Care Wear

I believe its a good cause Great work for human kind

This is a great idea. Unfortunately, this line seems to fall short of paying enough respect to the causes they represent on their clothing: Their t-shirts--cotton T-SHIRTS!--cost $92 online!
Their profit margin must be huge!
(Not to mention the fact that the awareness they hope to spread is published on the INSIDE of their shirts... Wouldn't awareness be better achieved if the story was written in a place where more people could read it?)
And despite their manifesto, which vaguely states "we donate a significant portion of the proceeds to important and current causes to improve the global state", there is no mention--in this piece or on their website--of how much of their profits are actually being donated to these causes.
(200 $18 solar cookers totals $3600, or almost 40 Social Atelier shirts. If there were no overhead. Wouldn't donations go further if the money went straight to the charities?)
If they don't already, they should disclose this information. Maybe then I'd feel better about buying a $92 t-shirt that speaks out against poverty.

Thanks for the comments 'see'. I appreciate your point of view but respectfully disagree.

15% of all of Social Atelier's profits this season will go towards the Solar Cooker Project. Not sure what you know about starting a business but that is a very respectable percentage for a young upstart.

100% of the money they raised the night of their brand launch went directly to the Solar Cooker Project as well (all services were donated that night including the gallery space, the food, etc).

The figures you have projected in your above post are completely off. The '200 solar cookers' figure quoted at the end of the pod is based on sales from the launch party as the line was not yet being carried in Fred Segal. ALL proceeds from that night went to the Solar Cooker Project and that is what Current based the '200 cookers' number on when they added that fact at the end of my pod.

I know you could not have known that from the way that Current presented that information but I do need to set the record straight as you are making some pretty serious accusations about Andrei and Yael's integrity.

Raising the money for two hundred solar cookers in one evening may not mean much to you but I guarantee that it means a lot to the families receiving the aid in Darfur.

If change were to come about simply based on morality we would already have it! The sad truth is that this is simply not the case. Awareness needs to be spread by any means necessary and while you may not agree, high fashion is definitely a means.

Andrei and Yael both left jobs with big corporate clothing companies to follow their hearts (jobs that many designers would kill for but which left them both feeling empty and unfulfilled at the end of the day). I would not have done this piece on them if I was not 100% confident that they were sincere about trying to make a difference while doing their art.

I understand that the price tag will cause some people to miss the potential behind what Andrei and Yael are doing. If, however, you know anything about Fred Segal or high fashion in general, you'll know that the price of their t-shirts is right in line with the intended market.

Another thing you should be aware of (which I did not include in my piece) is that both Andrei and Yael have self funded Social Atelier and are currently living on money they saved from their previous jobs while pursuing their dream.

Like most upstarts, it will take them at least a year before they start seeing a profitable return on their business (if they even suceed at all!). The impression you seem to have gotten that they are now raking in the dough after launching their first line is completely false.

You can not raise awareness in each and every person the same way. Each individual needs to be enlightened in a way in which they can relate to and embrace.

The information on the insides of the shirts is not meant for the casual passer by, it is meant to educate the person whom is actually purchasing the shirt. Andrei and Yael are hoping that the information they have provided will inspire their customers to learn more.

While putting messages inside of a $90 t-shirt may seem vacuous to you, that same t-shirt just may awaken somebody else to an issue they were not already aware of.

Even though you disagree with what Social Ateiler is doing, I really hope you checked out the link to the Solar Cooker Project. It is such a simple yet brilliant idea and the $30 goes a long way.

Like a lot of folks, I couldn't swing the dough for a t-shirt either. I did however donate to the Solar Cooker Project;

http://www.jewishworldwatch.org/donate/solarcookerproje...

Have you?

Thanks again for the feedback. The world would be a boring place if we all agreed and I find a healthy debate to be good for any cause!

Peace

Hi filmpunk,
Thank you for responding to me.

I didn't mean to question the integrity of the designers, but I did mean to ask how much of the proceeds of their line go to the charities. I think that's something all brands should disclose, whether or not they are just starting up. And my figures (which were only meant to show my thought process), were based on what your pod stated, both in text and the dollar amount Yael quoted for a solar cooker.

And yes, I do know about Fred Segal, as I was a customer there for 13 years. I agree that they've got the right price-point for their clientele, but the fact remains that they're selling cotton t-shirts for $92, so it still stands to reason that it's possible for them to donate a good percentage of the profit (which Fred Segal may even match) to the charity. Which is respectable! And why I wanted to know what that percentage is!

And no, I have not donated money towards a solar cooker yet, and that's because I have to do my own research into the organization first. In the mean time I donate money directly to Amnesty International and the Save Darfur Coalition, which I have also volunteered for . I also send supplies directly to a family of 10 in Niger.

So thanks again for your response, which did give me more information, but did not change my mind.

charities and awarness groups already have existing markets in low fashion cotten cloths. i just see this as a spread of awarness about the issue to a higher fashion market. they are trying to start a trend and for that to happen they need a buisness model.

awesome

I really like this idea, it did in fact raise my awareness; I love the solor cooker idea brilliant!! I also love the look of the shirts and was hopeing to buy one but unfortunatly I am not in the position to spend 100 dollars on a t shirt. Bummer, but I think I will donate to the solor cooker project.
Thanks

I think the idea is a good way to make people aware of social issues around the world, though I think is sad that people know about these issues through a trendy clothing line rather than on a newspaper, but if that is what it takes...
Also and without wanting to create any more animosity, I believe that the comment than See made should be taken more as a constructive criticism by both the company and the filmmaker, as she posed important questions that should of been shared on the pod and definitely should be placed publicly on their website or place of sale.
I believe though that is a genuine way of doing business and at the same time helping causes, many businesses are doing it right now and hopefully many more will follow.