Each weekend over 100,000 people visit Camden Market, making it the fourth most popular tourist attraction in the capital, while this is great for business it can often be unappealing for locals. Mark Hall from Reworked Camden is trying to tackle this by building a bridge between the local community and visitors right in the heart of Camden Town at Buck Street Market through upcycling clothes. “I like to say we’re creatively connecting the community” Mark told us. Reworked Camden rescues old clothes, reimagining and redesigning them to sell in their shipping container market stall. However, what sets this vintage stall apart from the others, is that these clothes have been upcycled on-site by members of the local community. “It’s about using a space on the high street to engage with all different aspects of the community,” Mark says.
“It’s about using a space on the high street to engage with all different aspects of the community.”
Mark Hall, Reworked Camden
The project started 5 years ago with a pop-up shop on Malden Road, “Back then it was a way of finding out what the community’s needs and desires were” Mark tells us. “Then with the money we raised from the shop we were able to address those needs, like Sunday lunch for the over 50’s, afternoon teas, painting, poetry events, etc.” A strong believer in collective creativity, Mark routinely organises interactive workshops, bringing both locals and visitors together into Buck Street Market. “That’s the most important part of the project, that local people come, so we can serve both parts of the high street, the tourists and the locals”. In the future, Mark is hoping to bring more local people into the market by giving them a free space to sell their wares, connecting the gap between locals and this London tourist institution.
