This guest blog post is by Adam Sweeney.
“Changing the world one shirt at a time” is more than just a slogan for Stereotype Apparel, the charitable clothing line based in Austin, Texas. For the team behind it, it’s a movement and way of life.
Inspired by recent tragic events that have polarized the country, founder Adam Sweeney and his team of dreamers have committed to creating a project and product that gives a portion of their proceeds to scholarships and their “Living in Stereo” educational outreach program for America’s youth in their battle against stereotypes and discrimination. The foundation is built around an idea of listening.
“Our country is incredibly divided at the moment and everybody seems to have an opinion on how to fix it,” says Sweeney. “Sadly, what seems to be missing is an effort to actually do something to help or a tangible attempt to listen and understand each other. Stereotype Apparel wants to promote a message of positivity and acceptance. We want everyone, youth and adults, to know that they’re bigger than the labels placed upon them. We’re called the United States of America for a reason and it’s time for us to band together.”
That message rings true in the initial “Sounds Collection,” designed by Sweeney and the State of Shapes design collective.
We want to make a duplicitous statement, in both fashion and society. With all the competing elements of noise around us, we believe there is no sound louder than love. Plus, if you take time to listen to any person, you have changed your impression of them and begun to get past the notion that comes from appearances. None of us are just white, African-American, gay, liberal, or whatever label is given to us. There is so much more to the story. -Stereotype Apparel
Stereotype Apparel ultimately wants to travel across the nation to schools and college campuses, uniting groups and discussing the cognitive and behavioral impact of stereotypes and discrimination on society. But the heart of the movement exists in Austin.
“Austin possesses an energy and level of acceptance that is incredibly precious,” said Sweeney. “It matches what we’re about and it’s why we want to get Austinites to be part of the movement. We want to subvert the ideas of stereotypes, in the same way Austin took the idea of being weird and turned it on its head. As a group, there is no limit to how we can help the youth of Austin together.”
There are a number of ways to get involved with the Stereotype Apparel movement. Currently, a pre-sale special allows any donor of $25 or more to pre-order a shirt, allowing the donor to be guaranteed their choice of a Stereotype Apparel shirt before the general public .You can visit the movement’s Indiegogo page for more details and find out more about the company on their website and Facebook page.
Companies or individuals looking to partner with the Stereotype clothing line can reach out to Adam Sweeney at Adam@StereotypeApparel.com.
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