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Forward-thinking fashion

Words by Smiley Team

If you practice yoga, or frequent a gym or swimming pool, you may be familiar with the routine of stuffing sweaty or wet kit into a plastic bag afterwards, which then stinks out your backpack for the rest of the day. Entrepreneurs and yoga buddies David Balhuizen and Sarah Hecks wondered if they could tackle this sticky problem, whilst also creating a positive social impact. When David met one of the heads from Central Saint Martins (CSM), London’s world-renown art and design school, the idea began to take shape.

“We discussed bridging education and enterprise,” says David. “Teaching the students some entrepreneurial skills, but also creating a community interest business that supports students at home and abroad in the world of fashion.”

Project_Sweat was born, a social enterprise that empowers women in the fashion supply chain, as well as reducing plastic bag use. The product for sale is a waterproof, lightweight gym bag, adorned with unique prints created by two female design graduates from Central Saint Martins. Twenty-five per cent of the profits are channelled into the school’s hardship fund, to help students in financial need. Another 25% is donated to the Asian University for Women (AUW) in Bangladesh, specifically their Pathways for Promise programme, which offers full scholarships to high-potential clothing factory workers.

“Those women are often the breadwinners,” says David, “and they can’t go to university because not only are the fees unaffordable, but they can’t take the time out from their jobs. The Asian University for Women provides the finance and opportunity for that to happen.”

Selling the gym bag online and via a handful of stockists, the first production line of 500 – released a year ago – has nearly sold out. Having signed a five-year contract with the Asian University for Women, David is making plans for Project_Sweat to develop further – including fostering closer ties in Bangladesh.

“We’re looking for funds to scale up,” he says. “The second production run will hopefully be a few thousand bags. If our commercial success grows, then we can increase our investment in students, both here and at the AUW. I’d like to go out there, and maybe give workshops on enterprise. That would be amazing."

To get in contact with David or buy one of Project_Sweat’s gym bags, go to www.projectsweat.org

By Theo Hooper

Photo by Emily Sea on Unsplash

 

This article aligns with the following UN SDGs

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