‘Meet the Makers’ – Maker Aysha Tezgel!

We are pleased to be a part of the Bunting Collective project and we love showcasing the amazing makers involved! Our next maker is – Aysha Tezgel!

The Bunting Collective is a community project aimed at bringing vibrancy and colour to the Petticoat Lane Market by hanging community made bunting, using the materials and fabrics from the local fabric shops in the market.

The Aldgate Connect BID, City of London Corporation, and the Borough of Tower Hamlets are proud to present a ‘Meet the Maker’ series. The series is showcasing the makers of the bunting, who are all members of the community with a passion and love for the area!

Meet the third maker of this series, Aysha Tezgel!
See what Aysha had to say about the project below:

My name is Aysha Tezgel and I work in Aldgate Tower. Since the first lockdown was announced in March, I have been working from home. This has given me more time to engage with more creative activities in order to help relax. Prior to lockdown, I was mainly engaged in group activities for hobbies, so the Bunting Collective project was perfect to replace this when groups could no longer meet.

An interesting fact about my business is that it designed the Aldgate Tower, so we are very much a part of the landscape now!

The pandemic has created enormous feelings of anxiety and isolation, so the project was a great way to focus my thoughts in the present and alleviate these concerns in the moment.  It also created a sense of community to be part of something bigger at a time when our worlds have significantly reduced in size.

I especially enjoyed being able to craft in the sunshine and felt rewarded as I saw it come together.  It was a repetitive but very soothing activity that has inspired me to try other crafts such as macramé.

I think the Bunting Collective project will add value to Petticoat Lane Market as it will add more colour in a time of gloom and uniformity to strengthen the community.

I would describe Aldgate as evolving, diverse and exciting!