Me to We Style
TORONTO: THE BUSINESS, ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURAL CENTER OF CANADA, WHERE TODAY, THESE FASHIONISTAS ARE HARD AT WORK.
Perfect—beautiful, Megan!
Richard Dubois, Fashion Photographer:
We probably already have the cover shot but we’re going to try for a few more.
Andreas Friis, Me to We Style:
We are doing a mix of retail and wholesale photos for the new catalog that we are designing.
Richard Dubois:
It’s for a catalogue but we’re trying not to make it too catalog-y. We’re definitely trying to connect with people making it feel like-- imagine it as a big billboard and people will be walking by and think, “wow what a great look that is!”
THAT “LOOK” INVOLVES DRESSES, PANTS AND—
Richard Dubois:
I really love the jackets and I love the hoodies. I think the colors are fantastic.
BUT FOR “ME TO WE STYLE”-- these ARE THE COMPANY’S BACKBONE.
Oliver Madison, Me to We Style:
It’s such a ubiquitous product. Everybody wears a t-shirt, everybody needs a t-shirt. So why not a t-shirt?
BUT THESE TEES ARE ANYTHING but TYPICAL. THEY’RE MADE OUT OF PESTICIDE-FREE COTTON, BAMBOO AND OTHER ECO-FRIENDLY FABRICS. ME TO WE STYLE ALSO PRACTICES FAIR TRADE AND PROMISES SWEATSHOP-FREE MANUFACTURING.
Oliver Madison:
Everything we do is made in Canada and the U.S. from scratch to finish.
BUT IT’S THE MESSAGING THAT REALLY GRABS ATTENTION.
Andreas Friis:
So, this shirt is called “Roping the World” and it shows that with education you can in a way capture the world with your knowledge.
ANDREAS FRIIS IS ME TO WE’S DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT.
Andreas Friis:
This shirt is one of our newest designs. It’s a little bit different take on the green sustainable movement. It’s a lion with a grass Mohawk to make it a little bit more edgy. I mean I’m wearing a lion. I’m like (roars loudly) Green! Right? So that’s-- that’s what this shirt is all about.
Oliver Madison:
My favorite message is one that was originally said by Gandhi. And he said “Be the change you want to see in the world.” It’s one of our best sellers and for me it really embodies those values that we believe in.
OLIVER MADISON IS THE MAIN MANNEQUIN—THE SENIOR SHIRT SELLER—THE CHIEF OF THE TEES-- AT ME TO WE STYLE.
I am a glorified t-shirt salesman now! Absolutely! (Laughs)
Oliver Madison:
It’s a product people buy on a daily, weekly, annual basis. There’s a constant need. So, from a business perspective, it’s good to sell something that people are looking to renew over and over again. From a social perspective, it’s a wonderful medium to communicate a message.
BUT ME TO WE STYLE IS ABOUT MORE THAN JUST SELLING RESPONSIBLY MADE CLOTHES WITH SOCIALLY-CONSCIENCE MESSAGES.
Oliver Madison:
The mission is to show people that business and charity can coexist. So, Me to We Style is a social enterprise set up to use the power that business brings to the table but to direct the profits towards Free the Children.
Marc Kielburger, Free the Children:
Free the Children is the world’s largest network of children helping children. So what we do is we engage young people here in North America to help their underprivileged peers overseas.
BASED IN TORONTO, THE CHARITY BUILDS SCHOOLS AND FUNDS CLEAN WATER PROJECTS-- AMONG MANY OTHER CRITICAL ENDEAVORS AROUND THE WORLD—TO HELP FAMILIES BREAK OUT OF THE CYCLE OF POVERTY. OLIVER AND MARC ARE FELLOW CANADIANS WHO BECAME FRIENDS AT HARVARD. MARC CO-FOUNDED FREE THE CHILDREN AND ALSO WROTE A BOOK.
Marc Kielburger:
Me to We is kind of a guiding philosophy, more than anything. It’s a very simple philosophy. It’s asking people to focus less on “me” and more on “we.” And by doing so we get involved in our communities in local, national and international issues.
IN LATE 2005, THE TWO MEN FOUNDED ME TO WE STYLE—WITH THE EXPRESS PURPOSE TO HELP FUND FREE THE CHILDREN.
Oliver Madison:
Fifty percent of Me to We Style’s profits go back to Free the Children every year. The other fifty percent are reinvested back into the enterprise, to ensure viability, growth and survival. I’d say it’s a groundbreaking arrangement. We’re not aware of any other business that has taken it to this level.
THIS UNIQUE ARRANGEMENT BETWEEN BUSINESS AND CHARITY HAS ATTRACTED A LOT OF ATTENTION. AND SOME OF ME TO WE STYLE’S BIGGEST FANS ARE MANY OF ITS YOUNGEST CONSUMERS.
I’m Laura. I’m 18 years old.
I’m Jay and I’m 17.
I’m Sahil and I’m 17.
MEET A FEW OF THE STUDENTS FROM CAWTHRA PARK SECONDARY SCHOOL, OUTSIDE TORONTO.
Christina, Student:
Cawthra is an art school. There are four different programs you can go into. There’s dance, drama, visual arts and music. I, myself, am a drama major.
Melanie, Student:
I’m a flute major.
Sahil, Student:
Currently I’m majoring in visual arts.
TODAY, THESE TALENTED, MOTIVATED TEENS ARE DOING A COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT…
Jay, Student:
It’s fun to just like get your hands dirty.
Melanie, Student:
It just kind of makes you feel like you’re giving something back to the earth.
AND THEY’RE PROUDLY WEARING THEIR TEES.
Paige, Student:
Every day when you walk down the halls you can see at least one person wearing the shirts.
Melanie, Student:
It’s a Me to We shirt. It’s organic cotton and it represents the trip we went on.
THE GROUP RECENTLY GOT BACK FROM A SCHOOL TRIP TO ECUADOR.
Paige, Student:
It was life changing.
Peter, Student:
It was absolutely the best experience I’ve had in my life.
Sahil, Student:
Amazing-- it was phenomenal.
Laura, Student:
We were there for two weeks and we got to live with families and work in a small community.
Paige, Student:
It’s luscious and green and then as you’re driving up the countryside you start to see the way people live in their homes and their farms. It opens your eyes.
Shannon, Student:
The people there, they were just so welcoming and so full of love.
Laura, Student:
The first couple of days in Yunguilla we had to dismember the bridge and rebuild it and pave it so that was a lot of teamwork and a lot of hard work. It was a lot of fun.
Jessica, Student:
It feels like a whole other world when you’re traveling because everything’s so different. We were a lucky group of kids.
TO GET FROM TORONTO TO QUITO AND EVENTUALLY THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, THE GROUP USED A LOT OF FUEL.
Sahil, Student:
We did take a lot of planes, buses, boats. It kind of seems a little hypocritical to be going on this ecological trip and having all this carbon to pay back.
Laura, Student:
We have a massive carbon debt and tree planting isn’t going to fill it all up but we’re trying.
THE GROUP BUILT UP A FINANCIAL DEBT TOO—AND THEY ALSO NEED MONEY TO BUY MORE TREES.
Paige, Student:
We’re going to be using the shirts to raise money to help pay back our financial funds. I buy a lot of their shirts for me personally but also for clubs and organizations that I’m the head of or I’m a part of and it’s just another way for advertising and just another way to live your life a little greener.
Oliver Madison:
School groups are an incredible source for us of kids who are motivated to spread our message. Kids are often very engaged; they’re idealistic. They’re learning about the issues; they want to create positive change.
Melanie, Student:
We definitely have more of an awareness now. I’m not sure if it’s the media or just the education we get but I feel like a lot of my friends are eco-friendly.
Peter, Student:
You really want to make sure you take care because you really don’t want to ruin the world for everyone else.
Paige, Student:
I think it’s just something inside of us, in the youth of today. It’s just something we’re all really into because it’s going to affect us all eventually so why not start now.
AND THE SIMPLE TEE IS ONE WAY TO START SPREADING THE WORD.