Barry Laden

Barry Laden

Barry Spencer Laden MBE FRSA (born 1965 in Edgware, Middlesex) is a British fashion entrepreneur and occasional writer and artist. Educated at City of Portsmouth Boys' School and the University of Westminster, his first retail venture was located in London's Fulham Road in 1987. He is best known for his creation of The Laden Showroom, the UK's largest independent showroom and retail space used for the promotion of small independent fashion designers, based in London's Brick Lane. He also created The London Fashion Bus, which toured the UK in 2003-4 and founded womenswear fashion brand Renée London. In October 2012 he created a garment factory in London's Mile End called East End Manufacturing that was officially launched by Mayor of London, Boris Johnson on 26 February 2013 which closed in September 2016. He has been a speaker on two occasions in committee rooms at the House of Lords, including giving a keynote speech on UK manufacturing in March 2014. He has also acted as an agent for independent fashion brands to access online platforms including ASOS.com

At the age of 11, as a prize for winning a national essay competition, he was saluted by the entire Royal Navy on the rehearsal of the Fleet Review off Spithead, representing the Royal Family on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II. During the 1990s he wrote material for radio and television, including a script for comedian Bob Monkhouse. His crime fiction novel, Klarkey's War (East of City Press) was published in 2006. His first play, Ladies Aloud, was presented at the New End Theatre in Hampstead, London, in November 2007 in a reading by Linda Marlowe and Susannah York.

In December 2009, in recognition for his social entrepreneurial work through The Laden Showroom, The Observer featured him as being listed in the top 50 of The Future 500 - The Courvoisier sponsored list of "inspirational, creative talent" in the UK for the year ahead.

He is a Freeman of the City of London and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Drapers

Laden was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to the fashion industry.^[1] In November 2014, Laden was awarded honorary Doctorate of Design by Southampton Solent University

Family

He is a cousin of Hollywood actor Nehemiah Persoff, composer/conductor Philip Green (composer) and British television presenter Fiona Phillips
His great-great uncle was Mark Feld, a retailer killed by fascists in London's east end, whose nephew was also Mark Feld, more famously known as Marc Bolan

Footnotes

External links

• Evening Standard O2 Inspiration Award feature
• Review of Klarkey's War in The Times by Tim Teeman
• Interview in the Hendon & Finchley Times
• Klarkey's War summary
• This Is Local London article
• Vogue credits The Laden Showroom
• The Boston Globe review of The Laden Showroom and Brick Lane
• Urban Path's list of Nice Things To Do In London
• The Guardian reviews The London Fashion Bus
• NBC Television features The London Fashion Bus with Al Roker
• The Telegraph's review of The London Fashion Bus
• The London Fashion Bus sponsored by Wella
• The top 50 of The Observer Future 500
• ITV News - Boris Johnson launches East End Manufacturing
• Southern Daily Echo