The Hatton Garden community on an age inclusive future
This article is part of the AgeUK Legacy project in collaboration with AgeUK Camden, which could be accessed here.
The layout of this article in the project in collaboration with Age UK Camden. (Design: Celinna Chou)
Youth in London rarely associates Holborn as a cultural hub: at the heart of London lies Saffron Hill, where spice trade within England pioneered; and Hatton Garden, where jewellers have been trading since the 19th Century. To the west of Leather Lane, walking through booths of street food will take you to the Age UK charity shop where Maria Robinson, the funding and community engagement manager for AgeUK Camden, does a fitting with models Kathy and Vaijanti for an upcoming fashion catwalk casting only elderly models.
Vaijanti has just returned to London from New Delhi, where she collected garments to be styled on the runway. “No, not sarees!” Vaijanti excitedly rummages through her bag to exhibit a series of flamboyant kurtas, “this is the new fashion now in India!” Kathy, on the other hand, explains logically how she creates a balanced look, taking pride in the details in the colour palette, accessorising, and makeup she pays close attention to. “I looked at a dress here, but it covers me up too much,” Kathy says while pointing at a rail of dresses displayed in the shop, “we have to show a little bit of body, because we don’t want to conform to what people think being old is.”
The models are beyond excited about getting dressed up and expressing themselves, as the confined space at the back of the shop doesn’t stop them from practising their struts on the runway. The enthusiasm is only there because Kathy and Vaijanti are involved, whereas the entirety of the elderly generation is almost always neglected in fashion, let alone other industries. Fashion is rarely designed with the elderly in mind, as “Kathy and Vaijanti were saying that they don’t like to go shopping and they don’t like images on catalogues” because the designs and media catered to them are “slacks that don’t have any flare or individuality,” as Robinson describes.
A spontaneous phone call and a very delighted Robinson hauls us to run two blocks to yet another beautiful space around the corner, tucked away under a well-gardened path. We were greeted by Richard Mazuch, the director of design, research, and innovation at the IBI Group and an avid partner of Age UK. The surprise visit interrupts Mazuch’s focus of the day – to design a four-hundred-bed hospital as an architect and well-being designer – but he happily sits down and talks about his favourite books, philosophies, scientific research about the human body, and how to make the world a better place through designing.
Mazuch frequents the Age UK charity shop for the collection of books that most of the time remains largely untouched, also sometimes for “ridiculous” objects like a box of skulls (artificial ones, we suppose), or a mannequin covered in buttons as part of his leisurely creative work. But more importantly, Mazuch dedicates the majority of his life to designing for the well-being of the elderly, to improve, instead of to impress.
“Sometimes technologists design for technologists just like architects very often design for other architects,” Mazuch explains by referencing buildings that are only designed to look good, “good designs should be silently supportive.” Mazuch has developed a wearable product that responds to sensory doors for people who suffer from dementia. “If I'm lost, the technology on me will dialogue with the surfaces of the building, they don't merely activate a skirting light. As I walk down the corridor, the lighting on the skirting should switch on, the memorabilia cabinet with my name and number should light up, the door should open and then it should say, “hello Richard, would you like another gin and tonic?”
Subliminal technologies are core to Mazuch’s philosophies, he points out examples like inclining a bed by five degrees to solve apnea, and situating a bed to face the east so bipolar patients recover faster. Understanding and empathising to solve problems is key. This is a concept that applies anywhere, including fashion. Say, an inclusive campaign doesn’t have to scream “we are inclusive of the elderly population” but instead take into consideration how the elderly generation could and would resonate with certain narratives.
Mazuch reminds us that the elderly generation didn’t, in the former part of their lives, expect to live this long so they’re entering new stages of identities. “It's almost like adolescence,” says Mazuch, “it's like you're younger and getting a car, and think, ‘I can drive all the way to Timbuktu,’ and being completely free for the first time.” This sense of liberation is therefore a shared sentiment between the older and younger generations. It is possible to use this sentiment and have everyone included, without having to draw boundaries between generations that leave implications and assumptions that are not entirely true. And in fact, Kathy and Vaijanti too feel emancipated as they were given the chance to be expressive. “It's all about getting a new wife, another degree, another stage of protest, another stage of life where you are completely liberated.”
“What’s problematic is the lack of understanding of the dynamic nature of being old,” adds Robinson, “being old doesn’t mean you’re redundant; being old can mean that you’re really experienced or you’ve got a particular interest here or there.” In the Age UK charity shop, we see college students looking for cheap vintage finds, people like Mazuch coming in for ridiculous objects and legacy literature, and the elderly picking unique pieces to add colour to their wardrobes. We also meet the manager of the shop Lee Miller, who points out that “charity shops have a language that speaks to everyone,” and a “charity shop” mindset is something to always consider each and every person.
Suddenly it makes sense why the shop is situated on Leather Lane around Hatton Garden. It is where an older generation of craftsmen meet a burgeoning youth. It is impossible to design to include the elderly population without imposing stereotypical schemas if there is no conversation and understanding between the two, especially with the younger generation designing the future. A charity shop mindset is not to simply include everyone, but to bring together all generations and demographics to engage in this conversation, as age, ageing, and what they mean and feel like should not be taboo or avoided. It should be talked about and understood. Only then, can the myths of age be untangled and ageism be eradicated.
