Fashion has become such a fantastic partner in crime in helping fights causing covering all areas – bullying, health matters and, of course, social issues. I was tweeting away one day and came across a Toronto fashion group that really touched me and I wanted to know more about these fantastic ladies. Lauren Shirreffs and Charmaine Joseph started Global Warming Tees, a t-shirt line where their shirts act as billboards addressing issues such as racism, bullying and gender discrimination. A brilliant idea that I wanted to explore more on; Lauren had a chance to share more about this project that means so much to her and the GMT team.

Mijana: Why did you start Global Warming?
Lauren: My business partner Charmaine Joseph and myself were always brainstorming ways to align our love of fashion and retail with our passion for social issues.  We wanted a creative outlet outside of our day jobs to reflect our views on the world and create something that would make people stop, think and act.  We were both so tired with seeing countless t-shirts with random words and sayings becoming popular, and we thought: why not create something comfortable, stylish and cool that also expresses a positive message? We really do believe in the innate goodness in everyone, and thought that if we could pair love, peace and acceptance with a stylish, everyday fashion piece that this could be something successful AND inspiring.

M: Fashion and Statement Making are always pairing up together!  What does this duo combination mean to you?
L: This is literally our purpose. Taking that fashion staple of the basic tee and infusing it with statement texts that make people stop and think. We like to think of our tees as walking billboards, changing people’s mindsets and provoking dialogue one tee at a time. Clothing can be a physical reflection of an individual’s personality and beliefs; we are just adding a voice.

M: How do you come up with your designs?
L: Skype brainstorms.  We both spend a fair amount of time online, on various social networks, reading headlines, online shopping, etc. So we usually go back and forth with ideas that pop up while surfing the net, watching the news, or chatting with friends. Often times we gather a group of friends together and just talk about what issues they are faced with everyday, which social topics would they want to stand behind and have us cover.

M: What have you been doing to get GW Tees philosophy across?
L: We have been using our social networks to get our message across through visuals, like photography and video.  We also get involved with schools to collaborate on designs through our Global Change initiative, thus helping us spread our philosophy and the messages of the next generation.

M: What are your long-term goals?
L: Long term, we hope to expand our brand into even more designs, offerings, children’s clothing and charitable efforts.  There is a lot to see from Global Warming Tee’s and this is really just the very beginning.

To learn more visit www.global-warming.ca.
Follow them on Facebook and Twitter!

By: Mijana Veljkovic, Toronto

You should follow me on Twitter @mijanaveljkovic.

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