Future:Media:Change

A tee from underground t-shirt website Threadless.com has raised over $90,000 for Haiti relief efforts according to the Threadless weekly video update. The Haiti tee was launched on Jan. 19 with the Creole phrase, “Men anpil chay pa lou” (Translation: “Many Hands Make the Load Lighter”). All proceeds from the $10 per shirt sales benefit the Red Cross.

We reached out to Haiti’s neighbors and asked two of our designers from the Dominican Republic to design this tee, Thomas De Santis and Ivan Tarrazo Sanchez. They’ve declined their printing award and are instead giving it to the Red Cross. Shirts Our Business, one of our printers, has donated their printing time and ink. And everyone here has been rallying to get this tee out to retain focus on the relief effort. We hope you too, will send this along to your friends and fams to show your support!

Thomas and Ivan gave us their thoughts:

Thomas says, “Our inspiration (for the tee was) the amazing Haitian street art. It provides a true sense of daily life and community through the use of gorgeous colors.”

Ivan adds, “We hope that with the money raised with the tee we raise awareness as to the importance, not only of immediate assistance, but of the creation of the infrastructure needed to respond in similar crises.”
via Threadless news

Threadless has lifted their donation cap due to the success of the shirt and will now print 15,000 total.

I’ve been a big fan of Threadless since discovering their “Lil Soap” bestselling tee. Beyond the witty designs, Threadless grew quickly thanks to their strong online community including promoting a culture of customers sharing photos of themselves in their tees, and inviting design submissions.

I have not worked with the company directly, but I have heard that they are open to partnerships and contests for non-profit organizations. While official partnerships are nice, the success of the Haiti tee is a good reminder that the web can turn anyone into a fundraiser for your cause by offering more ways for supporters to use their talents. In this case, the Red Cross will sit back and gratefully receive a check. Thank you, Threadless community!

Get your Haiti tee while supplies last.