Brand Story

The Inception of Can't Be Labelled 

Can't Be Labelled Clo began as a project when Mo Craayenstein realised that he could sell his art, in the form of hand drawn graphics on clothing garments as the canvas. He began by helping a struggling brand called Born to Stand Out London (BTSO) with its creative design of its clothing and creative direction. Mo's first ever collection was a simple tracksuit and t-shirt collection for Born To Stand Out London in 2018 by using an iPad and an Apple pencil. Then after some success from his experience of being the Creative Director of BTSO Mo decided to branch of his own signature brand.

The first concept designs for his own signature brand started out with no name and a file called ‘Blank Thoughts’ on Adobe Draw in the beginning he wrote down names of seasons he wanted to create and just started drawing freely the ideas on his iPad.However, each collection followed a cohesive theme. Mo ended up experiencing a deep heart break at this time with a break up of a relationship. This became a key component and a layer of depth in the design process which is why there is a lot of pain and emotions in the creative process which translates  into the designs for each season.

After some months working on collection concepts he found that sketching and drawing on emotions was cathartic and allowed  all the different pain and emotions to disperse.He experienced  a way of expressing them in a positive light which ended up being the best way to hone in on the aesthetic aspects of the brand.

He was building a brand and the brand name came after closely looking at each seasonal collection. The creative process he was drawing without a name only emotions in mind like a sense of letting the design speak for itself not being boxed in by a name. Mo sister came up with the name ‘No Label’ after hearing a Lil Durk song and seeing it had similarities to what Mo was drawing. Adding London to end was to give homage to growing up in London and the rest was history .The brand Can't Be Labelled Clo was born.

Owning the Process

Still working out his family pavilion, work began making the brand a reality.Mo was introduced to his current long time friend and mentor Imtayaz Qassim .The latter taught him informally about the fashion industry :brand building, tech packs, pattern building and fabrications. These skills helped mould the first foundation to fashion design shaping more than just the drawings on the garments he created. The skills moved way beyond just a concept of Mo drawing his art onto garments, it was a long process using his experience as the Creative Director of Born To Stand Out London developing the first collaboration between No Label LDN x BTSO named “Mood Swings” for FW20 was his first time in having sole control over the details such as custom fits, shapes, design and fabrics using his knowledge gained from his informal training. It was this collection which paved the path for his journey into the fashion game .Mo then designed another two collections for BTSO until he left to focus on his own name sake brand ‘Can't Be Labelled Clo’.

Gaining Traction

The first collaborative collection was released in November 4th 2020; the art for Mood Swings was inspired by a hard patch Mo Craayenstein was going through at the time that featured on T-shirts, Tracksuit, Over-shirt and Sweatshirt. Fast forward couple weeks after that launch the collection was featured in GQ magazine and Mo being named in Medium magazine, which really boosted his confidence in his ability to be a strong force in the industry.

A Storm Brewing

It was in late 2020 Mo contacted the first of many manufactures to handle sampling and production run for the first collection for Can't Be Labelled Clo. He wanted to keep production in UK so he can have complete control over the process. Mo had designed the first two seasons, with tech packs and size guide with the medium size fitted using his best friend David as the main figure for the medium size. After some deep searching he stumbled on a CMT factory in North London which was a very promising home for the brand to have its sampling and production made by but tragically that factory burnt down.This was a set back in the armour Mo pushed forward onto the next factory again in North London.The factory over promised and under delivery on their ability to match the quality. Mo made the decision to walk away as he would sacrifice quality and the artistic designs of the brand.

The third factory was a FPP factory in Tottenham which was referred to Mo by a mutual friend in January 2022. This factory had an manufacturing operation in Turkey as well as its London base, this factory was interesting as established and well known brands in the industry use them and couple celebrities have there samples made by them so their reputation was verified. Few days later the process of sampling went ahead with 30% up front paid towards production a factory that with major delays building up and the factory not sticking to completion dates. Mo pressed them and finally they were getting on with the final samples. The samples were below specification in quality and precision. This factory treated the brand like nothing since Mo’s brand and himself were not big enough at the time to receive the same care and treatment as their other clients. Mo cut ties and the factory did not refund the money so that was a major capital loss.

At this point people and friends started to doubt the brand and stopped believing in Mo’s ability to get this brand released. After many of the challenges and struggles Mo continued to believe in himself and his vision. He however, counted his blessings and the relationships with David, Imtayaz and his family as they kept his vision and reality alive. At this point he was 2 years into the project it was and extremely behind schedule.

By March 2022 Mo then was put into contact with a FPP in the UK who makes the outwear for Represent Clo and other big brands so Mo went to visit the factory with his friend David. The same outcome as this factory was only committed to big brands and not emerging brands. 

In early May of 2022, Imtayaz made contact with a FPP factory in Turkey which specialised in designer formal wear which would be happy to take on the task of this collection. This too was not a successful partnership.

“Do today what others won’t, so tomorrow you can do what others can’t.”

At this time Mo decided to further his education in fashion and gain a formal education .He enrolled into the British Academy of Fashion Design in September 2022. Mo was initially hesitant about fashion school as he believed his informal education through his mentor Imtayaz was sufficient ,but this was ego speaking. As the weeks passed the lessons he attended his 'eyes opened' and he was allowing himself to experience new ideas. The finer inner working and details in fashion industry became apparent to him, he was now fully invested. Mo learned how to make a bodice block, pattern making and even learnt how to sew in a few weeks. Even his teachers started to see his talents when they saw some of his Can't Be Labelled Clo artwork when it come to CAD ( Computer-aided design sketch ).

Making Moves

After darkness comes light.This is the existential reality and truth, all of us follow just as night follows day, and day follows night. In October 2022 he was put into contact with on one the top production managers in the fashion industry who handles production for Represent Clo and other high fashion designer brands by his friend and mentor Imtayaz. So with a simple introductory phone call meeting between the production manger, Imtayaz and Mo.The production manager heard about the many challenges faced by Mo ,he offered his support and guidance. Around November 2022 Mo was invited to visit the facility in Europe mainland. Mo brought David with him to meet the key people at the factory.This face to face encounter with the production manager instantly sealed this relationship as their was mutual respect, dignity and integrity.This was a successful meeting and this lead to the factory agreeing to produce the first 'Can't Be Labelled Clo' collection.

The production manger helped Mo really shape the 'Can't Be Labelled Clo' on a  production level such as schedule collections, fabrics ,colour and different production methods. Brand business aspect and making the brand  more financially sustainable were also areas that Mo was given guidance by the production manager.

Mo felt  he finally found the home for 'Can't Be Labelled Clo' where collections will  produced for the foreseeable future.

The Beginning

In January 2023, production of Mo’s SS23 collection was in progress with the samples from the size guide and custom measurements he made for each of the garments. February 2023 Mo’s start working on the marketing and development of short form and long form content with David to help with social media outreach. Filming of the Behind The Scenes which showcases Mo’s process of creating SS23 collection is called “The Beginning” .This is a collection of staple souvenirs garments which are a timeless introduction to the brand. The Behind The Scenes episodes will be uploaded on the brands YouTube channel 'Can't Be Labelled Clo' which will follow Mo and the brand journey .This is so the community can follow the growth and be part of the success , challenges and struggles that are inevitable with creating the brand.

By late January 2023 the samples were ready to be collected so Mo flew back to Portugal HQ to collect them also to make the final adjustments on measurements, pre production prints, tags and swing tags.

Late April the Pre Production Print Samples was delivered to him back in UK and  the feelings of overwhelming anticipation and excitement was expressed by Mo. Mo has always expressed gratefulness of the unwavering support he received by his family and his best friend also business partner David Bunmi who stuck by him during the low point and the rock bottom with the brand.

In Late November 2023 'Can't Be Labelled Clo' launched the first seasonal collection named “The Beginning” by Mo Craayenstein.