BIG OLE CO | 'Chooch' | T-shirt

"Big Ole Co" is a Far Northern clothing brand created by young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples from the Cairns area in response to the ever-changing political agendas and questions posed to Indigenous peoples from around this country. Using common phrases used amongst Indigenous youth the brand first officially launched in July of 2022 for the first physical Cairns Indigenous Art Fair since the pandemic.

'Chooch' is a common expression amongst Indigenous peoples often used as a way to make it known when something doesn't sound right or rude. When discussing this with our participants we came to the understanding that most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples would use that word to respond to government-led initiatives such as "Close the Gap" or mental health company "Black Dog Institute" both phrases sounding out of place for Indigenous people.

Operating for over three years IndigeDesignLabs has engaged with more than 80 students and successfully completed a variety of real-world design projects for clients across Australia. The primary aim of Indigenous Design Labs (IDL) is to provide young people with real-world opportunities to activate their creativity in the digital and creative space while providing them with skills in the creative industries.