Reroot Collective
Creating and branding an organisation which supports a community through sustainable initiatives.
The Challenge
Tasked with imaging a world where coal was no longer present, we had to imagine what it left behind, and how we turn that into something good. We’ve taken the now abandoned coal mines, and reinvented them into a source of community growth and repairability.
Focus
Branding, Sustainability, Innovation
The Process
This project started with a deep dive into everything around coal and mining. We looked into where it came from, what it left behind, and what would come of it next.
As a team, we were drawn to the potential of mycelium, the roots of a mushroom, and the potential it had to grow in these underground spaces. The more we looked into it, the more possibilities, and potential for our idea we discovered.
Our research led us to Glynneath, a small town in the South of Wales, home of the colliery, Aberpergwm. Here, we saw the opportunity, not just to grow mycelium underground, but to bring back life above too. The structures left behind above ground would be transformed into community spaces, hosting events and workshops to reunite a coal mining community.
After presenting our ideas to our lecturers, we received positive feedback on the idea, and left us with the goal of finding meaning in what the mycelium grown could be used for to bring the community together.
Our outcome was patch kits, made from mycelium, and designed to repair damaged clothes. These kits would be given out in workshops, where people would learn how to fix, not throw away. It’s a small act, but one that supports sustainability, and brings people closer together through a shared skill.
My role in this project was to create the branding identity of our company, The Reroot Collective. I designed how the company would be represented physically, through on-site branding, uniforms and even building fronts. Alongside this, I created advertising pieces that the public would see such as billboards and posters. Please see below the highlights of my work.