What went down at Burberry and Dazed’s joyous Whitby Street takeover

There aren’t many places you can go to get a fresh haircut, access a curated pop-up library, learn to make floral sculptures, and get advice from creative industry leaders, all in one fell swoop. Over this weekend, though, Dazed and Burberry provided just that, taking over London’s Whitby Street for a three-day tribute to creativity and community. If you didn’t manage to make it over to Shoreditch yourself, then here’s everything you need to know about what went down.

A BLOWOUT PARTY USHERED IN THE WEEKEND

Spanning three days – from Friday June 24 to Sunday June 26 – the Dazed x Burberry takeover kicked off with an extravagant party. And what a party. The Sarah Asmail-designed space was transformed into an intimate club, fitted out with tiered stages and floor-to-ceiling birch brown drapes (courtesy of Burberry, obviously), while the dancefloor was filled with some of London’s most talented up-and-coming creatives, including Chet Lo, Conner Ives, Deba Hekmat, Harry Freegard, Michaela Stark, BackRoad Gee, and many more.

THE VENUE ITSELF WAS A WORK OF ART

While partygoers walked around wearing more nova check than a Y2K celeb getting snapped by paparazzi, they could simultaneously take in a large-scale, multilayered Pride mural on the corner of Whitby Street and Chance Street, painted by the artist Jota Mombaça and featuring words by the poet Kai-Isaiah Jamal.

THERE WERE BOOKS, AND FRESH CUTS…

The takeover wasn’t all about partying and drinking cocktails (thanks CÎROC!). Various events dotted around the Whitby Street venue included screen printing, film screenings, floral sculpture sessions led by Cereus Nights founder and artist William Farr, and a pop-up salon run by Nat the Barber. Elsewhere, the trans+ modelling agency WIMP provided a movement therapy workshop, and top braider and CEO of Keash London Taiba Akhuetie gave tutorials on taming your hair or taking it up a level.

AND TIPS ON COMING UP AS A CREATIVE

For the next generation of budding creatives, meanwhile, Dazed and Burberry hosted tips and advice on how to break out. Alongside career-based “sofa sessions”, Prim’s K Bailey Obazee and Ollie Olanipekun from Flock Together ran a curated library and talk on collecting and curating, while director and journalist Fenn O’Meally answered questions on working in the industry. On Sunday, Dazed’s Izzy Farmiloe also presented Me, Myself & My Avatar, discussing the impact of the metaverse on visual identity with Burberry’s global vice president of channel innovation Rachel Waller, and Dazed content editor Vanessa Hsieh and friends.

THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED

Friday evening featured several DJ sets from special guests – the likes of Skinny Macho, James Massiah, Jordss, and Hasani – to get partygoers in the mood for the weekend. Throughout the rest of the takeover, we were treated to performances by the likes of Prestige Pak, who brought the club to Whitby Street. At the end of the weekend, the takeover closed with an iconic DJ set-slash-performance by PDA co-founder and Dazed casting director Mischa Mafia, alongside friend and musician Hasani.