May 29, 2025 |
When V&A East Storehouse opens its doors for the first time this Saturday, visitors will encounter not just a groundbreaking new museum experience but also a new, distinctive identity – one that extends from the space’s architecture to its staff. Designed by world-renowned architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the Storehouse is a dynamic, working museum housing over 250,000 objects 350,000 books and 1,000 archives, from high fashion to ancient Egyptian artefacts, all shaped by the energy of East London.
Spanning four levels and at 16,000m² – bigger than 30+ basketball courts – the Storehouse takes over a large section of the former London 2012 Olympics Media and Broadcast Centre (now Here East). To complement the bold new space, the V&A has tapped one of London’s most exciting talents, Robyn Lynch. A Dublin-born, Hackney Wick-based designer known for her utilitarian yet deeply personal approach, she was charged with dreaming up a fresh, functional uniform design for the museum’s front-of-house team. Her creation: a burnt orange utility vest inspired by 1990s fishing gear, developed in collaboration with the V&A East Youth Collective.
“It was important to the gallery to collaborate with a local designer, and my studio is only a four-minute walk from the new space,” Lynch says. “That proximity meant I was able to get early access to the site and watch it come together. It was great to see how it was taking shape and thinking about how the uniforms could fit into that.”
For Lynch – known for her utilitarian yet emotionally charged menswear collections that dig deep into nostalgic references – this wasn’t just a commission. It was a way to fold her signature style into the cultural fabric of East London.
Drawing from the Storehouse’s role as a working museum, Lynch approached the brief with her characteristic blend of technical functionality and storytelling. “A lot of the inspiration came from how the Storehouse is positioning itself as a working museum, something always evolving. I wanted the uniforms to feel like part of that,” she says.
Far from a typical institutional uniform, the piece is unisex, practical and subtly branded, designed to be worn over staff’s own clothing – a deliberate move to make them feel part of the space, not separate from it. “It’s not about dressing them up, but giving them something that feels like a natural extension of the space and their role in it.”
The project also pushed Lynch out of her usual runway mindset and into the real world of everyday wear – an experience she embraced. “It was definitely a shift. Designing for everyday wear means thinking more practically,” she says. “But that gave us space to focus more on the finer details, like construction, trims and fabrics that hold up over time. It was less about concept and more about longevity and usability, which I really enjoyed.”
For Lynch, maintaining her own brand identity was crucial – even in uniform design. “There are touches throughout. Tonal colours, boxy silhouettes, workwear shapes, those are things I naturally gravitate towards,” she says. “We used the classic V&A logo but embroidered it in a really subtle tonal way, which felt true to how I usually treat branding. Quiet, not too loud.”
The vest also features contrast orange accents in the zips and logos – a vibrant yet controlled flash of colour against the earthy base, and a nod to her longstanding love for unexpected colour play.
The fabric is organic cotton, dyed locally using a dye house Lynch has worked with since 2020. “Even behind the scenes it’s made within the same network of makers I use for my own collections. That connection to process and people is a big part of my brand and felt important to carry into this too.”
The V&A East Storehouse is shaping up to be far more than just a home for art and archives. Housing fashion by Comme des Garçons, Issey Miyake and Dior, alongside treasures like ancient Egyptian shoes and a 1954 Balenciaga evening gown, the most requested item through its new Order an Object service, it offers visitors the chance to step into the museum’s working store, where they can engage directly with objects from across time and culture – blurring the line between storage and display. Other notable inclusions are the largest Pablo Picasso work in the world – the rarely displayed Ballets Russes Le Train Bleu stage cloth – and a series of monumental objects from architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office to the 15th century Spanish Torrijos Ceiling.
But what makes the space resonate is its commitment to local voices and creative participation – values that align closely with Lynch’s approach. “It also felt nice to be part of something happening in the neighbourhood, supporting and being supported by the local creative community,” she says.
Lynch’s design transforms the V&A East staff into part of the museum’s story, proving that function doesn’t have to forfeit flair. These uniforms embody the spirit of the space: thoughtfully constructed, subtly branded and grounded in the energy of East London’s creative scene.
Photography courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
