Sarabande is a charitable trust established in 2007 by the fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen, who used the title of his spring collection for its name. It became the major beneficiary of his estate after his death in 2010 and, by the end of 2016, had received 10.6 million pounds ($15 million). The money funds graduate and postgraduate scholarships and subsidizes the studio space, for which scholarship recipients can become priority candidates to use for free for a year and then for a further year to rent at a low rate of about £1 per square foot. Other studio occupants pay the same rate throughout their tenancy.
Sarabande is unique as a hub of creativity and an incubator of young talent,” Andrew Bolton, curator in charge of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a patron of the foundation, said in an email. “In only a few years, it has established itself as one of the most important and exciting community of artists in Britain.”
Residents say the studios are affordable sanctuaries, allowing them to develop their creative practices while benefiting from the organization’s business education programs, networking opportunities and mentoring support. “It brings some much-needed freedom to what I can do,” said Katie Roberts Wood, a women’s wear designer who has been using a studio since October. “I have to run a business but I also have to be able to function fully from a creative side, or it doesn’t work. I feel like Sarabande pays equal attention to both these aspects, which is so rare.”
That dual emphasis is thanks to Trino Verkade, a founding trustee and driving force behind Sarabande’s development. In 1994, she became Mr. McQueen’s first employee and stayed for 18 years, providing the business acumen to support his creative talent. She also brought to the foundation years of experience as an executive vice president at Thom Browne and, most recently, chief executive at Mary Katrantzou.
