Exploring Brick Lane: Street Art and Vintage Outlets

Brick Lane is a street that I hear SO MUCH ABOUT and have been wanting to go for visit ever since. I have been to Shoreditch several times in the past for internships (that's where all the designers' studios are hidden!) Seeing another different side of London was so interesting and admire it's traditional flea markets, diverse street food, vintage fashion, vinyl shopping, independent book shops and street art. Straightaway you notice that the people in East London just look very edgy and who seem like they don't conform to the fast fashion trends - so it is definitely a great for street style inspiration. 

I was completely in awe of of the unique street art! It was definitely the highlight and it's the first time I've actually seen street art (I need to get out more). I love that bird piece by ROA and that butterfly disguised as a elephant looked so creative and has more of a surrealist appeal - found nearby Hanbury Street and Tower Hamlets. The Trump street art is rather terrifying I must admit! However it is depicted and illustrated so well that really does resembles Trump (haha). Ballon Dog piece is very reminisce of Jeff Koons's popular Ballon Dog sculptures. In particular, I was really captivated by the street art of the girl with the heart glasses and keys scattering around her hair.

Whilst having a wander around, we stumbled upon a shop called Blitz London, which is a very cool second-hand vintage shop. It's also known as Time Out's best vintage shop. I loved the rustic interior with the brick walls and the whole vibe felt like an art exhibition with the way the products are displayed. You get a sense of the cool edgy London scene. I liked how the clothes were displayed on the walls, including the editorial pictures hung on the walls and a nice selection of literature books - which I didn't know was half price until I looked at my photos! 

The next place we came across was This Shop Rocks (the name actually did draw my attention!) It is essentially a vintage outlet that handpicks a selection of vintage fashion and accessories from the 1900s to the 50s, amongst various other things such as old books (Penguin classic editions) which I was excited about and vintage kitchenware. I even notice Smith Kendon's mixed fruit traveller sweets tin! My mum use to buy these for me from Tesco when I was 8 and I loved them. Unfortunately the supermarkets don't do them anymore but definitely brought back those nostalgic memories. This Rock Shops is definitely worth a visit if your interested in checking out one-off vintage pieces.

The following snaps was when I took another short trip to East London to explore Shoreditch, which is home to vibrant and colour street art culture. As soon as you come out of Shoreditch High Street Station, you'll come across some of these amazing street art pieces. Most of these pieces, I don't know who they were created by but the 'Old London' street art is by Ben Eline. Some of my favourites was the colourful clouds with wings shaped of a heart (?) I'm not entirely sure what it is interpreting but I really liked it and the geometric patterns across the walls.