Ally Capellino 30th anniversary

This year marks the 30th anniversary of designer Ally Capellino with a number of events starting from April. The Wapping Project will play host to an exhibition of Ally’s work both past and present. A wall of bags will be installed by the art director Rupert Blanchard, in the main hall of the industrial space. The bags will consist of Ally’s own archive, current pieces and vintage bags that have inspired the collections. Bags donated by fans of Ally Capellino will be included in the installation. Archive clothing, images and video footage will tell the story of the brand in a small room, accessed through a secret door in the wall of bags. Three films by photographer and filmmaker Donald Christie will be on display in and around the main hall of the Wapping Project. The exhibition will open on the 23 April and run for five weeks. A Q&A with a cross section of industry experts will be held on 29 April and is open to the public. Ally Capellino has collaborated with long-term stockist and supporter Liberty department store in London for the anniversary. She has used two of her existing bag styles and reworked them for Liberty. For men’s the ever-popular Frank rucksack has been produced in soft blue leather and contrasting tan leather buckles. For the women’s a Sadie bag has been taken from Ally’s archive and reworked in soft brown leather, again with contrasting satchel buckles. Both styles are lined with Liberty of London fabric and feature an embossed joint label. During the month of April, Liberty will house an installation in the main stairwell, starting on the men’s floor. It will wind its way upwards, to be viewed also from the women’s floor. The display will act as a taster of the full installation at Wapping. A local party in and around the Shoreditch shop will act as a bookend to the month long festivities. Ally, a long-term fixture of the Shoreditch and Hackney area will open her shop to local residents, shopkeepers and followers of the brand and ask them to join with her to celebrate 30 years of Ally Capellino.