neal lucas hitch repurposes clothing artifacts found on the california-mexico border

neal lucas hitch from the design collaborative ‘I stiffen thee’ has created a satirical clothing line called ‘border free’ that adaptively uses artifacts found on the california-mexico border. as an art project, it calls on visitors to engage in conversation, and to think about people rather than policy.

border free jacket
all images courtesy of breyden anderson

the clothing artifacts that hitch found on the property of the imperial valley desert museum are bleached by the sun, but look like designer pieces that could be purchased at high end retailers. ultimately, this collection is meant to shed light on the hypocrisy of fast fashion, and to start a conversation on personal stories of immigration. 

‘it is easy to see immigration as an abstract issue. we cannot overlook, however, the fact that everyone who crosses a border has a personal story. picking up, and repurposing the discarded artifacts of these stories, places the debate in a hyper-personal light’. 

border free jacket

border free t-shirt

border free t-shirt

border free t-shirt

border free hoodie

assorted artifacts

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom