To welcome Spring in full bloom, we hosted a cheese and wine tasting. A PM with lots of fun, relax, and interesting chats with our studio holders.
Our studio holders really enjoyed the catering by Otto’s Cafe and what they offered.
Since 2013, London-based lighting design studio Stileman has sought to use light as an artistic medium, creating spaces that are subtly accentuated by light and shade. Their unique approach to tailoring light requires products that can cater to specific needs but in very different settings.
The studio has now designed a considered collection that focuses on simplicity and beautiful materials. These elegant designs have a timeless aesthetic, and different finishes and shade options allow for them to be used multiple times within the same project.
The collection is handcrafted by artisans in England and imbues the studio’s philosophy that less is more, whilst having a confidence that comes from the absolute faith in the quality of its materials and craftsmanship.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, Great Western Studios hosted a pop up shop with 8 amazing brands in different categories – fashion, homeware, jewellery, accessories, art.
A chance for creative, independent and innovative brands to grow and meet new clients.
We would like to thank all the brands who joined us – EsQue Parfum, Lucy Simmons Jewellery, Eternally Mine Jewellery, Gooshwa, Dedais London, By Becca, Bloomtine, and Victoria & Me.
It is always a pleasure to have such amazing people at GWS. As a thank you gesture, and making sure we highlight all the hard work of the women around our building, we gave free goodie bags.
We caught up with Carrie, one of Charabanc’s founders, over coffee in Otto’s café to find out about their business and to share the highs and lows of founding a new business.
Charabanc is the original luxury car fragrance brand, crafted entirely by hand in Great Britain. Aesthetically inspired by classic car interiors, Charabanc consists of a stainless-steel diffuser, leather lid and lanyard and fragrance ceramic.
Charabanc fragrance ‘journeys’ are inspired by the world’s most iconic drives and take you from the fresh, earthy notes of the Pennines to the soft, powdery scents of the flower-filled plains of Umbria, the sense-swooning, spicy fragrances of the silk road to the floral, incense notes found in the hills high above Hong Kong. Charabanc has just been accredited the much coveted ‘Butterfly’ mark for sustainability from Positive Luxury.
When asked about the inspiration behind the brand, Carrie highlighted that these days it is extremely rare to find a gap in the market, but 5 years ago saw an opportunity.
“We observed a booming luxury home fragrance market and thought, why is there nothing high end for the car?” She explained. “Back then, it was just car fresheners, and they were all created to mask bad smells, made of plastic and the scents they provided were somewhat headache inducing. We suspected that other luxury fragrances would follow suit so set out building a luxury car fragrance brand that was to be entirely oriented around the car.”
Being an entrepreneur can be a challenging and a rewarding experience. To quote Carrie, “It’s extremely rewarding to have an idea that you believe in, to build a brand and manufacture something from scratch. Having an idea is one thing but making it happen is something altogether different. It’s also very liberating to be your own boss, to make your own decisions and to work to your own timetable.”
When it comes to their 3 biggest challenges so far, Carrie explained:
Carrie and Barbara (founders) made Charabanc a success in its early stage. Just two years after Charabanc launched into market, they were chosen as one of the items in Oscar® 2020 famous gift bags, making them the only British brand to feature that year.
Carrie and the Charabanc team have clearly had some successful years, so we asked Carrie to share her best advice for new entrepreneurs.
In her words “Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint-hearted. You need to be ready for a rollercoaster ride with constant highs and lows, you need to work extremely hard, be ‘always on’ and commit for the long haul. You need to hustle shamelessly and never be shy of asking for help and support from as many people as possible.”
Here at Great Western Studios, we are super proud of our studio holders and their achievements. It is great to know they think the same for us.
“We love being at GWS and it felt right the moment we walked in the door. It’s a fabulous building architecturally in a great location, full of like-minded, creative people and great for networking. The logistics around getting stuff delivered and fulfilling product are so much easier here than they were at our previous studio,’ said Carrie, while mentioning that GWS team are always so welcoming, friendly and always go out of their way to help and support the studio holders and clients. ‘We love our studio position at no 33 as it makes lugging stuff in and out a LOT easier and it’s particularly handy for the café (another reason for choosing GWS). We also like the idea of being able to move studio space as the business grows.”
Curious about Carrie’s favourite podcast right now? We made sure to ask her and it is ‘The Rest is History’.
And the creative entrepreneur she would most like to meet is Elon Musk – watch this space for a Tesla x Charabanc collaboration…
Gilgamesh Contemporary II is the culmination of research on how light, sound & movement can be narrate a story in an immersive manner. In Alanbari’s adaptation of the eponymous ancient epic, the hero embarks on an adventure in search for eternal life. Her message is, “what is the point of finding eternal life if there is nothing worth living forever for, given the climate emergency we are in?”
Asmaa Alanbari, from studio 115, invites you to be part of this unforgettable experience.
This Valentine’s Day, why not explore Just Sefe’s variety of luxury skincare products that are vegan, cruelty-free, and plant-based? Whether it’s body care, oils, polish, face serums, or hair care, Just Sefe has you covered. These make fabulous last-minute Valentine’s gifts for women and men.
Don’t wait, give the gift of luxury skincare on the 8th!
Don’t forget to book your 1:1 slot with the lifetime wealth planner, Charlie Channing-Williams. Charlie’s comprehensive and completely bespoke financial advice can include investment planning, pension planning, tax planning, and protection planning.
Don’t miss out – secure your spot today.
To kick start 2024, our studio holders BWW Mind are excited to invite you to join us in celebrating London’s Great Mental Health Day and the grand unveiling of our brand-new community hub at the Great Western Studios!
Taking place in the afternoon on Friday the 26th of January, we will be hosting an open studio giving you the opportunity to explore our new studio space and learn about what we have in store for the upcoming year. There will be information about all our programmes and how to register your interest and sign up for our exciting projects. There will be taster activities, including art and music production, mindfulness, and dance, to give a firsthand experience of our enriching programmes. Plus, we will be showcasing some of the captivating artwork, music, and films created by our talented participants over the last year.
Whether you are considering referring clients to our programmes, wish to bring along some of the clients you are currently working with, or simply want to pop in to learn more about what we do and how our programmes are benefiting the community, please do come along to find out more.
Event Details:
On January 31st, add a dash of trendiness to your ride while also enhancing your safety. The ride of your dreams is just around the corner!
David, our seasoned expert from Cyclic Nature, is here to bring you a comprehensive bicycle MOT service. With a whopping 9 years of experience, he’s got maintenance tips and personalised feedback for all of you!
David isn’t just a pro with qualifications and teaching experience, he’s a true bicycle enthusiast. His passion for cycling is his main qualification, and he can’t wait to share it with you!
You can book your 30-minute slot from 11.00 to 15.30! Reach out to us at events@greatwesternstudios.com or swing by reception.
Get ready to pedal through Spring rain with PedalShed‘s chic and comfy saddle covers! They’ll be available for purchase in the atrium from 11.00 to 15.30. Don’t let a little rain dampen your favourite rides!
Pedalshed is designed by Danes and based in London. The production is currently made by hand in Europe and produced with as much sustainability as we can at this point, up-cycling and re-cycling whenever possible.
If you’ve got a fantastic service that you believe our Great Westerners community would love, we’re all ears! Connect with us and share your excitement at events@greatwesternstudios.com. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Last year’s Christmas Gathering has been good, but this year we know for sure it is going to be better. We are hosting the annual GWS Christmas Gathering on the 14th of December from 4.00PM, and we couldn’t be happier.
To cherish this successful year and remember all the good stuff that happened here at GWS, we invite all of our studio holders to celebrate together Christmas and New Years with us.
There will be canapes, drinks, live DJ, piano music, pictures will be taken and to top it off, 360-video-booth.
