I started CAN'T BE LABELLED because I wanted to move the needle.

Not just in fashion. In life. In what people believe is possible when everything around them is telling them to stay in their lane.

Every hurdle I've faced, every person who tried to box me in, every moment someone looked at what I was building and said it couldn't be done — that's in every piece I make. The pain, the heartbreak, the setbacks. All of it became the art.

CBL is community first. Built from the heart, from talent, and from a refusal to accept limits. When you wear this brand, I want you to feel what I feel — that there are no ceilings. No labels. No boxes you have to fit into.

I'm proof of that. And so are you.

— Mo Craayenstein, Founder & Designer

THE INCEPTION

I started drawing before I had a name for what I was doing.

It began as art — hand-drawn graphics, emotions translated onto paper. I was going through a heartbreak at the time and I found that sketching was the only thing that made the pain make sense. The more I drew, the more I realised I wasn't just making art. I was building a language.

My first real step into fashion came when I helped a struggling brand with their creative direction. That brand was Born To Stand Out London. I designed their first tracksuit and t-shirt collection in 2018 using nothing but an iPad and an Apple Pencil. That experience opened my eyes to what was possible — and made me realise I needed to build something of my own.

The designs didn't have a name yet. I had a file on Adobe Draw called 'Blank Thoughts' and I just drew freely — no brief, no constraints, just emotions. My sister was the one who came up with the name. She heard a Lil Durk song, saw what I was creating, and said: No Label. I added London to give homage to where I'm from. CAN'T BE LABELLED was born.

OWNING THE PROCESS

I knew from the beginning that if I was going to do this, I had to do it properly.

I linked with my long-time friend and mentor Imtayaz Qassim, who taught me the real foundations — tech packs, pattern building, fabrications, brand building. Everything I didn't know, I learned. And when I felt like I needed to go deeper, I enrolled at the British Academy of Fashion Design in September 2022. My ego told me I didn't need it. My teachers proved me wrong within weeks. I learned to make a bodice block, pattern make, even sew. My CAD work caught their attention. That validation meant everything.

I was building something real. I just needed to find somewhere to make it.

THE SETBACKS

This part of the story doesn't get talked about enough in fashion.

Finding the right factory almost broke me. The first factory I committed to — based in North London — burnt down. The second took 30% upfront, missed every deadline, delivered samples below spec, and refused to refund the money when I walked away. A third wouldn't take on emerging brands. A fourth in Turkey didn't work out either.

At this point, people around me started to doubt. Friends stopped believing it was going to happen. Two years in and I was behind schedule, out of capital, and rebuilding from scratch.

But I kept going. Because I had to. Because everything I'd been through — the heartbreak, the financial losses, the people who wrote me off — was already in the work. Stopping wasn't an option.

MAKING MOVES

In October 2022 everything changed.

Through Imtayaz, I was connected with one of the top production managers in fashion — someone who handles production for some of the most respected names in the industry. We met. He heard the story. He offered his support.

That meeting sealed it. Mutual respect. Mutual belief. They agreed to produce the first CAN'T BE LABELLED collection.

I was meticulous about where this was made. The factory had to meet the standard I'd set in my head from day one — premium construction, precise fits, fabrics that justify the price. No shortcuts. Every piece is produced in a facility that works with established names in the industry. The quality speaks for itself.

In January 2023, production was in progress. By late November 2023, the first seasonal collection — SS23, named "The Beginning" — launched to the world.

It was worth every setback.

WHERE WE ARE NOW

Every piece still hand-designed by me. Still limited runs. Still made without compromise.

The community is growing. The brand is growing. And we're only just getting started.

If you've made it this far — you already understand what CAN'T BE LABELLED means.

Now wear it.