Overview
It is rare that we're given an opportunity to be fashion conscious and socially aware at the same time. But it looks like that will change with the launch of Bloodless, the Sydney fashion label raising awareness, funds and hope for social causes.
Co-creator Nishan David is stoked to be getting the project off the ground. "The idea of Bloodless is a cult streetwear label which gives rebels a cause, using T-shirts to start conversations and raise funds for social causes, in a more organic and hopeful manner than regular non-for-profits," he says.
With co-funder and creative lead Christine Inkley — as well as a huge team of friends and volunteers — David is encouraging us to do something a little different with our money and our desire for social justice.
The strategy? Each month Bloodless will share and fund the story of a new cause, through the sale of a different line of T-shirts. Once the shirts are sold out, the money will be donated to a project happening in the developing world (South Africa, Kenya and Papua New Guinea), with social 'changemakers' like month one's Charles Irai directly receiving the funding needed to get a particular organisation off the ground. In his hometown in Papua New Guinea, Charles is launching One Step Closer, which teaches entrepreneurial skills to local kids, 70 percent of whom drop out of high school.
"Really what we're trying to do is take something that every young Australian is already engaged with and channel these habits for social good," says David. "Rather then complaining about what is wrong let's make an actual option."
On average, each Australian spends $44 per week on fashion. So shouldn't it always have been a no-brainer to provide an on-trend, hemp-free way for us to engage with social issues?
"I think the mistake the non-profit sector has often made is not speaking to young people in their own language. Gen Y are very used to making our own rules, describing things for ourselves, telling things the way they resonate with us … We need to conceptualise how we talk about social justice, because in a way it hasn't worked."
The limited edition Bloodless tees are designed in Sydney, made with 100 percent pure cotton and will be on sale for $50. David and Inkley's aim is to have six different organisations launched by the end of summer.
"There is that dichotomy in Australia that if you walk into any store and you grab something off the shelf, either of two things are going to be true about it," says David. "Either it's going to be something that you know is ethically made, or it's going to be something you'd actually wear.
"We want Bloodless to be fashion-first and I think that's very different to most other people who have ever done fundraising tees. A lot of the time it is assumed that people will have good hearts and buy the product to support the cause, instead of just making great products. We don't want any guilt-tripping, we want to make the product stand on its own two feet. That is our foundation."
At the same time, you're getting a personal item that really means something. "There's this one t-shirt I have, and it's just got this square print photograph of a homeless guy and he's holding a sign that says 'I just want my childhood back'," David continues. "Whenever I wear that shirt people are always wondering what the story is behind it, and I always wish I was able to say 'yeah, half the profits of this shirt went to lifting people out of homelessness in inner-city New York.' But I can't. It is just a shirt."
Bloodless launched their Pozible campaign on Tuesday, November 5. Check it out for more info and to pre-order your shirt. You can also follow them via their Facebook, Instagram and website.
