We were invited by Somerset House to create a flag that would fly amongst the London skyline as part of their ongoing Flag commission, originally planned to coincide with Earth Day in 2020, this was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The flag was raised in September 2020, to mark the launch of our new SS21 collection All Our Children which was showcased on the same day, in Somerset House.
The flag’s design linked directly with the collection, and was designed in collaboration with artist Melissa Kitty Jarram, flying in honour of All Our Children until January 2021.
Our flag commision, aims to remind the world that All Our Children matter and that they are our next generation. We have a collective responsibility for the most vulnerable in our society.
This project is a continuum of our work with The Magpie Project a Newham-based charity that works with children and mothers who are homeless or at risk of homelessness – 80% of whom have no recourse to public funds (NRPF). The Project’s founder Jane Williams, started Magpie to insist that – no matter what – every child has the right to support: they are all our children.
In Bethany’s words “Given there are 1 in 11 homeless children within the boroughs of Newham and Westminster, I hope everybody agrees it's beyond time for change.”
In addition to the powerful words ‘All Our Children’ included on the flag, the vibrant design of a mother and child on the flag reference the Asafo flags of the Fante people in Ghana that traditionally symbolise warrior-like strength which is in this case assigned to the mothers of The Magpie Project.
Measuring at 3.01 x 2.08m the large scale artwork was digitally printed on ECO material by House of Flag.
