A new boutique fashion brand has been created in Canberra and launched nationwide, with the aim of helping charities with every garment sold.
kindpeople., the latest initiative by online fundraising expert and author Carlos Aguilera, is merging style with philanthropy.
Launched under the umbrella of Carlos' digital marketing agency chillibeanmedia, kindpeople. is "not just another fashion label".
It's a brand "with a mission to do good". For every T-shirt sold, $5 will be donated to a selected charity partner.
For the first 500 T-shirts sold, kindpeople. has chosen to support PainAustralia, an organisation dedicated to advocating for the 3.4 million Australians living with chronic pain.
Carlos, who is also a board member of Painaustralia, said he had no real idea of what it felt like to live daily with chronic pain until he recently suffered a bout of shingles.
"With kindpeople., we're not just sending out stylish garments, we're sending hope to millions who suffer daily," he said.
"We see you, and we stand with you because kindness is always in fashion, and so is helping millions who suffer."
PainAustralia chief executive Giulia Jones was excited about the partnership.
"The clothing is comfy, it's flattering and it helps others - what more could you ask for in a T-shirt? Our whole office is wearing them," she said.
"Get on board, promote this awesome Canberra startup, and get your team, your family, and your co-workers wearing kindness today."
Born in Santiago, Chile, under dictatorship, Carlos immigrated to Australia in 1991, bringing with him a "deep sense of resilience and a passion for social justice".
Carlos's commitment to social impact extends beyond his business endeavours. From 2015 to 2017, he worked in the Middle East, helping persecuted and marginalised people escape ISIS.
He even ran an ultra-marathon in 2015, running 63km across Israel and Palestine to raise $30,000 for persecuted minorities.
After time in the public service, Carlos started digital marketing company chillibeanmedia in Canberra in 2018, specialising in producing resources for non-profit organisations.
Last year, he wrote the paperback Great Online Fundraising, which reached No.1 in Australia on Amazon in the organisational management category.
Carlos's latest project, kindpeople., was unashamedly a way to convince particularly younger people to buy a cool T-shirt - and make a contribution to charity.
"We're starting with T-shirts because that's the easiest thing to make and then we're moving into hoodies and we'll have a winter line and with some local charities, we want to not only give them money but garments to give out to vulnerable people," he said.
Carlos said kindpeople. had also been set up as an ethical brand, with manufacturing in India but under controlled circumstances.
"We've empowered local cotton farmers to actually produce the end-to-end product," he said.
"So we can control what people are paid so they can earn a decent amount and a lot more than anywhere else.
"It's an important aspect. Just because we're in this [fashion] game doesn't mean we're like everyone else. We're entirely different and we're going to keep it that way."
- See more at kindpeople.au.
