Empower Women, Send Kids To School, Help Syrian Refugees with Hot Summer T-Shirts

Many firsts in my life happened in the heat of a Florida summer rocking a comfortable tee. The first time I read Harry Potter, the day I started menstruating, and my inaugural bike ride were all witnessed by a nice comfy cotton tee. So, to think that the proceeds from the tees that I purchase this summer can go towards making the world a better place makes me even more excited to enter t-shirt season!

Well-designed, sustainable, and beautiful tees are available so us conscious fashionistas can spread love, beauty and our resources. Companies like Helpsy, Modavanti, and the Yellow Bird Project, make it possible for you to share your summer energy with someone in need across our global community. Their offerings include American-made, organic, and sustainable designs that help contribute to our global and local well-being.

If you browse over to Helpsy’s androgynous offerings you’ll find two of my fave summer shirts. Their cute black and white leopard print tees are not only a cool monotone addition to a colorful summer wardrobe, but all the proceeds go to The Blind’s Project’s brand Biographe, a company that employs survivors of the Thailand’s sex industry. The tees are made with sustainable materials and screen-printed by survivors with high quality, environmentally friendly dyes.

The t-shirts provide a way for the women to continue to find a healthy way of providing for themselves and their families. You can purchase them at Helpsy (link to that page here), or order your own designs at the Biographe site.  If you want to exponentially multiply your impact, an order 250 or more shirts from Biographe can help provide a survivor with gainful employment for a month. (Consider this inspiration for starting your own line of t-shirts!) We all remember the good feeling of counting the dollars made from our summer jobs. Biographe helps us pass along that same feeling of dignity.

This cute, “Smart is Beautiful” tee from Modavanti isn’t just about self-empowerment. The purchase of one t-shirt sends a Haitian kid to school for a whole month. This is especially close to my heart because I too was once a school-age Haitian kid! I appreciate the education that I have been privileged with here in America, so, I am elated that All 4 Humanity, the brand who makes this shirt, gives me (and you) a chance to give back.

The Yellow Bird Project is doing something great with music and t-shirts, two defining signs of a sweet, nostalgic summer. The project combines the designs of your fave indie rockers (i.e Amanda Palmer and Bon Iver), and their charity of choice. My style pick is Amanda Palmer’s olive green, floral, militant-fist-themed tee. A not-so-subtle ode to feminism, fighting the good fight, and the beauty of nature, the tee would look stunning with just about anything else in an eclectic closet, including a pair of vegan combat boots.

It helps that she looks totally rad rocking her own designed t-shirt.  Palmer’s tee helps the Refugee Agency Syria Appeal, a UN program that helps the droves of displaced Syrians affected by displacement, homelessness, and loss of family members. The proceeds from the t-shirts will provide for the continued assistance for those who have already lost so much.

These tees will help turn your carefree summer so a care FULL one. Browse Helpsy, Modavanti, and The Yellow Bird Project for a favorite and tell us about it, and don’t forget to share your find with your friends in order to spread the love across the local landscape to have a global impact.

Want to pair your summer tees with a pair of cute sandals? Find out how here.