Women of the world united for a wonderful celebration (International Women’s Day) and backpack company Eastpak rolled out a cycling tour in several locations to mark the occasion.
We were very kindly invited to the London event to witness some empowering conversations that discussed entrepreneurship. It was here that we toured Hackney on bikes to meet inspirational women of business in the capital city. Eastpak gave us a new perspective on the power women of Britain. It really opened our eyes to the amount of females making their mark on business in the London boroughs.
In the lead-up to International Women’s Day, Eastpak decided to tour some of the world’s most remarkable cities together with some of the world’s most influential women on Thursday March 5th. From Barcelona to Berlin, London to Liege, Milan, Copenhagen and The Hague, the Eastpak “She Wears Tour” introduced us to some of the amazing women who live and work in each city.
Like Frieda Gormley, one half of the inspiration behind the wildly successful London-based House of Hackney, or Fabrizia Endrizi and Ilaria Biamonti whose brainchild Yatta Makerspace is taking Milan by storm and Daphne Oedekerk who set up the Aloha Surf School outside The Hague… and dozens more like them. In other words, a cross-section of today’s inspiring women, whose achievements inspire the women of tomorrow.
Eastpak proudly presented such strong, confident and inspiring women. Because they love inspiring women to be strong and confident! With bags, luggage and accessories that are both beautiful and functional and that empowered us to explore, discover and shape the world around them. Luckily it was an awesome cycle through London with the sun shining on route…
First stop; House of Hackney was founded in London in 2010 by Frieda and husband Javvy M Royle. Originally founded as an interiors label, our quest was ‘to take the beige out of interiors’ with an emphasis on quality, design and Made in England. After a decade of bland minimalism they captured the zeitgeist with their collections of British-made collection of prints and products that are steeped in tradition but are bold and subversive for a truly modern statement. Today they have 3 store locations situated in Central and East and West London. The House of Hackney Flagship store is located in vibrant Shoreditch , a short 10 minutes walk from London’s Liverpool Street Station.
Next we rolled up to stunning flower shop Grace and Thorn…Founded in 2011, Grace and Thorn was born out of Nik Southern’s love for natural flower design, plants and a desire to bring back influences of the countryside to the capital, after a decade living in the country. Their designs avoid over manipulation and they allow their flower arrangements to retain natural beauty, resulting in an abundance of flower, foliage, texture & colour combinations. No two bouquets are ever the same. They’re lucky to work with some of UK’s leading fashion brands and retailers such as JW Anderson, Christopher Kane, House of Holland, Whistles, Topman, ASOS, GQ, Diesel, Markus Lupfur, French Connection and LK Bennett (where they won the people’s choice award for the Chelsea in Bloom competition in 2013).
Next we met Catriona Maclay who trained as a ‘Teach First’ teacher in Edmonton. She is awesome and now acts as the Captain of The Hackney Pirates, which she set up with friends and collaborators in 2010 to support young people in developing their literacy, confidence and perseverance. It’s a gorgeous location right in the heart of Hackney that offers fun educational opportunities for kids in an awesome environment.
Finally after an incredible morning of meeting aspirational characters, we had the pleasure of meeting Laura Jackson – who is in a joint venture with Alice Levine (radio presenter). Both the TV and radio stars set up a joint venture (Jackson & Levine) After an exchange of emails sharing recipes, restaurant discoveries and food ideas they decided to set up a lunch club. They spent a year cooking for each other, experimenting with new ideas and eating all over London (in the name of “research”). We sampled all Laura’s delicious treats including avocado on toast and blueberry yogurts..
