Give young people a voice with Thraedable and The Big Issue Shop

Fashion always needs to make a statement – and Thraedable knows this better than anyone.

The social enterprise is calling for a world where everybody has a voice, where everybody’s rights are respected and where sustainability is the norm.

To build this world, Thraedable is making clothes that amplify the voices of the downtrodden and forgotten by using the artwork that young people design in its art workshops as inspiration for a range of trendy t-shirts and tote bags, now available in The Big Issue Shop.

Each design tells a story of a journey through life, a journey like Emmanuel’s.

The rock music fanatic fled Nigeria after deserting the army and found himself arrested in Sicily for smuggling – despite being forced by Libyan militias making the perilous trip across the Mediterranean to Europe to read the compass on their boat.

The turning point for Emmanuel came when he joined art workshops in Sicily run by one of Thraedable’s partner organisations that also provides free legal aid for those excluded by the Italian refugee reception system.

Emmanuel’s eye-catching drawing of a traditional African mask has now been turned into one of the social enterprise’s organic, ethically produced t-shirts with 50 per cent of all gross profits heading straight back to Sicily.

This is the case with all of Thraedable’s associated causes whether it be supporting fellow migrants arriving at refugee centres on the island of Lesbos in Greece or helping children in Tunisia with Xeroderma Pigmentosum, a rare genetic condition that makes the skin hypersensitive to UV light.

The social echo is woven into the fabric of the ethical business from top to bottom with every product respecting people and the planet from production to delivery, using only organic materials, water-based inks and biodegradable mailers.

You can get your hands on this perspective-altering gear in The Big Issue Shop here.