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Last weekend, some of the country’s finest tattoo artists came together to launch a very special pop-up shop, all with one unifying aim: to combat violence against women and girls.
The pop-up, named #MyBodyIsMine, is in partnership with ActionAid – an international charity working to improve the lives of women and girls living in poverty. According to the organisation, one in three women will experience physical violence or sexual abuse in their lifetime – a fact they're trying to change by working with communities to improve attitudes and laws around the world.
One of the artists involved is Grace Neutral, who grew to prominence with her hand-poked designs of flora and fauna and heads up that popular Femme Fatale tattoo studio on Broadway Market. The second artist is Jade Chanel, the owner of the Vaporwave Tattoo studio in Cambridge Heath. Finally, ex-Londoner Rizza Boo will be making the journey back to the capital from her new studio in Glasgow, Shadow Work Tattoos. Her style is graphic, colourful, and rich in bold imagery – so it seems like there will be something for all tastes.
The #MyBodyIsMine shop is just round the corner from Carnaby Street and will sell all sorts of exclusive merch designed by the artists – like temporary tattoos, prints, notebooks, and t-shirts. There will be an ‘application station' for the temporary tats (now that’s a throwback), and henna by Boxpark’s House of Henna available on Sundays.
So, yeah – it’s not an actual tattoo studio, with scary needles and permanent ink. The idea is that even though the tattoos and the shop is temporary, their impact on the lives of women will be more permanent. That means that even if you don’t fancy getting literally inked up, you can still support the cause by having a browse and picking up something snazzy.
#MyBodyIsMine pop-up takes place from Aug 13–Sep 2, Mon-Sat 11am-7pm and Sundays 12pm-6pm at 5 Newburgh Street, W1F 7RG. You can also shop online here.
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