FROM PLAYING IN BACKYARDS TO OUR YARD

June, 1948 - Windrush propels a generation of people across the seas to Britain. June, 2024 - Mimm Studios commemorates the Windrush Generation through music, fashion and community events to celebrate their descendants’ achievements & honour the West Indies culture they brought to the UK. I reached out to Mimm's CEO, Nate Coltrane, to discuss his upcoming project titled ‘Our Yard’, to gain a deeper understanding of what makes the Nottingham-based brand want to spearhead the UK’s involvement in achieving justice for the Windrush Generation. When I asked Nate about Mimm’s upcoming projects, he was eager to reveal that “the two projects we are currently working on are ‘Our Yard’ which is an exploration into the positive impact of immigration on the UK through telling the chronological story of sound system culture, something which I hold close to me through my Caribbean heritage and love of music. Then the other is ‘Let’s Build Fam’ which will be a series of Q&A and performances at Mimm Studios, working with grassroots promoters from the city to elevate and educate Nottingham's thriving DIY music scene”. Mimm stands for ‘Music is my motive’. So there is no doubt that the events & musical collaborations featured in the Our Yard project will be enlightening to audiences stepping into the world of Windrush justice, and exiting the restraints of xenophobia present in Britain’s longstanding history. The HMT Empire Windrush transported 1,027 individuals from the West Indies to Britain 76 years ago, becoming an origin story of mass migration to Britain and adding to the roots of British culture. Passengers arrived from islands such as St Lucia, Trinidad, Barbados and most of all, Jamaica. The influx of people of colour arriving in Britain sent ripples throughout the nation, leading to an unwelcoming British response that led to atrocities including the Notting Hill riots of 1958 and the 1971 Windrush scandal. Through a journey into Soundsystem culture, Mimm aims to wave both the West Indies flag & the British flag in harmony, to shed light on the positive impact immigration has had on the UK through the decades. I was curious about how Mimm plans to progress the Our Yard project over the next few years and Nate confided in me about how the brand is focused on “continuing to develop a strong community-focused programme out of Mimm Studios locally as well as expanding on our clothing brand internationally, which has taken a major up turn in recent times as I have gained a better understanding of my ideal customer. Also continuing the Our Yard project as we progress through the decades will show how Caribbean culture has been key to the UK”. In Season 1 of a sixteen-part podcast series developed for Our Yard, Mimm strives to pay homage to the foundations the Windrush generation laid, with more interviews from notable figures alongside their release of clothing collections, community-based events and film screenings. Across the next five years, the brand aspires to explore the history of UK Soundsystem culture, delving into genres that have been influenced by it, including Ska, Roots Reggae, Dub, Lovers Rock, 2Tone, Pirate Stations, UK Garage amongst many more. In our conversation, Nate detailed how “ I was heavily influenced by American Black culture as that was what I grew up with, films by Spike Lee were on heavy rotation in my house growing up so New York culture played a major part for Mimm in the early days, that has more recently evolved into celebrating UK culture and Heritage as the brand matured”. Lloyd Coxsone is the project’s first individual to be interviewed, a Jamaican-born sound system operator & record producer who from the early sixties has called the UK his home. Coxsone is one of Soundsystem culture’s oldest surviving people involved and will be pivotal in equipping audiences with a wealth of knowledge. His personal struggles with seeking work in a racist society and the musical blossomings of the late sixties supply an expressive perspective on the consequences of the Windrush movement. Mimm Studios teased the Our Yard initiative in October 2023 with the release of their Best Indies collection, featuring the Windrush 75th anniversary t-shirt drop. The collection includes a range of apparel from long sleeves to tote bags to hoodies, as a way to pay homage to those who came before, to our island family who have paved the way. The sleek designs feature flags from Jamaica, Montserrat, St Vincent, Cuba & Dominican Republic just to name a few. The heart & soul of the Mimm movement derives from the family they have assembled through creative collaboration and a shared passion for connection, which they believe are all essential to a healthy community. Whether it’s heading over to the Mimm website to revamp your wardrobe, tuning into the Our Yard podcast or taking a trip down to the streets of Nottingham to attend a Black-led creative event - Mimm is one of the UK’s revolutionary brands that will be a symbol of creative change. Check out the Our Yard project over on Mimm’s Instagram and keep your eyes peeled for the exciting new project’s development happening this 2024!