Lifestyle

It takes two: creative duos on how collaboration makes them thrive


Creativity and collaboration are at the heart of Coal Drops Yard and its array of independent businesses, offering everything from bras to baguettes. We spoke to three of the district’s creative duos to get some tips on pairing up and the art of compromise.

Sisters Abbie Miranda and Mazie Fisher established Beija London – an underwear brand with modern styling and buckets of body positivity – in 2016. Abbie heads up design while younger sister Mazie looks after marketing

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Abbie Miranda and Mazie Fisher of Beija London.



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Lots of siblings wouldn’t be able to work together – have you guys always collaborated well?

Mazie: We have entirely different skills, which I think is critical to us getting on. Abbie heads up design and I head up the marketing. We don’t step on each other’s toes and we trust each other’s judgments. She’s a bit more daring and I’m more commercial, so we’re a good balance.

Abbie: The crossover in our pregnancies, with hormones raging, was pretty much the only time we had a row. One argument in three years of collaborating together on Beija isn’t bad, I reckon. Our working relationship improves all the time, as we gain confidence and toughen up.

Has your relationship changed since you began working together?

Mazie: It’s definitely stronger. She was my stroppy older sister before, but now she’s my best friend. I like to think we’ve both matured a lot since launching Beija.

Detail of Beija London underwear and foliage in-store



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What do you each think the other brings to the brand?

Abbie: Mazie brings so much – ideas, jokes, vision and commerciality. I can get a bit avant garde. She reins us all in.

Mazie: Abbie brings gorgeous bras that women want to wear – simple styling and beautiful colours. She has great taste and won’t compromise on quality for price, which is what I really respect about her. She’s got high standards.

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Quote: 'Coal Drops Yard has a style about it that I really love.'



What’s a day in the life of Beija like?

Mazie: No day is the same – it’s a ride of amazing highs and frustrating lows. We’re still in our infancy, so I have a lot of jobs – a mix of copywriting, contacting buyers, planning newsletters, designing digital ads, social media, looking at fabrics, plus planning the future of Beija …

Abbie: I reply to emails in the morning and do lab dips – approving and rejecting fabric colour submissions. Then I smash through patterns, make sure all the fabrics are there for cutting, so that the samples can be picked up and sewn. Measuring and fitting, then more emails and catching up with the factories. I meet with fabric suppliers, and then have meetings with my team at various points in the day. When I’m designing I have to get away from the office, as there’s no brain space with so much going on.

Has Coal Drops Yard influenced your work?

Mazie: I visit Coal Drops Yard twice a week and I never want to leave. It’s got a style about it that I really love – it’s laid-back and effortless. I’m always blown away by how cool and well-dressed everyone is.

Abbie: The customers who shop here definitely influence us. They are pretty cool, understated and modern. And architecturally, yes. It’s a super slick, strong and neat space – all characteristics I admire and consider when I’m designing.

Missy Flynn and Gabriel Pryce of Bodega Rita’s.



Missy Flynn and her partner Gabriel Pryce run Bodega Rita’s, a sandwich deli that oozes personality from every inch of its Lower Stable Street location. Inspired by their travels, the deli began as a pop-up at Birthdays in Dalston

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What’s your working relationship like?

Missy: In any successful relationship, work or otherwise, you have to put as much energy into understanding and knowing the other person as you do into the actual work. It’s complex being involved with your work partner in a romantic way, because sometimes you’re restricted by what they know already – about you, about the business and the way you work. Collaboration is as much about space as it is about closeness.

Quote: 'Our ideas cross over the most in the creative, fun parts of the business.'



Our ideas cross over the most in the creative, fun parts of the business, which is what we both enjoy most, but that’s not all the business is. There are a lot of times we just have to get our heads down and split the crappy jobs that no one wants to do!

What do you each bring that’s unique?

Gabriel: Bodega Rita’s is the product of two people with very different sensibilities and very different ways of working, and we are extremely lucky that these juxtapositions balance out in a beautiful way. It allows us to split responsibilities based on our individual strengths, enabling us to encourage and support each other while getting on with what needs to be done.

Missy: Gabe’s a brilliant chef but, more than that, he understands the importance of the experience of eating, and the transportive quality of flavour. He brings his references together in a way that is honest and thorough and not at all pretentious, and translates food that belongs in a restaurant into a tiny grab-and-go sandwich shop with eight seats.

Detail of ingredients and jars in Bodega Rita's.



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Has your store been influenced by its Coal Drops Yard location?

Missy: The power of food is that it’s unifying, so we are absolutely influenced not only by the history of the area but the fact that it’s a workplace for some people, a day out for others, a place of study … I’m looking forward to summer when we can keep the front doors open, have music playing and create a lovely hangout spot for people visiting the area.

What advice would you give to someone embarking on a creative collaboration with someone they’re in a relationship with?

Gabriel: Work out your individual strengths and respect them. Communicate and support each other. And always make time to do stuff together that has absolutely nothing to do with work – regularly. Don’t let work get in the way.

Joao Bosco and Guy Saar of Sacred Gold.



Joao Bosco and Guy Saar run Sacred Gold, Coal Drops Yard’s tattoo and piercing studio with a rotating roster of acclaimed guest artists. Guy also co-owns the world-famous Love Hate Social Club in Notting Hill

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How did you become business partners?

Joao: We have been mates for a long time and we both share the same love and respect for the craft of tattooing and the piercing industry. Sacred Gold was the perfect opportunity to join forces and create something special.

What’s a typical day in the life of Sacred Gold?

Guy: Adorning lots of people from all walks of life. From mild to wild, discreet to ostentatious, we have something for everyone.

Detail of tattooed crossed arms.



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What do you think each other brings to the business?

Joao: Guy has a lot of experience and insight into the management and approach of running a studio, and a business awareness that benefits us greatly.

Guy: Joao has a very unique style that is instantly recognisable. His tattoos are extremely hard to duplicate, creating something special and exclusive to Sacred Gold.

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Quote: 'From mild to wild, discreet to ostentatious, we have something for everyone.'



What advice would you give someone starting a creative collaboration with a friend?

Joao: I would say a successful partnership consists of friends who have opposing qualities. Guy and I have different strengths, so we can both bring something different to the table and balance each other out.

Guy: Collaboration means bouncing ideas off one another and expanding on them. Seeing things from a different set of eyes can really expand an idea. A different perspective can also be refreshing and can help when an idea feels stagnant.

Has Coal Drops Yard inspired your work?

Joao: It’s been an influence on the interior of the studio. We wanted to reflect the way Coal Drops Yard has held on to the historical structure while adding modern elements.

Guy: I think what influenced us the most was the style and high spec of Coal Drops Yard – we knew we had to do something that would do justice to such an incredible project.

Looking for a more personal shopping and dining experience, or simply want to discover somewhere new in the capital? Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross has you covered



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