A Luton creative collective is releasing two limited edition t-shirts to mark the end of an era — the closure of the Vauxhall car factory that helped define the town’s identity for over a century.
The designs commemorate 120 years of car production in Luton, which ended earlier this year when Stellantis, Vauxhall’s parent company, closed down the Kimpton Road site and moving their electric van production to Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire. It put a reported 1,100 people out of work, though Stellantis said an additional 600 staff were needed in Cheshire.
The idea, says artist Derek Stewart from The Lower Level, came from a desire to honour the role the Vauxhall and IBC factories played in shaping Luton’s working-class identity.
“The Vauxhall and IBC factories have been a massive part of Luton since long before we were born,” he said, adding: “Luton wouldn’t be the town it is without it. It’s created jobs, communities and helped build up the town throughout its history and we just wanted to do our part to help commemorate its history in the town.”
The tribute is also personal. Stewart and his Lower Level partner Ben Thomson’s both had relatives move from Scotland to work at the plant.
Derek’s grandfather moved from Glasgow to Luton in the 1950s to take up a job as an electrician at Vauxhall after serving in the Navy during the Second World War. Later, his father and uncles would follow in his footsteps, with his dad (pictured above) – who has modelled the shirts – spending over 35 years at the plant.
“It seems like everyone in Luton either has family or friends that have worked at Vauxhall at some point in their life. It supported and connected so many communities in Luton,” he said.
The original Vauxhall car production site closed in 2002, when a Vauxhall Vectra was the last vehicle to roll off that production line. The plant then became a commercial vehicle factory, focusing on vans, with the new all electric Vivaro set to begin production this year.
With the van plant deemed as profitable, news of the closure landed heavily, with criticism aimed at Stellantis from local politicians, with the leader of Luton Council, Cllr Hazel Simmons saying: “the closure of Vauxhall would leave a £310million black hole in the the local economy. And last month a Luton Taskforce held its first official meeting to tackle the economic fallout from the loss of vehicle production in the town.
“It was sad to hear,” Stewart said of Vauxhall’s closure, adding: “You would have thought there’d been more help to try and keep it open, but unfortunately not.”
That sense of loss — both economic and cultural — is something The Lower Level shirts are intended to reflect, but also celebrate.
Designed to be wearable conversation starters, they aim to stir memories and spark discussions among those who lived through Luton’s automotive golden age.
As part of the release, 10 per cent of profits will be donated to the Samaritans, recognising the emotional and psychological toll such upheaval can take.
“Even though from what we’ve heard from people we know who lost their jobs this time around, it sounds like Vauxhall have handled it well, offering other jobs at Ellesmere Port and reasonable payouts. We know that such a big and sudden life change can still be incredibly difficult,” Stewart said.
“Samaritans are a charity that can help people dealing with those difficult situations. They say, ‘Every 10 seconds, Samaritans responds to a call for help. We’re here, day or night, for anyone who’s struggling to cope, who needs someone to listen without judgement or pressure.’”
For the Lower Level, the t-shirts aren’t just about nostalgia — they’re about keeping the spirit of the town alive through design.
“Art and design can capture history in a way that allows people to share their own memories of something as opposed to a text book that’s just facts and statistics,” Stewart said, adding: “We wanted to design something that people can wear and become a talking point for people to connect and share their memories of Vauxhall in Luton.”
The high-quality DTF transfer t-shirts will be released in limited numbers and can be pre-ordered at: https://thelowerlevel.bigcartel.com/
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