Claire de Rouen bookshop opens new Shoreditch space for 20th anniversary

Claire de Rouen Books, the legendary London art bookshop founded in 2006 above a Soho sex shop, is opening a new space at 11a Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, to celebrate its twentieth anniversary. The original shop was a hub for rare photography, fashion, and art books, frequented by Alexander McQueen, Bruce Webber, and Central Saint Martins students. Founder Claire de Rouen died in 2012; the shop was later run by Lucy Kumara Moore, who moved it to Bethnal Green, and then by Chantal Webber and Dominic Bell of Webber Gallery since 2023. The new Shoreditch location, previously a tattoo parlour and artist-run video store Today is Boring, features a labyrinthine layout with a hidden staircase and multiple rooms. It will host an exhibition programme, talks, and a lounge with chairs curated by Monument Gallery. Bell notes that Brexit has made London's fashion photography scene feel 'more open and free creatively, a bit more punk.' The shop will display archival items from the past 20 years, including photographs, business cards, neon signs, and posters. Claire de Rouen is credited as a pioneer among London's art bookshops, inspiring later venues like IDEA, Climax Books, and Studio Nocturne.