Please excuse me while i hyperventilate a bit.
You guys! I am SO excited to announce the release of my Maker tees and share this little editorial with you!
THE VISION
These tees are part of a greater vision i have for supporting humanitarian efforts through my brand. They come from a burning passion i have to help women and children who are stuck in sex slavery and human trafficking. They are made in the heart of the red light district in Kolkata India by women who have escaped sex slavery, through an amazing organization called Freeset. Each shirt is sewn and screen printed by them on site, and created using only organic fairtrade cotton. Workers are hired based on their need not on their skills. They receive on the job training and support to help them build a life.
Behind each shirt is hope and freedom and dignity. I am thrilled to bits!!! My hope is to continue selling these tees, and branch out into more designs so that i can continue to send business to the women of Freeset. Many people have asked me about other ways they can get involved – the Freeset Trust accepts donations – which they use to provide healthcare and childcare to Freeset workers and teach them to read, write and budget.
THE DESIGN
I know this tee has a mission behind it – but I also wanted it to stand on its own as an awesomely designed tee. Something that i would want to wear every day. I came up with the “Maker” slogan because it’s something i’ve wanted on a tshirt for a long time. That’s what we do after all, we make things. And i feel like it encapsulates so many people, not creatives or just sewers or knitters.
For a long time I’ve adored the work of typography artist Jasmine Dowling, so i jumped at the chance to commission her for this project. And i couldn’t be more thrilled! She was a joy to work with and somehow managed to read my mind perfectly. I can’t wash mine fast enough to wear it again. We actually also have another “Maker” themed design that is more masculine that i am thinking of releasing for the guys, what do you think about that? I would also love to release some kids tees as Bunny is quite miffed that she doesn’t have one hehe.
THE DETAILS
Other than that, here are a few of the boring (ha!) details you may like to know.
- These tees run true to size for Megan Nielsen Sizing. So if you usually wear a Medium in my patterns, you are a Medium tee. My gorgeous model has a 36″ bust, and wears a size small and you can see it is a nice close fit. If you want a looser fit size up :)
- Sizes run XS – XXL (that’s one size larger than my patterns!). I have ordered every size they have available hehe
- This is a product i plan on continuing indefinitely – if your size is sold out you should see the option to preorder a tshirt, which means that it will be about 4 weeks away from being delivered to you. If it’s not working give us a holla at hello@megannielsen.com
- They are super soft organic cotton, and can be laundered as a regular tee. I am a little more careful with mine because i love it so much – so i wash cool and hang to dry (no tumbledrying for me)
PURCHASE A MAKER TEE AT MEGANNIELSEN.COM
[Credits]
Artwork: Jasmine Dowling
Model: Megan Crosby // Megan Crosby MUA
Hair & makeup: Megan Crosby // Megan Crosby MUA
Photography & Styling: Megan Nielsen
What a gorgeous idea! I wish you best of luck and blessings with your endeavour. Is there any possibility of buying a plain, unprinted tee?
Thanks Siobhan!! Definitely! Liminal Apparel are the Aus/NZ distributors of unprinted tees which you can get here http://www.liminal.org.nz/womens/womens-t-shirts I don’t know who the distributors are in other countries, but Freeset’s website is http://freesetglobal.com/ – good luck!!! xoxo
Thank you so much! I’ve just placed an order for a tee with Liminal x
YAY! you rock! xoxo
This is so awesome, Megan! Not only are you supporting a fantastic cause, this is actually a shirt I’d love to wear. I’ll be ordering one as soon as I can afford to! Good luck with this new venture and I hope to see more craft themed designs :)
Thanks so much Shona you are such a sweetheart! I’m so glad to hear you like the design – it was so important to me that it not only support the cause, but be really stylish too. hugs lovie! xoxo
So cool Megan! I love that the neckline is nice and high, and the Maker slogan is PERFECT!
Thanks honey! I’m honestly so thrilled! These have been months in the making,and i’m just beyond happy with how they turned out. hugs! xoxo
This is such a lovely idea, Meg! I’ll be purchasing one at some stage in the not too distant future. Great to be doing something to help girls and women who are a lot less fortunate than us. xo
What a great idea. Will feature on my website and spread the word. One question what percentage goes to freeset please? I think people would be interested to know. Good luck with the venture!
Thanks honey! All goes to Freeset right now (less the artists fees from the design) and id like to keep it that way as much as possible. I want this to be a sustainable venture that supports Freeset as a business – so the initial investment in stock came from myself, and i’ve tried to structure it such that the profit is immediately reinvested in new stock. That way i can continue to send them business indefinitely, in a sustainable way, rather than as a once off :) That’s the goal and we’ll see how we go. Hope that helps! xoxo
Yes thanks Megan it does!
I absolutely LOVE this! I know we’ve never met, but following along with your journey has been just inspiring. This is a beautiful product with a beautiful goal, I’m hoping this is a RAVE success because it’s brilliant
xxx
Chambray & Curls
[…] more about our tees here, and read more about Freeset and the work they […]