Shirtstories brings sustainable fashion

Shirtstories brings sustainable fashion

Feb 21, 2013 |  by  |  Art, Fashion
About the author
I'm Iris, don't know where I'm going, but I love to explore. And though the best things in life are free, some killer heels, a pretty dress and good food can sure make me happy. Contact me at iris@overdose.am

I’ve always loved the idea of having my own business, but actually establishing one? Well, I would have no clue where to start. Four brave students, who like me had no experience in running a company did take up the challenge. What started as a school project ended up in something that took over their lives. Fortunately their hard work paid off and a new brand was born: Shirtstories. Today, only five months after first meeting each other, the shirts are in store and the founders are optimistic about what the future may bring.

The story behind the shirt

It’s always inspiring to see how people your age are doing something very practical to make a change. This is definitely the case with Shirtstories as all profits are used to fund scholarships for university students in South Africa. This is also in line with the brand’s aim, which is to create more social awareness. At the same time the founders want to enable people to express their identity and this is where fashion comes into the equation. This was combined with their ideas on sustainability and creativity. The latter of which led to collaborations with various artists.

These young and emerging artists which were to design prints were Sera Walker and Rein Verhoef. Walker created a butterfly, with which she wanted to spark people’s curiosity and show how fascinating the patterns and structures of natural objects can be. Rein Verhoef’s image shows a girl wearing a mask, which symbolizes the cover some young people are forced to wear; not being able to be who they really are. Currently the shirts are on sale at Roest and Charlie + Mary and the initiators hope to continue the project and attract more artists and stores to cooperate with in the future.

Shirtstories

Where: Roest & Charlie + Mary
Online: Website & Facebook

Photos by Siu-Lin Ho

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