Londoners Making London Featuring FEL Founder Jenny Holloway

Cities are first and foremost made by its people. Jan Kattein’s new book, Londoners Making London will be in the bookshops from 22nd April 2024, and Fashion-Enter Ltd’s Founder, Jenny Holloway is in it!

Jan Kattein, is an author, lecturer and practitioner who lives in London. After studying architecture at UCL, he worked in housing and theatre design. In 2004 he finally established his own studio. He is lecturer in Architecture and Engagement at UCL, a fellow of the Institute of Place Management and a registered architect. Today, Jan Kattein Architects is recognised internationally as a leading placemaking and participatory design practice with award-winning projects celebrated for their spatial and civic accomplishments.

Countering the expectation that the development of cities is exclusively controlled by architects, planners and developers, the book demonstrates that transformational change is increasingly driven by people. Londoners Making London tells the stories of 9 extraordinary projects and the individuals who have created them.

The book re-traces Jenny’s steps going back to 2006 when in the face of doubters and naysayers she made it her mission to bring garment manufacturing back to the UK and up until the astonishing success that Fashion-Enter Ltd has become today.

Other featured areas include Wandsworth, Shoreditch and Wood Green, where young and old can be seen working together with determination, conviction and often against all odds to create better places to live, learn and play. Colourful street parties, co-housing, new libraries, urban food gardens and local enterprise spaces all illustrate what can be done when people work together.

Coinciding with the launch of the book will be two symposiums to bring together the author and the people whose projects are discussed in his book to candidly reveal challenges, share moments of triumph and speak about the methods and motivations behind their work. Each of them, through their ingenuity, commitment, and sometimes against all odds has made London a better place to live, learn and play.

Symposium no. 1 will be hosted by Global Generation at their Paper Garden Circular Economy building in Canada Water on 16/05/2024 at 5.30 pm. Jan Kattein will be joined by Chloë Dunnett, Founder/Chief Grower of Sitopia Farm; Alice Hardy, site manager of Blue House Yard; Jenny Holloway, CEO of Fashion-Enter Ltd and Kemi Akinola, CEO of Be_Enriched. See: Londoners making London Symposium at the Paper Garden Tickets, Thu, May 16, 2024 at 5:30 PM | Eventbrite

This is a free event. Suggested donation on the door is £8 which will go towards Global Generations community built of a new ecology garden in Kings Cross.

Symposium no. 2 will be hosted by the London Society at Argent in King’s Cross on 21/05/2024 at 6.30pm. Jan Kattein will be joined by Jane Riddiford, co-founder and honorary trustee at Global Generation; Jeffrey Lennon, director of the African Street Style Festival, Anurag Verma and Jon Broome, chair and advisor to the Rural Urban Synthesis Society and Emily Bohill, co-chair of the Thornhill Primary School Foundation and founder of Run Kids Run. See: The London Society | TALK | Londoners making London

Londoners Making London – Transforming Neighbourhoods By Jan Kattein is published by Lund Humphries RRP £39.95, and will be available to buy from 22nd April 2024.