The early 2000s are having a moment. From the Super Bowl half-time show from Dr. Dre & co. to TikTok’s on-going obsession with the era - and, of course, fashion’s Y2K revival - nostalgia levels remain at an all time high.

Raised by Refugees, the new series screening on Neon, offers a local perspective on that defining and turbulent era, through the lens of Pax Assadi’s tween years. Created and written by the comedian (who also plays his own father in the show), it is unbelievably sweet, and will unlock hidden memories for those who were in their tweenage or early teen years in the early aughts.

It’s late 2001 and 12-year-old Pax has just moved from West Auckland to the Shore, starting at a new intermediate school all while trying to figure out who he is, find new friends, and impress the most popular girl in class. Alongside his family - parents Safia and Afnan, who moved to NZ in the late ‘80s as refugees - Pax has to deal with the personal impacts of 9/11, raging hormones, casual racism, school camp, and more.

Renowned local costume designer Sacha Teuila Young was behind the series’ noughties style in suburbia wardrobe, with an impeccable eye for detail (she too was a tween in 2001). From No Fear tees to cheese cutter hats, Sacha shares some of the thinking behind the show’s costumes.

The show is set in 2001, a specific time with a very specific style. How did you approach that through these characters and what they wear?‍

Costumes are so important to visually sell the era in which Raised By Refugees is set. When approaching the costume design it was crucial for me to pick the most nostalgic items from the early 2000s to help take the viewer back to 2001!  ‍

Were you given any specific references from Pax when it came to clothes?‍

Yes, he gave the production designer and I his family albums and had some amazing home video footage that we had access to. 

Pax was also extremely specific about the footwear. The actor playing ‘young Pax’ receives new basketball shoes in the show and my amazing buyer Kama Scretching managed to find original And1 Tai Chi sneakers online; Pax couldn’t believe we found them. 

He also had an amazing vision for all of the core cast, and it was great to feed off his ideas and have the creative freedom to elevate each character to give them their own style.

‍Nostalgia is a key part of the show, and in particular 2000s nostalgia. How did you use the costumes and wardrobe to pull on those nostalgic heartstrings?‍

I was also in intermediate at the same time as Pax, so I loved going through my own family photos and seeing all of the interesting decisions I made around clothing and accessories. 

Along with specific styling, baggy clothing and flat peak caps, there were a lot of prominent brands that help create that nostalgia. Who doesn’t remember Paul Frank, Baby G’s, Von Dutch, Dickies, USA hoodies, Tweety bird, Skate shoes, the list goes on. If you have memories of either wearing any of the above items, or wanting so badly to own them… I think that pulls on those heartstrings for sure.

‍I thought it was interesting that these kids are in intermediate, so they’re too young to be really into the ‘fashion’ of the time that we’re seeing having a revival now, but still old enough to be starting to use clothes to express themselves and how they want to present themselves to the world - and fit in. Was that something you were conscious of? How did you try to approach that balance?‍

Absolutely, it was important to place each of them in and around their friendship group as well as take into consideration their “popularity status” (for lack of a better term). 

Chase and Sarah were the most fashion-conscious of the group, with Pax and his friends all having their own individual style. It definitely feels like they are at the age where they are trying their best to fit in and be accepted by their peers, so everyone is dressing to impress apart from Chris, Kevin and Kiki - who are mature beyond their years. ‍

There were a few memorable pieces for me, including the No Fear-inspired logo T-shirt worn by Pax. Did you have any favourite pieces or looks, or characters to dress?‍

That’s a great T-shirt. Pax wore a Hawaiian shirt for his stand-up comedy at the school camp, which is practically the same shirt Pax wore to his birthday around the time. I managed to op-shop a replica top which I was quite excited about. 

Matching references perfectly is a real thrill for me. It was also fun to recreate Eddie Murphy’s Delirious outfit for younger Pax. 

Kim Crossman’s character Linda is the closest to the Y2K revival that we're seeing right now - her rimless frames when we’re first introduced to her were just perfection and I could see some of her other looks on Karangahape Road right now. What was your approach with her?

Well Kim is an absolute delight to style and gets into character when she’s wearing the costume which is really fun as a designer. We op-shopped the majority of her wardrobe and her look fell into place effortlessly. I love her Juicy Couture style zip-up and Tiffany style jewellery too. ‍

Importantly: Where were her rimless glasses sourced from?‍

I believe her rimless glasses were sourced from Sunnies, a kiosk inside Dress Smart.‍

Mrs Peacock gives me funky favourite teacher / Mrs Frizzle vibes. What was the intention behind her quite fashionable look?

I’m so glad her reference spoke volumes! Miss Frizzle meets Trelawney was her inspiration. We had a lot of fun sourcing her wardrobe, and there are a lot of beautiful odd pieces in the world. I love buying them and giving them screen time. She had a library of brilliant skirts that we didn’t get to see in detail, but they were divine. 

Pax’s parents Safia and Afnan also have their own unique look - sort of embracing a very professional and ‘normal’ style, as a way to assimilate into the suburbs.‍

That was exactly the approach for them, they didn’t want to stand out at all. We tried to best replicate and stay close to the references of Pax’s own parents. 

The school dance is one of the moments that we get to see the kids out of school uniform and using clothes as ‘fashion’ and to express themselves. What was the vibe here?‍

It was scripted that a lot of them wore suits, which is why we do see quite a few of the boys in suits. 

I absolutely love Chase’s metallic silver shiny shirt, it’s a bit revolting but also perfect at the same time. Everyone dressed to either fit in or express their own personality. I think we found the right balance which conveyed that. 

We dressed the actor playing young Pax in a suit but importantly he’s wearing his prized possession: his And1 basketball shoes.

I loved Kiki’s look for the dance - the hip hop-inspired half-unbuttoned shirt, the braids, the jeans. Tell me the story behind it?‍

I can’t take any credit for this outfit, Kama and Mihi (who plays Kiki) came up with this look taking inspiration from TLC, Aaliyah and all of the iconic R’n’B females of that era. 

‍How old were you in 2001? What can you recall of how you dressed back then?

I was 11/12 years old. I did manage to colour coordinate my outfits - see photo of younger me at the beach in my blue sunglasses, navy tankini, blue patterned board shorts and blue sandals. 

My fondest memory which sums up my clothing choices and attitude all in one, is when my friend and I went to the Broadway cinemas both wearing a baby blue USA hoodie and she had to take hers off, as there was no way in hell we would be spotted together wearing exactly the same thing.

Raised by Refugees is available to watch on Prime, Neon and Sky Go.