We hate consumerism -- the culture that constantly encourages us to buy new, buy more, and shop often. Why? Not only does it require a continual stream of resources, it leads to a "throw away" culture where items are discarded --instead of reused or repaired -- which then ends in an overwhelming amount of trash and pollution.
photo from https://pirg.org
We don't want to participate in consumer culture, so we created a line of upcycled shirts that takes something that already exists and was unwanted into something that is desired again. We carefully select "like new" clothing from secondhand shops, wash, dry, and hand block print them with aloha ʻāina messages.
If theyʻre not brand new, why do they cost so much? They take a lot of time! It takes longer to select these shirts from the racks than it does to select a hundred of the same style from a catalog. We choose items based on their feel, style, and condition. Then we wash & dry them. After that, each shirt needs to be set up to print individually because each one is so unique. The variety and one-of-a-kind nature of the shirt makes it impossible to mass-produce for cost- and labor-efficiency.
We hope these products resonate with your values and that you support our project to "use what already exists" instead of making new stuff every time.
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For statistics on fast fashion and it's impact on the environment and workers worldwide, check out these resources:
https://earth.org/statistics-about-fast-fashion-waste/
https://ethicspolicy.unc.edu/news/2024/04/26/rethinking-clothing-consumption-understanding-the-human-cost-of-fast-fashion/