Back in their college days, two university students decided to participate in a semester at sea to travel the world while studying in over 15 countries. Ryan Westberg and Jeff Steitz found themselves meeting amazing people with heartwarming stories in every corner of the globe. Many of these people had a passion for their country and culture’s authentic fabrics.
Upon their return, the two students wanted to create a special clothing brand that would not only be fashionable for those who could afford it, but would also give back to the communities which inspire each product they create. They named their new creative clothing company Serengetee and launched their first line out of their dorm room in the spring of 2012.
Serengetee has come a long way since their first line. The two boys chipped in every penny they owned and managed to launch their business with less than $3,000. Today, the founders have traveled to over 65 countries in order to expand a brand that already has fabrics and charities in half of those countries, officially making Serengetee one of the fastest growing clothing brands in the world. Their store currently offers patterned designs in a variety of pocket tees, fanny packs, backpacks, laptop cases, totes, headbands, hats, button earrings, and even pillows! But Serengetee is way more than just a clothing brand that gives back to the larger community. The company also opened several fabric making co-ops around the world that help provide sustainable jobs in areas of poverty.
Serengetee also helps young students in high school and college gain marketing experience by becoming a representative for the clothing company. These students mainly focus on social media marketing, but get to use their creativity at the end of their semester by creating a project that the company could use as a part of their platform. The representative whose project is chosen gets the amazing opportunity to travel with the founders of the company to their next country in search for their next charity and design.
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“Two years ago we were introduced to a women in Guatemala name Rosa by our friends at Living on One,” Westberg said. “She was in a tough position, she was living in poverty, jobless and not sure if she was going to be able to finish high school, despite being in her 20’s. She did know how to weave though, so we had her start making fabric for us. We took this fabric to the US and told her story with Living on One and the demand quickly kept growing. Since then, Rosa has completed high school and has been able to save up enough money through her fabric sales to put herself through nursing school. Not only that, but she can no longer meet the demand of her fabric, so she sought out the help of now 25 women in her community to weave for us.”
All together, Serengetee has already given back over $150,000 to causes around the world.
This clothing brand is what LA Fashion thinks the world needs a lot more of. Every brand should use their popularity and good fortune to give back to the larger community, but it seems like such an amazing idea to just incorporate the two! Serengetee is definitely a brand that we want to keep an eye on, because we trust they will, in fact, make a difference on this planet we call Earth.
The company recently posted on their social media accounts exciting news that they will be releasing their new line with MTV star Tyler Posey in the next couple of weeks! Stay tuned for a follow-up on what LA Fashion thinks about Serengetee’s newest line!
