser. There are also some more well established designers involved such as Grainne Maher from Pluck and Devour. With this eclectic mix of experience Studio Souk is a fantastic incubation space for any new & merging artist, designer or maker, who can learn from and be inspired by a whole host of wonderful creative’s.

This idea of ethical consumerism and the environmental benefits that go along with it are a main focus for this local business. Giving the modern, ‘smart shopper’ a unique experience and a break from the monotony of the high street, allowing them the chance to purchase bespoke items. Support the ethos and local designers which allows the local community & economy to blossom.