For Lance Griffin, a theater senior at UF, shopping for eco-friendly clothes was too much of a hassle.
It seemed every store he went to offered the same closet full of disappointment.
“I’d walk into a clothing store, and they would usually have a rack toward the back... and a lot of the clothes were either forest green or had giant recycling symbols,” he said.
Griffin developed a natural solution: He created a company offering a wider selection of environmentally friendly clothing.
Griffin’s company, Breathe Smile Love, was launched four months ago and offers those seeking environmentally friendly clothing and accessories an alternative to mainstream products.
“I knew I wanted to do something that would inspire people and uplift the world,” he said.
The company, whose concept took about a year and a half to develop, uses handmade designs on T-shirts made from organic cotton and bamboo. The company also sells tote bags.
The prices of the shirts range from about $15 to $25, while the tote bags cost $6.
The biggest challenge for the business is making the company’s name known as it competes with more mainstream products, Griffin said.
“Think about how much Nike and Adidas spend on advertising—that’s hard to compete against,” he said. “I think the product lends itself to people as opposed to people lending itself to the product.”
Building the business has cost about $2,000, he said.
Jill Casey, who bought three shirts and one bag from Griffin’s company, likes the design and the feel of the T-shirts.
“I love them,” Casey said. “I wear them all the time when it’s warm outside,” she said.
Griffin is holding a “Dream-a-Design” contest for which his company is accepting T-shirt ideas.
Profits from the sales of the selected shirt will go toward funding sustainable agricultural systems in developing countries.
For more information about the product, visit the company Web site at www.breathesmilelove.com.
