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Tottex founder Luis Lopez-Smith wanted to create a space for freelance textile workers to do what they love the most, whether that was working with brands like Nike and Gucci, stitching scrubs for the NHS throughout the pandemic or making Black Lives Matter flags for car windows (all of which he has done since he set up the studio in 2018).
After years of working in the fashion textile industry, Lopez-Smith realised London needed a space where creatives could make technical garments with the necessary machinery and know-how. ‘That’s Tottex,’ he says. ‘It became this collaborative, creative platform that allowed us to not just be a factory, but to have creative input over what we were doing.’
Lopez-Smith set up the first Tottex studio in Seven Sisters, where he and a group of freelancers would work to fulfil projects. But throughout the pandemic, he realised he wanted to shift the studio away from production and towards a co-working facility where people could come up with ideas, work individually and collaborate. ‘The main thing when I built this was for it to be a calm and safe space for everybody,’ he says. ‘That’s really rare for people in this industry. If you do something where you only need a laptop, you can go to any co-working space, but there’s nowhere that looks after people in fashion textiles.’ And so the move to the 230-square-metre Wood Green studio was made.
The space is designed for textile workers but open to anyone who commits to keeping the studio an inclusive environment, and members range from students to industry professionals with ten years of experience under their belts. More space to work also means more space to teach. Last December, Tottex hosted workshops for community groups, which will continue this year. Lopez-Smith also hopes to formalise a training programme for anyone interested in making clothes, regardless of background or ability.
‘A lot of people are very judgemental in fashion. If you’re a learner, it’s like “Oh, I don’t want to talk to you.” Tottex is about sharing and helping people – that doesn’t cost you anything and it’s a good thing to do.’
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