“We Are Good People Clothing” Makes a Difference
NEIRAD enilno edition
A typical sophomore in college is primarily focused on one thing: schoolwork. But recently two former DHS students have had another idea on their minds that goes beyond the confines of academia Class of 2008 graduates Austin Anderson and Peter-James Conley have dedicated time and money into an effort to help people in need in Third World countries.
“We really can't stress enough our vision of being a truly different type of clothing company” Anderson said.
Despite the great distance between their universities the two are joining forces. Conley is a sophomore at Loyola University New Orleans and Austin Anderson is a sophomore at New York University.
After high school, Conley spent a semester abroad in Kenya and came to Anderson saying he wanted to make a difference. After bouncing ideas back and forth the guys decided to create “We Are Good People Clothing.”
“The idea came to me in Africa after not being too happy with how people exploit the indigenous people there who really can’t decide who helps them” Conley said.
But this is not your ordinary clothing company. “The unique part of our company is that for every shirt we sell, we pledge to buy one, two or three articles of clothing and personally deliver them to communities to countries around the world,” Anderson said.
After experiencing the African communities first hand, they felt that they could make a difference and change the lives of these people. Most people in these countries do not have quality clothing, and can barely dress themselves. With this company starting up, less fortunate people will be clothed and could finally be happy.
Conley and Anderson plan to put the plan into full force when they return home from college this summer. They plan to sell the shirts in Darien here at their alma mater and throughout Fairfield County.
The cost of the tee shirts will start out in the $20-22 range, but will differ once the company expands. “After we sell our first batch we're looking to add two more designs to the line, one around $15-18, and one about $25-30,” Anderson said. Raising the prices will help them keep competitive with other businesses that aren’t donating a portion of their proceeds to charitable causes.
The idea of the company is to make a shirt that is appealing to a range of ages, from high schoolers to young adults. Anderson and Conley plan on making a difference by selling shirts to the school and all throughout the town. “Most will be printed on American Apparel or Alternative Apparel tees,” Anderson said.
The name of company will resemble the clothing that will be made. Most of the images will be of good people doing good things. Some of these images are of authors, philosophers, and political figures. “Our art and logos will also feature a global theme, using maps and pieces of maps from the first maps drawn of the Americas by explorers to current global depictions” Anderson said.
The guys plan to expand their plan once they make their move with the first delivery. “We want to involve the people in these places and have them help create new shirt and clothing designs. We want the people we help to also help us to widen the cultural appeal of the brand with cool, local designs that can’t be made anywhere else in the world, making every new line of shirts unique.”
Selling shirts to make a difference is not the only goal. They plan to use their delivery runs to Africa to also be a time to check out the creativity at work by the native people. Then they would like to start importing these unique goods to America.
Peter and James are both trying to make a difference, but only you can help with that difference. Look for We Are Good People Clothing on Facebook, and also on their Web site, blog, or Twitter.
