#project002: Label Free
An opposite shore, a new community and a debatably ambitious idea. With the second boom project now wrapped, we look back at exactly how creativity was used to inspire and empower young people dealing with forcible displacement in Glasgow.
words – rachel arthur
photography — workshop attendee
artwork — emery boardman
Continuing our work to inspire and empower using creativity, our second project led us to an opposite shore to examine the presumptions society can too often make about individuals. Collaborating with young people dealing with forcible displacement, #project002 revisited a long held idea of a t-shirt collection which was, quite literally, label free – taking a stand against society’s generalisation of different groups of people and highlighting how detrimental this can be to our advancement as a whole.
The project was devised following many months of groundwork aided by local charities, community members and organisations. With the support of Glasgow based refugee charity Refuweegee and social enterprise café Spoon, a series of free workshops were launched which opened up the full design process – offering the chance to be a part of a new community whilst delivering transferable skills to be taken forward. Guest speakers from within the fashion industry – including fashion designer Emily Millichip, photographer Connor Howieson, artist Alice Dansey-Wright, manufacturing collective Kalopsia and design incubator Fashion Foundry – all worked to build upon the young peoples’ inspiring talents, nurturing and encouraging their creativity.


Over the many months the workshops took place, strong bonds were formed and rousingly personal stories shared. The young people were keen for these to be a part of the collection itself; allowing the t-shirts to offer a true insight into the lives and times of the designers, their personalities and experiences. Each individual design carried the weight of a truly personal story – from the hope to be found looking out towards the setting sun to the promise held within a single raindrop.
why is daring to do consistently so damn hard?
The t-shirts created were sold in a one-for-one model, with one being donated to Refuweegee for every one sold. Distributed to Glasgow’s local refugee community, these created a lasting physical legacy of the project’s important message. They provided a statement of intention, a reminder to look beyond the obvious and take the time to fully understand the world we live in and the people who fill it – shaking off the labels which have been attached to them and celebrating their unique quirks, personalities and talents.


Design team; Mavam Dualeh, Ishaq Krongo, HaMid HaDwin, Lan You, David Nkur
Guest speakers; Emily Millichip, Connor Howieson, Alice Dansey-Wright, Kalopsia, Fashion Foundry
Supporters; Refuweegee, Spoon Cafe