HELLO THERE
Hello there, we're Katie, Peter and Poppy, two happy humans and a small ginger dog. We run our online clothing shop from a little room above a sweet shop by the River Lea in Bow, the thriving and vibrant heart of east London. We've been working together for over a decade, sourcing, designing and making beautiful things for festival pixies to wear and love.
We stock garments that we design ourselves, some that we wholesale and some that we work with other designers and makers to sell, so you'll find a wide range of clothing and accessories to choose from.
Much of our own line is made from organic cotton grown in the foothills of the Himalayas and the dyes are non-toxic. All our products come from small, family-run factories and are ethically made with top quality materials and craftsmanship, with comfort in mind.
LIFE ON THE CANAL
We love our life travelling and living on a dinky little narrow boat called Excalibur on the London waterways, where there's never a dull moment and swans, coots and fellow boat-dwellers are our neighbours. We never stay put for more than two weeks at a time, sometimes finding ourselves in the tranquil green of the misty countryside, sometimes in the hustle-bustle of the metropolis. We love foraging food on the towpath and getting inspiration from nature.
TEN YEARS ONLINE
During years of going to festivals and parties, we fell in love with the pixie, boho and hippy clothing and the fun-loving air that comes with it. Our intention was to share this carefree style with everyone, and we are proud to have been among the first to make it available online. We have been selling our clothes on eBay (http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Altshop-UK) for about 10 years now. More recently we also opened a shop on Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/AltshopUK). Now we have our own website, all designed and coded by us. We are very happy with it and would love to hear your opinion about it.
Now, ten years later, we work most days at our shop, cycling down the tow-path to reach the yard that it calls home.
We visit our dear friend Sanjay at the local post office every day of the working week, so if you buy from us, you'll be in for a treat quicker than you know it.
THE WAREHOUSE PROJECT
In 2013, we founded a warehouse project in Hackney Wick for creative people to fulfil their potential in a beautiful, supportive and positive environment in the heart of the capital's famous artist quarter.
Taken on as an empty shell and gradually made habitable, the warehouse is now a thriving hub of love, abundance, happiness and colour. We have hosted yoga and wellbeing workshops, Permablitzes, cabarets, jam and slam poetry nights and some great parties. Katie has her stained glass studio, Girl Got Glass, there too.
The large communal space that we share converts into a photography studio, which is where we take the photos for our website and collaborate with other labels, for example Gekko BohoTique and Pedigree Scum, to produce their photos.
CONNECT WITH US
Take a peek into our lives in London by joining us on social media (the links are in the footer of every page).
We post about offers, discounts, new creations and, of course, general shenanigans. You can follow our photo-shoots and design processes. You'll be able to check out upcoming events, track the progress of our permaculture garden project and follow what's happening in our stained glass art studio.
You can also catch a glimpse of us whiling away the hours on our little narrow boat.
CREDITS
Thank you to Grace, Lauren, Tiffany, Jen and RaeRae and Ruth for modelling and Oliver Goodrich for your amazing photography skills.