Image copyright Flatiron The free family-friendly event runs from 10am to 5pm on Sunday 18 September 2018 and Monday 19 September 2018. Image caption Kim Kardashian West has bought gifts at several London Christmasmarkets
London – take note! Just in time for the festive season, Flatiron’s 35th anniversary Christmasmarket will be descending on Princes’ Gate, London , from Sunday 18 September 2018 , from 10am to 5pm on both days.
But did you know the market was founded in February 1978? That makes it 40 years old this year, when World Cup fever swept the country and 37 million football fans tuned in to the final between West Germany and Argentina.
Back in the early 1980s, Bill Brash and Ted Genova were talking about starting an ordinary Christmas market, one that wasn’t every year or month.
Flatiron was founded in 1978 Image Credit: NITO LIWES
Flatiron was founded in 1978 and there was a short pause for thought. We wanted to make sure our baby was coming up and then we said maybe it should be a more permanent thing.
Flatiron began as an antiques fair in Mayfair, central London, in 1978. In the following year, it took on more of an urban theme with ‘Hotter than a Vegas villa’ a reference to Gary and Phil Spence’s arcade mini-round at Cricketers and seen at the market until 1998.
They became the fashion design duo Kenzo, who founded the label in Paris in 1969, and Las Vegas between 2001 and 2016.
We are really different. Flatiron is all about soul, and we don’t just turn up with kitsch and colour. We are a different animal.
The market became a fashion show with one foot in classic, classic stuff, and one in modern, contemporary stuff. Its style has stood the test of time. So many other markets from your high street, to the West End, to events around Christmases are more seasonally driven. Flatiron is very different.
For New York based artist Cindy Pendeby it’s always been a special event. She said Flatiron had been a great stepping stone, and she’s getting back for her sixth visit with her own collection and design.
And who’s next on the list? Not as weird as you think. Opulent designer Ozwald Boateng from London is next up, and festival girl and dance music DJ DJ Chugga Hutch and jewellery designer Anita Pallenberg are also among the new names in this year’s line-up.
So where do you celebrate Christmas these days? Home? In a nightclub?
@FlatironNYC/FlatironStudio
While you’ve got the market, why not head to New York for a selfie against a shop window! Check out the best Instagrams with – yep – no Christmas decorations.
A photo posted by Flatiron Christmasmarket – NYC (@flatironchristmascentric) on Sep 16, 2018 at 6:42am PDT