The First Eco-Conscious Tattoo Studio Opens Its Doors

Dark House Tattoo Co-Operative are opening the first their eco-friendly, vegan tattoo studio which is based in East London UK.

Dark House Tattoo Co-Operative was established at the start of 2018 by two East London based tattoo artists, Lucy Frost and Adam Willett. Lucy and Adam began the year with dreams of opening the world’s first eco-conscious tattoo studio and quickly began putting their plans into action. In June 2018, they secured a studio space inside a converted warehouse next to the Limehouse Cut Canal in Poplar London.

After realising there was much more work to be done to the property than first anticipated, Lucy and Adam began working with Chris Dyson Architects to completely modernise and renovate the space. It is now almost four months later and the plans for the renovation are finally nearing completion, with building due to start imminently. Reclaimed, re-appropriated and eco-friendly materials have been chosen throughout the design, and with the building being a converted space too, the studio really is eco-conscious from the ground up. Lucy and Adam also realised that in order to make their dream of an eco-conscious tattoo studio a reality, they would have to develop their own range of eco-conscious tattoo supplies. As a result, Green House Tattoo Supplies was born, to create the world’s first eco-conscious tattoo supplies, and enable the world’s first eco-conscious tattoo studio to become a reality!

The warehouse conversion that houses the studio has an interesting history – it is in a former pet food factory which was converted into approximately 150 live-work units in around 1985, and was among the first instances of warehouse conversions in London. Each unit was originally sold as an empty shell, and the leaseholder was given complete creative freedom with the interior, meaning every one is unique. At the top of the building in which Dark House is located, there is a large roof garden with stunning views over Canary Wharf. When the factory was originally converted, it was home to the likes of the Queen’s tapestry restorer Ksynia Marko, Roger Law of Spitting Image, sculptor Michael Green and ceramicist Elizabeth Fritsch. Today, the building has become extremely desirable for professional artists, musicians and other creatives and the complex is also a popular location for filming/photo shoots which regularly take place in and around the building.

This October, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a dramatic new study that explains that going past 1.5C of global warming, not 2C as previously thought, could cause significant and dangerous changes to our planet. For example, at 2C of warming, almost 100% of coral would be wiped out, ice in the areas around the North Pole could melt completely, global sea levels would rise dramatically, and more and more species would face extinction. Worryingly, the world is completely off track to meet this target of 1.5C and we are heading instead towards 3C. The report goes on to say that there must be rapid and significant changes, but that the world cannot meet its targets without changes by individuals.

Dark House Tattoo Co-Operative’s Co-Owner Lucy Frost comments, “The new report by the IPCC contains some shocking information and we cannot afford to ignore the warnings stressed by scientists. We all need to start making some changes now to do our part for a greener, more sustainable future. Everyone has to be involved to make a difference, and we have to act now. The opening of our eco-conscious tattoo studio couldn’t have come at a better time.”

If you’re keen to be inked in a sustainable manner get in touch via their website here  www.darkhousetattooco.com