Stride Designs & The Handmade Co-operative

Today I am not only featuring a designer but a bit of a ‘mover and shaker’ on the Brighton creative scene.

Kirstin Stride runs www.stridedesigns.co.uk. She makes bags and whacky characters from old and recycled fabrics. The bags are inspired by sixties and seventies designs and patterns. One of my favourites is pictured. As we know I have a real thing for retro – I just think it’s so funky! It makes such a statement and it leaves me with sepia toned images in my mind – wondering where the fabric came from, what it was before, how old it is etc. I think recycling fabric in this way is so inspired and very eco-friendly.

Kirstin uses the offcuts to make her ‘creatures’ as she calls them. She tells me: ‘One of my favourites, Mr. B the comb-over is based on a mustachioed friend of mine – Mr. B the Gentleman Rhymer’! Mr B comes in green tweed or brown plaid and you’ve also got ‘Long Legs’ who is a blue fuzzy creature, ‘Flappy Ears’ who is made of red toweling and ‘Young George’ who is pictured.

Her other ‘creatures’ have evolved from doodles, sketches and scribbles. The cat/dog cushion just about sums up this crazy lady! One side of the huggable cushion is a cat, the other is a dog. So choose and flip depending on preference.

Impressively Kirstin has also been at the helm of ‘Handmade Brighton’ – a bi-monthly craft and design fair. The concept of the event (handmade products from local designers) is soon to become a shop going under the name of ‘Handmade co-op’. The shop on St James’ street is currently still trading as a sweetshop but will soon be transformed into a real co-operative environment. ‘We had a dream’ says Kirstin ‘…….a dream that all crafty people would come together, play together and sell together in perfect harmony’. The ground floor shop will be the retail marketplace with workspaces/chill out/café on the basement floor. Kirstin’s slogan for this new enterprise is: ‘We share the rent, the cleaning and the cake!!!’

There are workspaces and retail spaces available for rent so if you’d like further information please contact Kirstin directly kirstin@stridedesigns.co.uk and the facebook group for Handmade Co-op is here.

By Helen Ruff