1. RE:VOLVE was inspired by "the lack of positive imagery" your children were exposed to each day. Could you talk a little bit about what this means?
Sure. Just look around. We?re surrounded by bleak images of death and war. Pop culture messages are vulgar and cynical, the environment is in crisis? The images and messages are negative, and the energy they send out is negative. Our kids' (and everyone else?s kids) vision of their future is being influenced by all of this. [My wife] Amy and I just wanted to offer a way to carry a personal message of peace that spoke of hope for a promising future. That?s what we want for our kids, and that?s what inspired us to create The RE:VOLVE Apparel Project. For us, peace means taking care of one another, our environment and ourselves. We sought to create messaging that encourages others to think about what?s going on socially and environmentally in an effort to make a positive change moving forward.
2. RE:VOLVE was founded by you and your wife. Has the company stayed a family affair or have you brought on additional staff? How are you guys handling all the different responsibilities from design to production to sales and promotion? Do you have a background in fashion?
RE:VOLVE remains very much a family affair. My wife and I are very hands on, overseeing everything from the sourcing of our materials through fair trade practices, to boutique distribution, to online customer service. We have a handful of employees on staff, as well as a marketing company conducting a national campaign to help us spread the message and encourage people to RE:VOLVE.
3. It's not often that clothing brands quote JFK in their press materials. And it's also not so common to find fashion companies truly devoted to social change. Can you talk a bit more about how RE:VOLVE effects change beyond spreading positive messages via the clothes themselves?
The designs we place on our clothing are really important, because they allow people to wear personal messages of social and environmental consciousness, and reach out to others with those messages offering a vision of a good and promising future. But, that?s not enough, so RE:VOLVE has committed to using only sustainable materials sourced using fair trade principles ? meaning the message within the clothes is as strong as the message on them. Plus, we wanted to put our money where our mouth is, so we?re using a ?philanthroprenuerial? business model where we contribute a portion of our proceeds to causes like The Peace Alliance and The Waterkeeper Alliance in hopes of aiding their efforts to create a better world.
4. It seems as if "green fashion" is a bit of a trend these days. Brands like Edun and Loomstate here in New York are making a mark at the upper end of the market for example. Who else is out there fighting the good fight alongside RE:VOLVE? What brands do you believe share your philosophy? Which companies do you admire for their successes and devotion to their mission?
Obviously, we?re not the first to go green. Amy and I conceived RE:VOLVE out of the desire to promote a positive message of peace. As we got deeper into the process, it became obvious that we HAD to pursue it through ?green fashion?. Frankly, to put socially and environmentally conscious messages on products that were neither socially or environmentally conscious made no sense at all. Our decision had nothing to do with trend. I think the other brands would probably tell you the same thing. ?Green Fashion? has more to do with a movement than fashion. Most people are completely unaware of the devastating effects the chemicals and pesticides used in ?traditional fashion? have on the environment, the farmers, the food we eat, our bodies, etc. This toxic chemical mix is getting into everything and it?s totally unnecessary. ?Green Fashion? is a movement, not a trend. Hopefully in a decade, almost all apparel will be ?green?.
5. The big MAGIC and POOL tradeshows just wrapped up. What was the response to RE:VOLVE been like from buyers and press? Where will be able to find the Spring collection? And moving beyond the tradeshow, how will the public learn about RE:VOLVE? How are you spreading the message of the brand and promoting the clothes?
The response from buyers has been immediate and enthusiastic. People are so excited by interacting with something as positive as our brand, it has been incredible watching the buzz about the project grow. The press has embraced it as well which is always nice!
The spring collection will be available online at our website and through boutique outlets across the country.
We are very dedicated to The RE:VOLVE Apparel Project and its message. To ensure the message grows, we have a national marketing campaign behind us. We want to spread the peace, and encourage people to check us out and make a difference.
EMERGE wants to thank Joe Tomlinson from RE:VOLVE as well as Megan Meece from Zing USA for helping to set up this interview. For more on RE:VOLVE, be sure to check out their website.
