White Apricot

SHOW YOUR SPIRIT!

OUR PICKS FOR THE TOP TEES WITH A CAUSE

by Bonny Osterhage

Wearing your heart on your sleeve is so yesterday. Today’s tee designs let you bare your soul with pride! We’ve rounded up some of the best statement-making tees that are eco-friendly, socially conscious, stylish and lived-in soft.

 

Be sure to look for the White Apricot symbol next to many items. Click on it to go to our exclusive offers for great discounts on these & many other products!

 

CERTAINTEES
Made from super soft bamboo and organic cotton, and featuring images depicting social justice, freedom, farming and more, each design is a mini work of art…no surprise since they are created by artist Lee Tracy. A portion of the proceeds are donated to the causes depicted on the shirts, like World Bicycle Relief and the Voices and Faces Project. We are loving the Lotus design from the Peace series. www.certaintees.com.

 

WISDOM TEES
Positive and inspiring affirmations are the inspiration behind Wisdom Tees. The most popular styles are available in 100% organic cotton and all of the styles feature non-toxic, water-based ink, which lends them a cool vintage feel. Ten percent of proceeds is donated to Kiva, an organization that supports entrepreneurs in developing countries. The “One Planet, One Karma” design pretty much sums up this company’s philosophy. www.wisdomteesonline.com.

 

 

TEES FOR CHANGE
Buy a tee and plant a tree. Tees For Change has partnered with American Forests’ Global Releaf and for every shirt purchased at the retail price, a tree will be planted in an effort to replenish the forests. Each shirt is made from organic cotton or an organic cotton/bamboo blend and features inspirational phrases such as “today matters’ and our favorite, “practice kindness.” www.teesforchange.com.

 

POSITIVITEE

Positively refreshing is the only way to describe the collection of organic shirts from PositiviTee. Created by a mom of three and her 12-year-old daughter, each shirt features a design that represents a non-profit organization. Select from Save the Children, Oceana, The Good Dog Foundation and many other worthwhile endeavors. Ten percent from the purchase of each shirt is donated to the cause depicted on the front. www.positivitee.com.

 

 

WILDLIFE WORKS

We are so behind any company that supports wildlife conservation. Proceeds from these animal-themed tees go to protecting wilderness habitats, creating jobs, building schools and providing other economic benefits for those people who share their land and resources with wildlife. The company's current project is the Rukinga Wildlife Sanctuary in Kenya.The organization has a large celebrity following, including Charlize Theron, Robert Downey, Jr and Alicia Silverstone. Shown here is the Elephant Portrait Boatneck Tee. www.wildlifeworks.com.

 

CONSCIENCETEES

Okay, this one does literally wear its cause on its sleeve with its eco conscious tees that promote the need to save and protect the environment. Choose from many styles with designs on the front and the sleeve that support everthing from peace (pictured here) to ocean conservation. Consciencetees donates $5 from the sale of every shirt to your choice of The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace or the Surfrider Foundation. www.consciencetees.com.

 

 

 

EDUN
From one of the greatest U2 songs ever (in our humble opinion) comes the “One Campaign” Tee Shirt from EDUN, created by Ali Hewson and Bono. The organic cotton tees feature a graphic of Africa with the word “One,” to illustrate that together we can help fight poverty in Africa. The campaign features such high-wattage stars as Ben Affleck, Gwenyth Paltrow and Liv Tyler, sporting the shirts for a cause, and you can too by going to www.edunonline.com.

 

WE ADD UP
Stand up and be counted in the fight against global warming when you purchase a shirt from We Add Up. Each organic cotton tee depicts an action that anyone can take to reduce our carbon footprint. Created by a mother-daughter artist team, the graphics are simple and direct and each shirt features your own hand-printed number that represents your position in the global count. One hundred percent of the profits from WE ADD UP tees are donated to non-profit environmental organizations, including The Alliance for Climate Protection, StopGlobalWarming.org, and The Green Project in New Orleans. We are partial to the “Shower Together” design that encourages water conservation. Choose your action at www.weaddup.com.

 

CLOTHING OF THE AMERICAN MIND

Now, here's a t-shirt company that has it all going on.  It’s called Clothing of the American Mind (COTAM, for short) and the collection is environmentally safe and responsible, politically and socially conscious, sweatshop free, American made and Fair Trade. And, a portion of sales is donated directly to progressive causes and candidates fighting for issues of social and political justice, including electoral reform, supporting our troops by bringing them home, preserving the environment, protecting women’s rights and countless other causes.  Plus…they’re really cool. These 100% organic tees for women, men, kids and babies, which come in short and long sleeve styles, as well as tank tops, contain messages like “Peace and Vote” and "Stop War, Yield for Peace" in totally hip designs. It’s no surprise that the company has a huge celebrity following, including Natalie Portman, Deborah Messing, Jamie Lee Curtis, Adam Levine and members of Maroon 5, Josh Brolin, Hillary Swank, Ellen DeGeneres and so many more.  We love the company’s message, which is that anyone can bring political activism into their lives just by getting dressed. Take a stand. www.cotam.org