03/02/2023
NOW PERMANENTLY CLOSED
The Fashion Hub was until 5th January 2023 part of the emerging Fabric District. The Fashion Hub was for 5 years a space for craft, work and play. A concept developed by Gary Millar & Steve Macfarlane and a unique creative space, bar & café designed to help develop and nurture people in fashion design, tailoring, craft and textiles.
Until it closed in January 2023 it was 9,000 sq feet of studio space within the award winning Tapestry complex. You could have worked, had fun, eaten delicious vegan food, enjoyed hundreds of events, watched movies, held parties and conferences, hot-desked, hot-sewn, created & networked at the Fashion Hub for as little as £10 per day.
We have seen almost 25 new businesses created and over £1 million being invested into the area creating a real vibrancy and many jobs. We played a role but we have to say its been a team effort.
We have happily moved on at the end of our 5-year lease. Since we started the refurbishment of this space back in 2017 we always said we would leave in 2023. It was always our plan to do so and make way for the next entrepreneur to make this wonderful space even bigger and better. Good luck to them and to our landlord.
**So that’s a wrap at the Fashion Hub.**
From 2017 - 2022 the Fashion Hub has been a unique creative space in Liverpool’s Fabric District.
An emotional closure, one of clear down, sad farewells, loads of laughs and lots of donations to good causes.
When we first visited this derelict building in July 2017 we knew immediately we had found a soul mate. Our co-founder Gary dreamt later that first night of how it would look and what it would do. He explained it to Steve Macfarlane and he trusted his instincts completely and backed it fully. We spent our own money (far too much), we got our hands dirty building things and painting walls (we loved that - also far too much).
We employed staff, we built studios and workspaces, we created events, attracted amazing tenants and made masses of friends.
So, after 5 and a half years our lease has come to an end and this inspiring creative space has now welcomed its next soulmate.
However, please don’t think it all been roses, sweetness and success. COVID-19 lockdown was an absolute killer, where we lost significant funds and where Gary and Steve ended up privately financing the business and it’s cash flow. It was also a disaster for some of our tenants and we would often help them skip rent payments just so they can continue. Not all did survive or cope and I know some are still suffering today. We wish them well. But, there again for Steve and Gary, it’s never been about financial gain, awards or applause. It’s been about “joy”. The joy of seeing businesses being created, then blossom and succeed. The joy of seeing creatives create. The joy of seeing smiles on the faces of guests and hearing the laughter in their voices. The joy of helping raise many thousands of pounds for charity. The joy of helping support over 25 new businesses and injecting over a million pounds into the local economy. We didn’t do it alone, we did it with you, the Fashion Hub family and we thank you for that. We also thank our staff, our team, our friends, our landlord Jason and his family, our many partners, our charities, our universities, our local college, our schools, our suppliers and our thousands of visitors and customers. Most of all Gary thanks Steve for being at his side and for supporting another of his daft ideas. Neither of us have come out richer from this chapter in our lives. But, we most certainly have become “richer” in knowing you and learning so much more about our communities and about what an endless imagination and how our beautiful dreams can help us all be inspired and more creative. Thank you everyone. Big hugs x
You can still email us at [email protected]
