DUBLIN, Ireland, July 31 /PRNewswire/ — edun LIVE is a core brand extension of the socially conscious clothing label Edun and began in 2005 when it produced the promotional merchandise for U2’s ‘Vertigo’ tour. From the fields where the cotton is picked, to the spinning, knitting and finally the garment making, all edun LIVE products are 100% produced in Africa with options of either 100% African certified organic or 100% combed African cotton. edun LIVE calls this initiative ‘grower to sewer’ African, meaning that every step of the supply chain benefits from the production of the t- shirt.
The brand’s sole mission is to increase trade and drive long-term sustainable employment in sub-Saharan Africa. This mission will be reached via the high-volume sales of blank merchandising t-shirts, which will be marketed specifically to the promotional products industries.
The t-shirts are essentially a blank canvas for companies, schools, non- profits, artists, bands and brands to use as promotional merchandise. Anyone with a desire to encourage products made ‘grower to sewer’ in Africa can benefit from an association with edun LIVE.
Since launch, countries of manufacture have increased from Lesotho through to Uganda, Tanzania, and South Africa with the fabric being sourced from Mauritius, Uganda and Tanzania and raw cotton from various countries in Africa. In order to augment trade, edun LIVE aims to put forth a business model that is a proof of concept to other companies. In effect, a demonstration that big brands can do business — and do it very well — with developing countries like those in sub-Saharan Africa.
Edun LIVE has had the following positive impact on its factories to date: the hiring of additional employees from the local communities (fifty in one factory and thirty in another), increased capacity of at least 10%, and investment in incremental machinery. edun LIVE factory managers have also commented that since working with edun LIVE, they have not only witnessed an increase in production, but have also learned valuable skills in both merchandising and management.
In February of 2007, edun LIVE produced the first t-shirts made entirely in Uganda for export in the history of the country. This event was commemorated by a ceremony at the factory in Kampala, which was attended by President Yoweri Museveni, the US Ambassador, as well as the factory workers themselves. In addition, the t-shirts were 100% Ecocert certified garments (not just cotton), and the first t-shirts exported under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
Since its inception in 2005, edun LIVE has received orders for over $3,000,000 (1,500,000 pounds Sterling) worth of t-shirts all over the world, and it is gathering momentum every day. U2, Coldplay, R.E.M, Aveda, MAC Cosmetics, Amnesty International, Oxfam, and Live 8 are among a few of the big names and events that have ordered their t-shirts from edun LIVE. In addition to sales made in the traditional merchandising and promotional t-shirt market, edun LIVE has also started edun LIVE on Campus — a means for university students to get involved in the mission of edun LIVE through a true-to-life academic program whereby the students effectively run a t-shirt business. edun LIVE on Campus has met tremendous success so far, and Barnes and Noble College Bookstores will be selling the t-shirts in their stores this year.
The offering
The Edun design team designs edun LIVE products. One-third of the t-shirts are organic and are available in a pure color palette including Positively Black, Great White and Super Natural. The offering comprises unisex styles as well as men’s, women’s, toddlers and kids. With style names inspired by Mitochondrial Eve — the universal matrilineal ancestor to all humans who is believed to have lived over 140,000 years ago in what is now Ethiopia, Kenya or Tanzania.
To order
Product can be ordered on-line at http://www.edun-live.com, by phone +353 1256 1289 or through our distributors which are listed on the web site.
The product is competitively priced and is guaranteed to be shipped within a couple of days to anywhere in the world.
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