Twisting the labels they gave us

You know those casual chats with your kid that accidentally change your life?

This whole thing - Twisted Labels - started with one of those.

My son and I were talking about how hard it is to find t-shirts that he actually wants to wear. He has sensory sensitivities, and most clothes either itch, dig in or just feel wrong. On top of that, trying to find stuff with designs that actually reflect him? Neurodivergent. Trans. Hilarious. Sarcastic. All-around awesome. Yeah - not a lot on the high street for that combo.

Somewhere in between talking about comfort, identity, and how often we say "we should put that on a t-shirt", a lightbulb went off.

What if we actually did?

What if we made clothes for people like us - the ones who don't fit the mould, who get labelled, sidelined or told to tone it down?

And what if those labels - ADHD, Autistic, Queer, Sensitive, Loud, Too Much - weren't things we had to hide? What if we twisted them into something powerful? Something wearable?

That's how Twisted Labels was born.

But here's something we talk about a lot:

There's a huge difference between identity labels - like Autistic, ADHD, Trans, Gay - and judgemental labels - like lazy, too loud, too much, difficult.

The first kind help us to understand ourselves and find our people. The second kind are usually used to silence or shame us.

Twisted Labels is about owning our identity with pride, and flipping the judgement on its head.

I'd just been diagnosed as AuDHD in early 2025, and my son is currently awaiting his own assessment. He's studying business as part of his home education, and I've got a background in embroidery and printed clothing and accessories. So, when the idea sparked, we had the tools - and the stubbornness - to go for it.

And yes, part of it was fuelled by spite. We have a neighbour who more than once has told me that she "doesn't believe in labels" because she thinks they give people and excuse not to try in life. She, like many others, has no idea how hard it is to get diagnosed or just how difficult some of us find things which others can do without a thought. The thought that anyone would seek out an autism or ADHD diagnosis to get out of doing the dishes is ridiculous - and insulting!

So, my son and I are starting a business built around proudly claiming our labels - and twisting the harmful ones into something empowering, funny, and sometimes a little bit sweary.

Twisted Labels isn't just a shop. It's a statement. It's for anyone who's ever been called "too much", "not enough", or anything in between.

We're not "fixing" ourselves.

We're not apologising.

We're putting it on a t-shirt.

Thanks for being here at the start of our twisted little journey.

Let's wear it loud.