The Paper Bar at ICA, Thomas Pink & Cropper

The fashion of Thomas Pink, a London-based heritage clothing brand, has inspired the creation of an outstanding display setting. During the London Collections fashion event, the Autumn/Winter 2015 collection was revealed in a very fresh and new manner. Collaboration between Thomas Pink and James Cropper, the 170 year-old paper innovators, sparked the idea of a spectacular center piece to display the fashion as well as the papers’ quality and versatility. Sam Robins of Flow Creation design studio, designed the complete historic setting for the event.

Courtesy of Sam Robins &Flow Creation

An 8.5-meter bar, drinking accessories, flowers, columns and decorative arts were completely made out of paper. Two different weights of paper, 315gsm and 180gsm, were used by Robin to create this free-standing structure. Manual hand-working techniques and computerized modeling were both used to transform sheets of paper to this very beautiful setting. “Initially I was shocked by the size of the venue; it’s a really grand, imposing space.

Courtesy of Sam Robins &Flow Creation

The bar has grown to 8.5 meters long as a result. Thomas pink really let me develop the design and specifications with little intervention, simply asking that it did the job of allowing models to interact with it as an alternative to your usual catwalk fashion show” explained Robin “the paper has stood up to every test I have thrown at it, with heavier stock taking the burden of structural support and the lighter weight allowing for decorative elements. Many of the props are really quite large, but can stand without additional support.”The different design components will be recycled following the press launch; however, for the time being this free-standing structure will stand as a centerpiece in the halls of London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA).