The idea
The Change Clothes Crumlin 'Casual-tee Ward' will turn tired old printed t-shirts into, re-newed product for re-sale.
Here's how it will work:
1. T-shirts are received through our permanent swap shop
2. Print is removed by the CCC team using a non-toxic print dissolvant
3. The t-shirt is washed using a foot powered washing machine (zero energy used)
4. Our 'Second Hand is F****n Grand' slogan is screen printed onto the t- shirt using water soluble dyes
5. The t-shirt is air dried
6. And finally, listed for re-sale on our website
7. T shirt's will cost €10
8. All profits made will go towards Change Clothes Crumlin's local clothing reuse programmes (swap, rental, mending, upcycling)
We promise to do our absolute best to:
1. Ensure a wide range of sizes are available
2. Ensure a wide range of colours are available
3. Make sure the process is social - we will invite local people to take part in the production process
4. Let everyone in Crumlin know that second hand is f****n grand!
What we'll deliver
- Backers will receive a 100% discount to choose their own t-shirt when they become available via our online store
- 100% circular, locally upcycled t-shirts will become available for public consumption via our online store
Why it's a great idea
Our project will have a tonne of positive impacts for the Crumlin community, namely:
> The provision of affordable, sustainable, locally upcycled apparel
> Piloting of creative and social, first of it's kind project supported by a community of local volunteers
> Working towards creating a local circular economy where less clothing leaves the area for landfill and/or export
> Profits made from the sale of t shirts going towards supporting a circular community enterprise in Crumlin
> If this pilot is successful, there is great potential for job creation in a local circular economy initiative
Steps to get it done
- Reaching our crowdfunding goal
- Thanking backers and informing them of the project timeline
- Purchasing equipment
- Examining range of useable t-shirts in stock // call-out for donations
- Volunteer recruitment
- Testing the printing process + equipment on x10 t-shirts
- Volunteer training
- Creating production timetable
- Keeping backers up to date with timeline
- Design of marketing campaign
- Production of upcycled t-shirts
- Uploading t-shirts to CCC online store
- Roll-out of public marketing campaign
- Dissemination of 100% discount codes to all backers
- Sale of upycled t shirts to public
- Project reporting - what went well, what didn't?
- Creation of social enterprise business model for longer-term project
Our slogan at Change Clothes Crumlin is 'Second Hand is F****n Grand', and we live this through offering a permanent clothing swap shop, second hand rental service and upcycling/mending workshops.
Swappers have often asked us when we're going to get our slogan printed on t-shirts. After considering it for a brief moment, we realised that printing onto new items of clothing went totally against our core value of buying 'nothing new'. That's how the idea of the 'Casual-TEE Ward' was born - a local and social initiative that will breathe new life into tired old t-shirts destined for the clothing bank.
It is our hope that if this pilot initiative is successful, we will be able to scale up locally to create a self-sustaining community project that prevents massive amounts of clothing being exported abroad to become another countries problem.
