My Love Letter to Moss Side
Reclaiming Our Narrative
For too long, Moss Side has carried the weight of a label it didn’t ask for—"Gunchester," a name shaped by headlines, not humanity. But within its streets live stories of care, creativity, brilliance, and everyday survival.
Made in Moss Side emerged as an act of reclamation. A way of saying:
We are not defined by what others fear.
We carry place and pride in our own hands.
Origins in Community
In 2016, as part of an Arts Award project linked to Pankhurst in the Park, I worked with students from St Mary’s Primary School on a t-shirt design project. While the students made their own creations, I designed the first Made in Moss Side shirt—not as a brand, but as a conversation starter.
What moved me was this: many students didn’t feel pride in where they came from.
The stigma surrounding Moss Side followed them as they moved beyond primary school—into high school, university, and the wider world.
The t-shirt was my offering to flip that script.
To ask:
What if what’s made in Moss Side is beauty, courage, and culture?
What if the narrative belongs to those who live it?
What began as a school arts project soon became something more:
A gentle defiance.
A wearable affirmation.
A shared mirror of place and possibility.
Alexandra Park: A Tending Ground
Between 2007 and 2020, I rooted much of my creative practice in Alexandra Park, serving as one of five Friends of Alex Park who contributed to its £5.5 million heritage-led restoration. This green space in the heart of Moss Side became more than a park—it became a place of return, gathering, remembrance, and co-creation.
In 2010, I founded Alexandra Arts, a non-profit dedicated to deepening the relationship between art, public space, and community. Projects like Pankhurst in the Park honoured the radical history of this place while opening new doors for intergenerational engagement.
From T-Shirt to Touchstone
This isn’t just fabric and ink.
This is streetwisdom.
A soft signal.
A quiet badge that says: I come from somewhere strong.
Made in Moss Side isn’t about shouting louder. It’s about remembering better.
It reflects a belief that pride begins at home, that creativity is an act of belonging, and that art can restore what stigma tries to steal.
The Peace Movement Remix
Today, the Made in Moss Side t-shirts are finding new life through the Art As Activism Toolkit and the unfolding Peace Movement Remix.
They’re part of a larger conversation about inner peace, youth voice, and creative visibility.
Because peace isn’t passive—it’s made.
And we’re making it here, one t-shirt, one child, one conscious act at a time.
My Offering to Moss Side
After more than 15 years of working alongside the young people of this community, I’ve witnessed the depth of spirit here—how Moss Side makes music out of movement, beauty out of pressure, connection out of scarcity.
This project is not a product.
It’s my love letter.
To the place that raised me through its people.
To the children who taught me what pride really looks like.
To a neighbourhood that continues to make something out of everything.
Join Us
Wearing a Made in Moss Side shirt means you’re joining a living story.
It’s not just about where you’re from—it’s about how you carry it.
This isn’t just streetwear.
It’s streetprayer.
It’s a grief-and-joy remix.
It’s how we walk softly and speak clearly in a world that too often forgets to listen.
