Dalziel & Pow carved Crisis' Secondhand September identity out of linoleum

Give the upcycling initiative a raw, hands-on brand identity that mirrors the physical craft of twelve independent UK makers rebuilding discarded garments.

The twelve makers salvaged unsold donated clothes at the Canning Town warehouse, rebuilding them through cutting, weaving, screenprinting and patchwork. Dalziel & Pow bypassed sterile vector curves: they carved 'Create for' into lino blocks with gouges and black ink, sliced Crisis' red square logo with a diagonal cut like tailoring scissors through cloth, and cut three symbols — shearing scissors, sewing and safety pins, and recycling arrows around a four-hole button.

The system rolled out across sixteen Crisis retail locations in London with 'UNSOLD. RETOLD.' window posters and 24 bespoke maker storytelling boards; clothing-rail swing tags state that fifty percent supports the mission to end homelessness and fifty percent goes directly to the maker.

London design studio Dalziel & Pow partnered with UK homelessness charity Crisis to relaunch Create for Crisis, the initiative that takes centre stage during Secondhand September through the UNSOLD. RETOLD. campaign.

Twelve independent UK makers — labels like LUEDER, Olli Hull and Ashley Knight — visited the Canning Town warehouse to salvage unsold donated clothes, rebuilding discarded garments through cutting, weaving, screenprinting and patchwork. Dalziel & Pow built a raw, hands-on identity to mirror that physical craft: the core wordmark carved directly into linoleum printing blocks with gouges and black ink, and the familiar red Crisis square logo altered with a diagonal slice that lifts the top strip away, capturing the motion of tailoring scissors.

Three accompanying graphic symbols — shearing scissors, sewing and safety pins, and recycling arrows wrapped around a garment button — were also cut into lino. The system came alive across sixteen Crisis retail locations in London: crimson window posters, bold maker portraits, upcycled garments on mannequins, and 24 storytelling boards with hand-drawn notes, fabric swatches and garment sketches. On the rails, swing tags detail the production split: fifty percent to the mission to end homelessness, fifty percent to the maker.

Hand-carved lino lettering carries the human touch the upcycled garments embody.

The diagonal slice through Crisis' red square captures scissors cutting cloth.

Swing tags stating the 50/50 split make the charity's economics visible at the rail.

Maker profiles with sketches and swatches turn sixteen shops into sixteen exhibitions.

When the product is physical rescue-work, build the identity with the same tools as the product: the medium becomes the message.

UNSOLD. RETOLD. ran across sixteen London Crisis shops for Secondhand September 2026, with hand-stitched maker labels and raw corrugated cardboard displays reinforcing the tactile identity.