New Cross and Deptford Zone
Lewisham's Creative Enterprise Zone
Lewisham’s Zone is based in New Cross and Deptford. It builds on the unique strengths of the area’s rich history and thriving arts, creative, and digital sectors, as well as world-renowned cultural and educational institutions including Trinity Laban and Goldsmiths University. Led by Lewisham Council, the Zone is supporting graduate talent to base themselves and their creative careers locally.
Bringing together the creative community
The Zone is home to a growing number of creative businesses from fashion, design, art and craft to performance, production, music and dance.
Many of its residents studied locally and have continued to call the area home. Young people from across the borough have found their creative spark in one of the extracurricular programmes happening in the Zone.
Funded by the Mayor of London and managed by Lewisham Council, Shapes Lewisham works in partnership with key artistic, creative and educational institutions to:
-
support creative businesses to connect and collaborate
-
increase access to affordable workspace so creatives can put down roots and stay in our community
-
link creative enterprises to the skills, expertise and facilities of our education and cultural institutions
-
provide career pathways from school into further education and higher education and a career in the creative sector.
SHAPESLewisham platform
SHAPESLewisham is an online portal that aims to promote, celebrate and connect the creative community in Lewisham.
They seek to enable talent from across the borough to access pathways to participation and employment in the creative industries. This opens up expertise and facilities of their educational and cultural institutions toward much more purposeful creative knowledge exchange and tests new types of collaborative practice to ignite the innovation potential of the creative industries.
Creative ambassadors
Meet the New Cross and Deptford Zone's creative ambassadors – local champions who connect the community, support creative talent, and help shape the Zone.
YUSSICO
Yusuf Osman is a lawyer turned leather craftsman on a mission to help the world experience and connect with materials and craftsmanship. Yusuf believes that many of the problems we experience today as individuals, communities and with the natural world are result of our loss of knowledge around craftsmanship and materials.
And by reconnecting with leather and craft, it can help us to navigate the complex issues we face as individuals, society and with the natural world. In doing so we can uncover the threads that connect us all.
Precious Scars Studio
Precious Scars Studio was founded by Kira Smith, and emerged from a personal journey of healing and transformation. After breaking a simple bowl, Kira became captivated by the art of Kintsugi, finding in it a deep connection between the physical act of repair and the emotional process of healing from her own mental health struggles.
This craft became an obsession, offering a way to honour imperfections and scars, both in objects and in life. Each piece she repairs, and every creation she offers, is a testament to resilience, embodying the belief that beauty lies in the marks of time.
Latest news
Find news from City Hall about the New Cross and Deptford Zone.
Get in touch
To learn more and get in touch, visit the New Cross and Deptford Zone's website.
Explore London's Creative Enterprise Zones
Find more zones