SWAG Christmas Shop

Artist-led retail environment, installation and workshops — Manchester, 2015

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Temporary retail space combining surface design, installation and public making.

In 2015, I was part of a collective that opened SWAG, an artist-led Christmas shop located in the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter. The project operated over a two-month period in the run-up to Christmas, combining retail, installation and creative workshops within a single space.

For the shop, I was responsible for the full window installation, designing and installing bespoke wallpaper and constructing a festive scene that included a custom-made rocking horse. The window functioned as both a visual anchor and an invitation into the space, designed to stand out within a busy retail environment.

Inside the shop, I also created bespoke curtains for the dressing room area, extending the visual language of the installation throughout the interior. Alongside selling work, the space hosted a programme of creative workshops, reinforcing the shop’s role as an active, participatory environment rather than a purely commercial one.
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SWAG operated as a temporary platform for artist-made work, testing how installation, design and making could coexist within a retail setting while remaining accessible, social and materially driven.