thredUP Commissioned 12 Artists to Transform Used T-Shirts into Statement Pieces for Earth Day
Fashion resale site, thredUP has partnered with 12 millennial artists — from a New Yorker cartoonist to a meme creator — to transform used t-shirts into eco-action.
1. ABOUT THE ART: A STRONG MESSAGE TO CLIMATE CHANGE DENIERS
thredUP asked 12 artists of our generation to react to the controversial statement: “Climate Change Is Not Real.”
The diverse reactions were printed on 1,000 secondhand t-shirts, now available on thredUP.com in advance of Earth Day. 100% of net proceeds go towards the environmental non-profit Cool Effect, which provides consistent funding to carbon reduction projects across the globe, preventing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
Through Cool Effect, every thredUP re:made t-shirt purchased results in a carbon reduction equivalent to planting 95 trees that live for a decade.
2. THE ARTISTS: FROM A NEW YORKER CARTOONIST TO MILLENNIAL MEME CREATOR
A New Yorker cartoonist, @CartoonsByHilary.
A ubiquitous meme creator, @BeigeCardigan.
A J. Crew designer and fashion illustrator, @JooleeLoren.
An insta-poet voted the world’s most tattoo-able artist, @AtticusPoetry.
A punny British cartoonist, @GemmaCorrell.
A popular nature photographer, @EmilyBlincoe.
A digital designer for Outdoor Voices, @Subliming.JPG.
A romantic cartoonist, @CatanaComics.
A heartfelt illustrator & author, @ByMariAndrew.
An “anxious blob” published illustrator, @BethDrawsThings.
A relatable cartoonist and Buzzfeed alum,Dami Lee.
An “adulting” poet, @QuarterLifePoetry.
WHY USED T-SHIRTS: A GREENER STATEMENT
Fashion production is one of the most polluting industries in the world, second to only petroleum. By printing designs on secondhand shirts instead of producing new material, shoppers could reduce their carbon, waste and water footprints by roughly 70% per shirt.
“Giving garments a second life is at the heart of what we do at thredUP and the remade program embodies just that,” said Jenna Bray, thredUP’s Head of Brand. “By using secondhand tees as a canvas for artists to express their beliefs, we hope to inspire environmental change and turn art into action”.
THE FUTURE OF SECONDHAND: OUTPACING FAST FASHION
The re:made campaign comes on the heels of thredUP’s 2018 Resale Report, which found that the secondhand apparel market is projected to be $41B by 2022, and that resale will outpace Fast Fashion within 10 years.
“Consumers are wising up to the environmental impact of their apparel choices…There is a transformation of the modern closet happening, and resale is a big part of that story,” continued Bray.
GET INVOLVED: SHOP AND SPREAD THE WORD
Visit thredUP.com to shop for a cause and learn more about the artists behind these statement-making designs.
Imagery and quotes from each artist available upon request.
About thredUP: thredUP is the largest online marketplace for secondhand clothing, making buying and selling a cinch for millions of women across the globe. The company resells more than 35,000 brands across hundreds of categories at up to 90% off the original retail value. Headquartered in downtown San Francisco and backed by world-class investors, thredUP is reinventing the secondhand clothing industry and inspiring a new generation of consumers to think secondhand first.
Resale disruptors like thredUP are growing 24% faster than traditional retail, and resale is set to overtake fast fashion over the next ten years. By choosing to buy secondhand fashion over new, consumers can reduce carbon, waste, and water footprints by 73%, according to thredUP’s 2018 Resale Report.