Shaftesbury has announced the opening of a debut pop-up store in Seven Dials for Tihara Smith, the lifestyle brand named winner of its retail incubator initiative Start Up with Seven Dials.
The 579sq ft Tihara Smith store at 37 Neal Street has been curated as a tropical oasis in the heart of the West End, stocking the brand’s range of vibrant stationery, accessories, handmade raffia designs, gifts and prints. All of the brand’s products are designed and crafted in London, inspired by the founder’s Caribbean roots.
The founder, Tihara, is a graduate of UCA Epsom and launched the eponymous label after exhibiting her original Windrush-inspired apparel collection at Graduate Fashion Week 2018. A complete outfit from her graduate fashion collection was recently acquired by the Museum of London, as part of a multi-generational exhibit on the Windrush and Tihara’s own family’s immigration experience.
As well as showcasing Tihara Smith’s extensive product range, the Seven Dials store will also house a mini Caribbean ‘food market’ serving treats such as Jamaican rum cakes and scotch bonnet chilli jam.
The Start Up with Seven Dials initiative has been implemented by Shaftesbury and Seven Dials to celebrate and support budding UK brands that either launched or developed their business amid Covid-19. Tihara Smith was selected as winner through a comprehensive judging process with a panel of experts, and has received the ‘blank canvas’ retail space rent-free, along with full support from Shaftesbury in-store operations and fit-out.
