It's been a busy couple of years for the team of London's prestigious V&A museum, and 2026 won't be any quieter. Following the opening of the nearby V&A East Storehouse in Stratford's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park last spring, which allows guests to observe the institution's history-spanning collection up close through its interactive warehouse layout, V&A East is getting ready to welcome its first guests just a few minutes south of the river over the weekend.
The building, expanding over five floors for a height of 42.5 meters and covers a surface of 7,000 square meters, was designed by Irish studio O'Donnell + Tuomey after a 1954, sculptural Balenciaga gown. Beyond its prismatic, jewel-like cement and glass façade, a whole new world awaits: beginning this Saturday, April 18, the V&A East will entertain Londoners and travelers alike across a series of rotating art and design exhibitions, exclusive new commissions, permanent galleries capturing the breadth of human craftsmanship across geographies and epochs, and inspiring retail spaces, including the debuting treasure trove that the V&A Shop is set to become.
Competing with the best concept stores in London thanks to an imaginatively curated selection of artisanal homeware pieces, jewelry, objects and accessories for living, prints, and gadgets, all designed by independent makers, the V&A East's new store is the latest destination to know for lovers of all things serveware, fashion, printed matter, and decor.
The V&A East Is Here — And Stacked With Design Treasures
Unveiled during a special preview dinner held within the breathtaking galleries of the V&A East Storehouse at the beginning of March, the collection of buys available from this Saturday at the V&A East Shop brings together one-off creations by some of the coolest design studios from London and the wider UK, characterful lifestyle products uniting an attention to quality materials with an irreverent look, and collectible editions of artworks belonging in the museum's archive — reinterpreted for the occasion across both wall art and bespoke merchandise.
From the many items, artists, and makers we had the chance to see and meet that night, a few stood out for their ability to reinvent traditional practices — or artifacts — in a modern, unexpected key.
Inside the V&A East Shop — The UK's Finest Collectibles, in One Spot
Sitting in front of his spinning wheel in the heart of the V&A East Storehouse's hallway, Clink Street Ceramics' James Sims demonstrated his throwing talent, which animates timeless vessel silhouettes via pop culture references and vibrant glazed surfaces. In his unique stoneware clay series, Rave Culture Theory, he overlays vintage music flyers and images from the 1980s music scene onto sinuous vases, reigniting the legacy of one of the most prolific and electrifying decades for sound experimentation.
Elsewhere on the same floor, we met Pinar Sevilmis, the founder of Pindex Studio, an independent East London studio assembling handcrafted jewelry pieces made from miniature charms inspired by some of her favorite pieces from the museum collection — from micro Delft tiles and Chinese porcelain to ornate column capitals, marble busts, and Old Masters portraits, among others.
"My aim was to capture the diversity of objects we live alongside and to create little narratives through them, almost like mini collages," she says of her shiny accessories, ranging from nostalgic necklaces and bracelets to truly iconic brooches (I'm currently sporting one of them on my coat).
Also part of the V&A East Shop's brimming-with-creativity roster are Real Hackney Dave's Dave Buonaguidi, whose handmade prints, produced in his East London workshop, gather found imagery with screen-printed text into eye-catching compositions that sew the gap between present and past.
Norfolk-based design duo VIN + OMI, whose exclusive contribution to the store's range combines objects from the museum's collection linked to the manufacturing legacy of East London and some of the personalities that made the area's history — including Anna Maria Garthwaite, James Leman, Mary Moser, and Charles Robert Ashbee — into an immersive print that sees them both recast through their irreverent eye that transcends time. And Coal Drops Yard's Imprint Works, a collective of makers creating screen-printed T-shirts reappropriating the floral visions of pioneering woman silk designer Anna Maria Garthwaite, active in 18th-century Spitalfields.
Overseen by Margaux Soland, senior buyer at the V&A, with inputs from the V&A East Youth Collective — a group of people aged 18-24 who consulted with the institution on the overall vision for the museum, its retail and show curation, as well as advising on events — the V&A East Shop's stock captures the vibrancy of an arts and design community in motion.
What Else to Expect From the V&A East's Grand Unveiling
The V&A museums are known as the home of some of the most thought-provoking art and design exhibitions in London, and V&A East is no exception. Here's a taste of what you can expect to find in and outside the much-awaited landmark beginning April 18, while globetrotting flavors from Asia, the Middle East, East Africa, and Britain will be up for grabs at the in-house coffee shop, powered by London restaurant Jikoni:
• Thomas J Price's A Place Beyond: A monumental, 5.4-meter bronze sculpture by Thomas J Price installed outside the museum, this permanent outdoor commission welcomes visitors as they approach the V&A East's entrance, challenging traditional narratives of public monuments.
• New Work (inaugural theme: Making East London): A six-month rotating commissions programme curated by Madeleine Haddon (senior curator, V&A East), the New Work series debuts with Making East London, a showcase of works installed across both the V&A East and the V&A East Storehouse. Highlights include Carrie Mae Weems' The Long Goodbye, tracing UK immigration histories, Turner Prize-winning Rene Matić's Heard, a photographic lightbox sound system on Black British music, and a multi-sensory installation by Es Devlin, titled The Everythingists (through October 2026).
• Dispersal: Picturing Urban Change in East London: A photography display curated by Brendan Cormier (chief curator, V&A East), featuring Marion Davies and Debra Rapp documenting threatened East London industries.
• Why We Make (permanent galleries): Core galleries featuring over 500 objects across disciplines, designed by JA_Projects with A Practice for Everyday Life and Larry Achiampong, exploring themes like identity, social justice, and creativity.
• The Music is Black: A British Story: A major opening exhibition, envisioned by lead exhibition designer Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey, showcasing Black British music history with works by artists including Jennie Baptiste, Beezer, Dennis Morris, Eddie Otchere, and Sam White.
V&A East Museum is free to all and opens on Saturday, April 18, 2026. Tickets are now on sale for V&A East Museum's first paid-for exhibition, The Music is Black: A British Story
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