GLASS recently spoke with Sally Patterson and Ceini Bowen, the founders behind the business with a cause, She Shirts. She Shirts is Patterson’s brainchild who saw a gap in the market for an ethical, feminist t-shirt company, that made a difference. Nine months ago, she turned her plan into a reality and partnered up with Bowen who she had met while studying at Bristol University and She Shirts was born. This year has been a rollercoaster for the pair and Glass wanted to understand more about how their inspirational business works, the amazing charities it supports and what plans they have for the future.
Founders Sally Patterson (left) and Ceini Bowen (right)
What is the aim of She Shirts?
She Shirts aims to empower women through the showcasing and distribution of feminist t-shirts and all the profits go to three wonderful charities that support women. At the core of our business is authentic feminism. For us, this means supporting women from creation through to profit. We believe that ethical production has to be at the core of a truly feminist fashion brand. That’s why we use TeeMill to produce and sell our She Shirts. All our tees are made from certified organic cotton in an ethically accredited, renewable energy powered factory.
So Sensitive club T-shirt design
How did you choose which charities to work with and can you tell us about the amazing work they do?
All our profits go to charities working to support women, including Women’s Aid, Bloody Good Period and Smart Works. It was a difficult decision to make, however we’re so thrilled to support the charities we do!
Women’s Aid is a federation of over 220 organisations, who work tirelessly to support victims of domestic abuse. They campaign for change in policy, practice and awareness and help to build a future where domestic abuse is no longer tolerated.
Smart Works is a UK charity that provides high quality interview clothes, styling advice and interview training to women in need. They give women the confidence, the self-belief and the practical tools they require to succeed at interview.
Finally, Bloody Good Period aims to provide sanitary products for those who can’t afford to buy them. Pads and tampons are not cheap, but for anyone with a period, they are an absolute necessity.
What does an average day look like for the two of you?
We both have full time jobs, so we squeeze in She Shirts work during evenings and weekends. This can be everything from designing, managing the admin side of things or planning new collections. It’s just the two of us running the business, with no monetary compensation. We’re also so very lucky to have had some wonderful friends, models and photographers volunteer their time to help us out.
Models in She Shirt T-shirts
The designs on the T-shirts are beautiful but also thought provoking – where do the design ideas come from?
We want all our tees to have a clear message. We decided that each She Shirt would tell a story about the challenges faced by women in contemporary society. For example, the “All bodies are beautiful” tee highlights the relentless demand for women to conform to the ‘ideal’ body image.
In our recent collection, we wanted to work collaboratively and so asked our two guest designers what messages they wanted to convey. Our ‘So Sensitive’ tee, designed by the wonderful Emmy Smith of Little by Lupin, challenges the stigma around being sensitive or emotional – something which both women and men are often confronted with today.
How do you think social media is a help and a hindrance for young women today?
So many young people use social media, not just as a social platform but also to engage with feminism and activism. Recently, people have also been using social media as a shopping platform. It’s been very important for us to reach new people and has allowed us to grow our brand quickly.
However, social media can also be a very fraught place for young women due to its curated and filtered nature. We try our best to address this balance by using everyday women as our models and trying to promote a positive and affirming message for women.
What tips can you give on starting and running your own business?
Be prepared to put in a lot of time and effort and make sure you love what you’re doing- you’ve got to be passionate about it to make it work! Our biggest challenge has been having the time and energy to make the business work – it hasn’t always been easy to find the time to commit to She Shirts.
The best thing for us is the responses we’ve had to the brand. Every time we see someone post a photo of a She Shirt or someone reaches out to say they love the brand, it just makes our day! That coupled with the money we’ve raised for our charities gives us the motivation to keep devoting our time and energy to She Shirts.
Luxurious and Strong Women support women T-shirt designs
What can we expect to see from SheShirts in the next few years?
We’re hoping the next few years will bring more growth in who we can reach. We really want to keep highlighting and fighting the challenges we face as women in contemporary society. Hopefully you’ll see us doing this through some more exciting collaborations with inspiring women and businesses.
Do you think feminism is more accessible than it used to be?
Yes, it certainly seems that way. Part of this is probably because of the availability of social media and the internet. We’ve also seen massive brands engaging with feminism, making it much more visible in the mainstream media.
Who are your feminist icons, and have you read any amazing feminist literature recently or listened to any great podcasts lately?
Oh gosh, we have so many feminist icons! In fact, we even have a tee with some of our favourites on including Betty Friedan, Virginia Woolf and Frida Kahlo. There’s a wonderful new book out by Scarlet Curtis called ‘Feminists Don’t Wear Pink’ and we’re also massive fans of the Guilty Feminist podcast!
Most importantly, how can people get involved and purchase She Shirts products?
You can find She Shirts on Facebook and Instagram. You can find all of their products on our website. We always love hearing from customers so please reach out to us on social media!
@womensaid
@bloodygood__
@smartworkshq
by Heather Doughty
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