Tag: london

  • What it’s really like living in London as a foreigner

    You arrive in London with a head full of expectations. You hear a dozen languages before you finish your first coffee, you queue without quite knowing why, and you quickly realise that the city doesn’t slow down for anyone. 

    Living here as a foreigner feels less like visiting a place and more like learning a complex rhythm that you can slowly make your own. 

    Image via Unsplash

    First impressions and cultural differences

    It will become apparent that London runs on unwritten rules. People stand on the right side of escalators, avoid eye contact on the Tube, and apologise even when they haven’t done anything wrong. 

    If you try to chat loudly with strangers in a queue, you may get polite smiles but little engagement. Instead, you learn to read subtle cues – tone, timing, and body language matter more than direct words.

    Don’t forget that British humour often relies on understatement and sarcasm. Once you tune into that, conversations become easier and more rewarding.

    The reality of finding housing in London

    Finding a place to live in the capital can test your patience, budget, and decision-making skills. Landlords and agents expect you to act quickly, often without viewing multiple options.

    When searching for apartments to rent in London, you can improve your chances by preparing everything in advance: proof of income, references, and identification. 

    When you see a suitable property, contact the agent immediately and request a viewing for the earliest possible slot. If you like the place, you often need to commit on the same day. 

    Areas vary widely in price and atmosphere, so you balance commute time against rent rather than focusing on one ideal neighbourhood.

    You also learn to compromise. A smaller flat in a well-connected area often serves you better than a larger one far from transport links, especially when daily travel shapes your routine.

    Everyday life: Work, transport and community

    You’ll experience London most clearly during your daily routine. The job market offers variety, but it also demands strategy. Finance, tech, hospitality, retail, and creative industries all recruit heavily, yet competition remains intense. 

    Transport becomes a way of life. The Underground, buses, and trains connect almost everything, but delays and crowded carriages can challenge your patience. Make life easier by planning routes in advance and allowing extra time during peak hours.

    Be sure to join local groups, attend events, or simply return to the same coffee shop regularly. Over time, familiar faces turn into conversations, and conversations turn into connections. 

    London may seem distant at first, yet once you engage with it deliberately, it starts to feel like a place that recognises you.

  • Relocating to London – Choosing the Right Area

    Relocating to London – Choosing the Right Area

    London is a place worth living in. For young professionals seeking to embark on a new career, the opportunities available in the capital more than justify the cost of living. And there are other demographics for whom a move to London might be justified.

    To enjoy the best possible life in the city, however, you’ll need to pick an area that matches your personal priorities. This is something that estate agents in London can help you with – but it’s worth knowing what to consider before you consult with them.

    Image via Unsplash

    Budget

    Perhaps most obviously, you’ll want to live within your means. Don’t just consider the amount that you’ll be paying in rent, but the cost of things like food, energy, and transport. As a general rule, you’ll pay more to live in the middle of a city than you do on the outskirts. If you’re able to take a flexible approach to work, then you might choose to increase your commute time in pursuit of cheaper rent.

    What really matters is that you set out your budget, and that you understand exactly how much you can afford to spend. Don’t push yourself too hard – if you leave an extra 10% to cope with unforeseen problems, then you’ll avoid living in constant fear of them.

    Priorities

    It’s worth also reflecting on your personal priorities. It might be that you crave green space, in which case living near to a large park might be beneficial. If you have small children, then the availability of good local schools might matter, too. If you’re going to relocate with your family, then a generally positive community might be beneficial, too. On the other hand, for young professionals, the availability of a vibrant social scene might be more of a plus.

    Safety and community

    If you don’t feel safe in your surroundings, then it’s unlikely that you’ll ever feel truly at home in your new city. Don’t rely on videos and anecdotes on the internet, instead look for measurable data. Crime surveys for a given area are worth looking into. You might also talk directly to the residents. If you can spend a little time in the area, you might pick up on the local vibe, and figure out whether you can really feel safe.

    Commute and transport links

    One of the major benefits – or drawbacks, depending on your perspective – of life in London is that you’ll be highly reliant on public transport. You’ll want to be sure that you understand the tube system, and that your new home is sufficiently close to the train line you need. Bus routes are another local service whose importance shouldn’t be neglected.

  • Lockdown Stories: LOFO

    Lockdown Stories: LOFO

    Lockdown Stories is a series of short interviews with creative entrepreneurs and businesses that have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Since its beginnings, the main goal of Future Positive has been to share inspiring projects happening all around the world and, during these strange and difficult times for independent businesses and creators, we want to continue providing support and visibility. If you’d like to be featured in this series, please get in touch at hello@thefuturepositive.com and tell us your story.

    LOFO
    Trans-seasonal collection of unisex clothing. On top of the simple organised model, experiments in regular clothing are made to regularly test social and commercial outcomes.
    Location: London, UK
    www.lofo.london

    When did the lockdown start for you and how has your business been affected?

    Officially the lockdown started early in March. Our building was just opened by the Deputy Mayor for Culture, Justine Simmons, in late February. We were supposed to move our production space over there. We were ready to start sewing. Unfortunately, everything closed down and went in limbo.

    The family workshop where we made clothing back home in Romania also closed down immediately afterwards. Under even harsher lockdown rules, all their workers were put on furlough indefinitely.

    We’re not seasonal, so that meant no canceled SS or FW presentations. But it is still a hit we took, like many other businesses out there.

    Have you found any new ways of working or have you come up with new product ideas during this time?

    Our definitive move to London last year meant we’ve spent the past 10 month doing WFH. What was a drawback actually turned into a benefit. We were very used to this, coordinating things from home central. Of course our plans to move production to London were massively impacted, but we’re glad we didn’t have to let any people go.

    This whole situation has also sharpened our focus. The need to keep busy spawned the LOFO edit we’re working on right now, dedicated to the ‘new normal’ and exploring the transformational qualities of lockdown and being isolated. We’ve also used our home sewing machine to make gel pouches and donate profits to our local Southwark food bank. Hardship also has some qualities to it, and we’re trying to put whatever conflicting emotions we have to good use.

    There has been a massive effort by many UK brands to help with building protective equipment and, from this point of view, we’re actually glad to be in this industry.

    What are some of the positive takeaways you have experienced during this time?

    We feel this ‘forced break’ pushed us a lot in rethinking what our current business means and what its place in the world is. Coming from a graphic design background (still doing things at www.weareloot.com) we feel quite productive in a context of problem solving.

    Some positive takeaways and how we feel business should evolve: localised production / services with minimum impact on the environment and as sustainable as possible, community involvement and more awareness about how we experience the surroundings, a big shift towards digital products / services even in areas we wouldn’t normally think possible.

    Also, there’s a clear signal that the fashion industry is changing fast. There’a a lot of talk and it’s not sure where it will go from here. Most things will probably revert to a version of what they were, but there will also be side innovation. We’re keeping our eyes and ears open. And trying to help build that alternative model ourselves as well.

    How do you see your business evolving over the next few months?

    Our delayed but business-defining move to Poplar will happen eventually. We are hoping around late July or August.
    The space is part of a bigger reshape of the East London business landscape. The project is aimed at community revival and is part of the ongoing effort of Poplar HARCA in partnership with London College of Fashion, UAL and The Trampery. It’s a huge undergoing.

    We’ll work alongside some very talented designers. For the future of LOFO it will definitely mean that we can put many of our plans in action. Once it happens, we’ll move all manufacturing to London, into our micro-production workshop.

    Let’s end this on a positive note – this all will pass, we need to be aware of opportunities that come along with it and try to cope with whatever it throws our way. As the saying goes, we’re in this together (well, most of us). And we’ll make the most out of anything.

  • Lockdown Stories: Earl of East

    Lockdown Stories: Earl of East

    Lockdown Stories is a series of short interviews with creative entrepreneurs and businesses that have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Since its beginnings, the main goal of Future Positive has been to share inspiring projects happening all around the world and, during these strange and difficult times for independent businesses and creators, we want to continue providing support and visibility. If you’d like to be featured in this series, please get in touch at hello@thefuturepositive.com and tell us your story.

    Earl of East
    Lifestyle brand, started in 2014 by partners Niko Dafkos and Paul Firmin, with 3 multi-concept stores in London, alongside their own home fragrance, bath, and body line, which is manufactured in-house.
    Location: London, UK
    www.earlofeast.com

    When did the lockdown start for you and how has your business been affected?

    Things really start to change in early March. As Covid-19 began spreading worldwide, we first felt the effects in our flagship store in Coal Drops Yard, as footfall started to decrease. However, it was on the 19th of March when we made the decision to close the stores, just a few days before the official lockdown as we felt the need to protect our staff and customers.

    All three store locations have been closed since, and as a result so has our program of workshops and events, which are a major part of our business. We have been able to continue with online, and with manufacturing, although on a much more reduced scale. We have since furloughed around 60% of the team, creating a skeleton team to ensure core functions continue.

    Have you found any new ways of working or have come up with new product ideas during this time?

    We were able to pivot quickly, firstly by reaching out to corporations we have worked with previously to create client care packages, and then in the creation of our virtual workshops which are hosted through Zoom. Not only did this allow us to keep the cash flowing it also gave Niko and I real purpose whilst everything began to take a turn for the worse in terms of the spread.

    We have also become much more content focussed on our site, creating a series of content called Ritual over Routine and releasing interviews. We were actually working on both before this happened but it allowed us space to really focus on this new side of the business. Working with the skeleton team, and remotely in what is usually a very much hands-on business has been difficult, but we have a good team in place and daily check-ins and clear tasks have allowed for a new structure to develop. We have really had to rethink a working week and structure our days to always include work, it’s definitely a work/life integration over ‘balance’ but it’s allowing us to stay motivated in what could be a very depressing time.

    We released a collaborative project with KayK goods which is a move to a new category, it wasn’t planned to be a digital launch but we wanted to stick to our time plan, and we created some nice content for the launch. In addition to this, we are currently developing a new line, so we have been able to focus on this, and extensions to our Japanese Bathing Line which has become a best-seller in the last year and has gained particular attention in the last few weeks. We are also in the middle of a project with an agency, which is really exciting.

    What are some of the positive takeaways you have experienced during this time?

    As a team, we have learned a lot and become stronger, I think this can only be viewed as positive. From a business owner standpoint, we have had to face challenges and overcome something unimaginable just a few months ago, you learn a lot through difficult times and I think it has helped us to look at our company again and redefine what is really important. We have seen which areas of the business need more focus, and which are working well. We have seen a lot of traction online and with our community, that has been really positive and something we want to continue to build on.

    From a personal level, Niko and I only made this business our full-time jobs last September, after five years of it being our side-hustle. We had struggled to find a real pattern of work and this has given us the space to determine that, and our actual roles and responsibilities beyond just being founders. It has also given us space to dedicate some time to ourselves, to eating right and exercise, which are essential to long-term success in all areas of life.

    How do you see your business evolving over the next few months?

    It’s really hard to determine right now, but what we know is that our strategy is to protect what we have and build on the great customer base we have built in the past few years.

    The new normal will certainly affect our stores, we are currently making plans to change the spaces and make sure they work well for social distancing and that our team are provided with the safest environment. The structure of our events will change for the foreseeable, and we see digital events still playing a part in that schedule moving forward.

    Wholesale will change but we are unsure of the ways yet, having stockists worldwide has meant we have felt the effects at different times, we have also taken on new stockists during this time and have some exciting new projects in the works. In terms of digital, our focus will remain on becoming more content-driven, we are adding a lot of new products and categories to the site, and these will roll out in-store too. We also hope to release more new products.

  • Dust London: Homeware from Organic Materials

    Dust London: Homeware from Organic Materials

    Founded by Michael McManus and Matthew Grant, Dust London is a homeware label drawing on their experience in artist and architecture studios. They established their design company with the intention of changing the way materials are conventionally used and the ambition of creating objects from natural materials.

    We chatted with Michael and Matthew to find out more about the manufacturing of their products, their current range and what homeware means to them.

    www.dustlondon.co

    Can you tell us about how you met and what made you start Dust London?

    We knew each other from a young age and shared design ideas whilst studying art and architecture respectively. Dust London was born out of an ambition to set up a studio that explored our mutual interests in design alongside our passion for organic and sustainable materials.

    Your products are made from tea waste, can you tell us more about why you decided to choose this material and what processes you follow to manufacture your items?

    Our studio practice is driven by discovering new materials for making. We were looking for an organic material to use and after months of experimenting we tried tea waste. We found that adding tea to our material created a beautiful range of rich colours. Experimenting with tea waste as a material for making has enriched the colour palette of our designs. From the soft and subtle green hues of our Peppermint tea range to the rich warmth of the Rooibos and English breakfast selections, our products compliment a range of interiors. We collect and separate the tea waste into 5 different colours. Each selection is thoroughly dried before blending and mixing with a gypsum-based powder and non-toxic binder. This mix is then poured into our handcrafted moulds which have been made from a single sheet of paper using origami folding techniques.

    Coming from an arts and architecture background, you mention that you are “keen to step away from the computerised and the mechanistic”, can you tell us more about this decision and why you lean towards handmade products?

    We have interests in a variety of traditional casting techniques and wanted to apply these to our designs. Through refining handmade processes our ideas have developed organically in our studio. Exploring new techniques and experimenting with materials in this way allowed us to achieve unpredictable results that informed future works. We chose not to use technology within our studio practice because we wanted to apply a makers touch to our objects. By casting our work by hand each piece is entirely unique, with subtle variations in surface pattern and colour.

    Your current collection is made up of three objects, can you tell a little bit about each of them? Do you have plans to expand your product range in the near future?

    Our current collection comprises three designs inspired by origami forms: a coaster set, a centrepiece vase and a large planter. Each object is folded from a single sheet of paper to create a homogenous design. We were drawn to the minimal aesthetic and elegance of origami that aligned with contemporary interior design. Each of our objects are available in five tea variations: Chamomile, Rooibos, English Breakfast, Peppermint and Black Tea. These colours have been selected to provide a range of textures and hues to complement a variety of interior colour palettes.

    We are currently working on a number of larger scale pieces of furniture and have developed a prototype for a table. We are excited to combine the aesthetic of origami with the function of furniture. Experimenting with organic resources will always be at the forefront of our work and we are currently exploring a sustainable material that we can apply to a new collection.

    What does homeware mean to you and why do you think it’s important?

    Homeware is accessible in scale, both for the designer and user. It allows designers to experiment with new materials that find their way into the home. Homeware therefore paves the way for wider conversations that the designer looks to address through their work. By bringing functional objects into the home that are made of tea waste challenges convention and questions how we commit to a sustainable future.