Our shirts are the voice of a progressive, positive world. And it all starts with the garments. We rescue T-Shirts and give them a second life with a new design. About half of our apparel line is made from brand new T-Shirts that were going to be destroyed simply because of a misprint or over printing. The other half of our apparel is found at thrift stores and through donations, allowing us to offer more unique items.
We don’t just sell reuse shirts. We reuse in any step that we can. Orders are printed on the back of would be recycled paper, shipped in used packaging (mainly cereal boxes), with labels printed on scrap paper. And the brand doesn’t stop with us. Our customers are our community; a community of reusers and overall do gooders who are trying to make the world a positive place for all of us.
STAY VOCAL was started by reuse expert and director of the REUSE! documentary, Alex Eaves. It was originally a skateboard and apparel company. He was driven to start the brand through his work with non profit organizations, as well as selling merchandise for numerous rock bands who are devoted to making the world a better place for everyone. He really enjoyed seeing their impact on people and how fans were inspired to do good things. And as time went on, he really thought that he could do something similar. At the same time, Alex also saw the mass production of new merchandise and learned disturbing facts about the garment industry. Did you know that it takes 713 gallons of water to make just 1 new T-Shirt? Did you ever wonder what happens to merchandise that doesn’t sell or if a band breaks up? In most cases, it gets shredded into rags or burnt. Finally, he saw a common problem throughout the world: land and natural resources were being quickly lost and trash was everywhere.
Alex named the brand STAY VOCAL because of the unfortunate apathy that most people show when it comes to making positive change. He wanted to create a product line that is not only positive change in itself, but also encourages people to use the most important tool they have when it comes to making change: their voice.
– Certified green by Green America in 2008
– Best Small Business Idea Award from Advanta Credit Card Company, June 2008
– Every T-Shirt sold helps save 713 gallons of water; the amount it takes to make 1 New T-Shirt (National Geographic study)
– We seek out reuse options for everything. For example, we have not purchased new mailers or paper since 2008!