Take it from them, Shoreditch shop owners know ‘East End’ cool

London can seem like an endless metropolis, impossible to navigate or even know where to start. Dig a bit deeper, though and you’ll find that London is really a collection of interrelated boroughs, a series of small towns. If you are looking to navigate your way through east London’s Shoreditch area, Urban Species is a great place to start. Owner Sarah and her son Hash, own and run the store located just off of Brick Lane, though they are just as much conduits for the creative community as they are simple shop owners.

Urban Species have their own lines of clothing and art, are DC Comics licensees, and are also an events company bringing together local artists, designers, dancers, musicians, even special effects make-up artists to produce exhibitions and club nights around town.

I recently met with Sarah to talk about the store and what’s on this year at Urban Species. Sarah tipped me off that we can expect to see a series of pop up shops being installed, the first of which is from the brand Moneypenny. Sarah is also one of the kindest and most welcoming people I’ve met in the area, which is why I would definitely suggest popping in if you get the chance and chatting with Sarah, Hash and the whole Urban Species gang for some insider tips on Shoreditch.

- Jessica Ainlay, Contributor