Man with a Van: The Factorylux Lighting Pop-Up in East London

There’s no shortage of converted vans on the streets of London this summer; in fact, no urban square or thoroughfare seems complete without a restored Citroen Hy or 1940s Ford pickup peddling their wares: poke, gyoza—but bespoke British lighting designs? We were intrigued.

Factorylux, the UK’s largest supplier of  interchangeable modular lighting components, may be located in a converted trouser factory in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, but this summer they’re bringing their offerings out of the factory and on the road.

“We’ve always been nippy,” says Stanley Wilson, who started Factorylux as an industrial lighting salvage company 10 years ago from a flat in east London before moving to back to his home county. The Factorylux van gives customers the chance to see the variety of finishes and colors available, and seek advice on lighting designs. “Bring everything or nothing with you,” he says. “Some people have turned up with professional plans, some have turned up with an old enamel shade they’ve found at a flea market. We’re not about spend. We’re about you deciding that you like what we offer, exercising your own taste on a design, and becoming our friends for life.”