The Raw Label Story

Have you ever experienced the butterflies in your stomach when thinking of all the ‘what ifs’? We have. We have experienced the thrill, the passion, and the excitement that comes from trying something brand new. We took a risk, and created Raw Label. Do we have all the answers? No. We didn’t, and probably never will. But that’s okay. Raw Label is an experiment, and for this reason we are happy pursue this opportunity.

 

The first year of Raw Label has been hectic, hard work, and filled with trial and error. But it has been exciting! We’ve learned about the process of hiring a photographer, doing a photo shoot, creating a website, designing artwork and manufacturing t‐shirts. We still got some things wrong, but how could we not –we are not connoisseurs of t-shirt design, after all!

 

This process is not 100% perfect (although is it ever?). In our situation, we dealt with the limited resources of a startup, but we pushed on nonetheless. Furthermore, Raw Label has been a part-time project. We are proud of what we have accomplished thus far!

 

What we have learned about trying something new:

  • To never lose hope!
  • Don’t expect to get things right the first time – but this is okay.
  • Always believe strongly and completely in your dreams because if you don’t, then who will?

 

What we have learned about starting a clothing business:

  • T-shirts are more complicated than they seem
  • The world of photography and modeling is complex
  • The research, design, and development of marketing materials.
  • Starting a clothing company is no easy task. A clothing business has many moving parts, each requiring tremendous skill and discipline to bring it all together. However, if you stick with it, the hard work will be worth it in the end.

 

Thus far in our journey, we have accomplished a multitude of milestones. We started a brand new business, created our first line of clothing, created this very blog, and learned the intricacies of a t-shirt company. We have learned so much, and what we have learned will only serve to help us as we continue to grow as a company.

 

Now, we are hard at work designing a new and improved website, a new sales model, new T-shirt designs, and a brand new perspective for Raw Label. We’re going back to the drawing board, and when we come back we will have a product that is new, exciting, and will stimulate important conversations. There is a unique thrill in trying something brand new and the learning curve that accompanies such a journey. We are working hard, constantly experimenting and learning in order to bring you a better product. We have a burring desire to pursue the exciting and the unordinary.

 

So join us on this exciting roller coaster and stay tuned for what we have in store! Our process may not be perfect but remember, the person who dares to try will end up infinitely further ahead than the person who never dares to try.

Raw Label: It Starts Here

Change Is A Good Thing

picedit

“The only thing that is constant in life is change”

More often than not, we shy away from change. We burry ourselves in the familiar, rarely daring to venture beyond what is comfortable. Why is this? Nothing worth having comes from comfort zones; greatness is only attained when we dare to go beyond – sometimes far beyond – what we find to be ‘safe’. And in our heart of hearts, we know this. Truly, we do. But frankly it can be terrifying to take such a leap, to put your faith in something before it is tangible.

The start of a new year is the perfect time to embrace the concept of change. Cliché as it may be, there is just something about the fresh start that comes with the ending of one year and the beginning of another. With this in mind we would like to take this time to welcome you to 2015 and, belated though this may be, we want to wish you a happy new year!

Maybe you have some resolutions for this new year. We do too. We’ve resolved to constantly strive to create the best products we can for our customers and those of you who follow this journey. So, we’re making some changes around here. We think they’re pretty exciting – and we are gearing up to tell you all about them!

Stay tuned to the blog to learn about the intricacies of our journey as well as the changes we have in the works!

Welcome!

If you’re reading this post, congratulations! You’ve found our new blog. We’ve moved in order to provide you, our readers, with the most up-to-date and professional experience possible from this blog. You’ll get the same great content (okay, maybe we’re a bit biased, but we hope you agree!), just with a new and improved blog.

Once again, we thank you for reading and following along with our journey!

Sincerely, the Raw Label team.

Reflections

2014 is coming to a close. Perhaps this year flew by, or perhaps you could not be happier to see it go. As we find ourselves here again, at the end of another year, we are forced to a point of reflection whether we like it or not.

On a global scale, 2014 has been hectic, tragic, confusing, and inspiring. We have seen crisis after crisis, tragedy after tragedy, heartbreak after heartbreak. The year began with crisis in Ukraine. The Sochi Olympics brought controversy and poor construction. As winter turned to spring, a plane vanished from thin air, over 200 girls were abducted in Nigeria, and ISIS made its first big appearance. Summer saw the exponential surging of the Ebola epidemic, continued rise of ISIS, unrest in Ferguson, and an eruption of fighting and violence in Gaza. And finally, as fall ends and winter begins, the United States has begun an airstrike campaign in Syria. Nationwide protests have erupted following the Ferguson grand jury decision. The Ebola epidemic continues to ravage West Africa with no end in sight.

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Photo by: Joshua Earle

When looking at this overview, it is easy to fall into a trap of hopelessness and pessimism. However, I do not want to spend my time pointing out the negatives of the world. Rather, I aim to bring your attention to the positives, for there are many. Lets take a look at a few examples.

On November 24th, a grand jury announced the decision not to indict officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown. Protests went nationwide. The impact can be viewed as nothing short of astounding. These protests occurred all over the United States. City centers. Colleges. Even musicians and professional athletes were among those protesting. This is an example of the power of the people. Lest you find yourself feeling powerless in the confusing of the world, just remember: we as citizens posses the power to make a difference.

Now, the Ebola epidemic is perhaps the most tragic story of the year. A terrible disease has ravaged a region, threatened global security, and alienated families and communities. But. We have also seen incredible examples of humanity throughout this same crisis. The Ebola fighters who have risked their lives over and over again to treat the infected show the best that humanity has to offer.

These are just two examples of the good that exists in our confusing and often violent world. Yes, there is conflict, disease, and poverty. But that is not the message I want you to take away from reading this blog. I want you to read these words and walk away feeling hopeful, optimistic, and inspired, regardless of the daunting world around us. The holidays are upon us – what better time is there to appreciate the good?

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Photo by: SplitShire

This is a time for love, for compassion, and for optimism. If ever you feel overwhelmed, remind yourself of all the good the world has to offer – for in fact, there is much.

From all of us at here at Raw Label Wear, we wish you a happy and healthy holiday season!

The New York Times, BBC, Al Jazeera…Facebook?

Are you on Facebook?

Probably – roughly two-thirds (64%) of US adults are[1]. But, do you get your news from Facebook? If you said yes, you’re in good company. “According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 30% of US adults get their news via Facebook. Additionally, 10% get their news on YouTube, and 8% from Twitter.”

What does this tell us about the spread of news in our technological and interconnected world? It is dynamic and it spreads quickly, resulting in a population that is informed – but are we well informed?

That is the question.

 

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Photo by: Stuart Miles. Freedigitalphotos.net

How did you find out Osama Bin Laden had been killed?

I found out on Facebook. This is my first memory of learning of a major news story from social media, and maybe you had a similar experience. Is this trend a good thing or a bad thing? We don’t know. What we do know, however, is that the trend is increasing, and it therefore merits our attention.

Information now comes at a very large quantity – but is it quality?

Take the current Ebola crisis, for example. Amidst fear of the virus’s spread in the US, news coverage took off. Ebola was trending on twitter, it overtook the Facebook news feed, and it dominated television news. Of course, not all of this coverage is going to be useful. Misinformation began to circulate rampantly; rumors that the virus had mutated to become airborne being the most prominent example. CNN, one of the biggest culprits of this over-excessive coverage, published this article.

Yep, we get the irony. An epidemic of fear, termed ‘fearbola’, took root across the U.S. At the same time, the hashtag #factsnotfear became popular on twitter, aiming to spread the true facts, not just speculation and fear.

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Photo by: Master isolated images. Freedigitalphtos.net

 

How can you navigate this slew of information?

What is quality, and what is propaganda?

Social media seems like it’s here to stay, so we must learn to discern what is factual and what is not. Social media is a tool; your Facebook profile, your twitter feed, these are just additional outlets for conversation. So, use them! You can get your news and talk about it within the same platform, and that is pretty cool. The example of the Ebola epidemic shows how both positive and negative information can be spread via social media, so it is important to be an astute consumer of this information onslaught.

We encourage you to talk about the information you read, in order to decode it and form your own opinions. Whether this is online or in person (with your friends, your coworkers, etc), the power of conversation is one of the most powerful tools we as human beings possess, and at Raw Label our goal is to encourage and inspire conversations that matter!

 

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments section!

 

[1] http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/09/24/how-social-media-is-reshaping-news/

An Inside Look: What’s In A Team?

What does it mean to be part of a team?

It is a responsibility. It is a commitment, an obligation, and a duty. But it is also an honor and a joy. Working well with others as a team member is a uniquely important skill that presents many a challenge but, if done well, is one of life’s most rewarding tasks. Here at Raw Label, the value of teamwork is constantly proven.

Let’s take a look.

A new team must learn to work together to accomplish tasks and to overcome obstacles. In our first two weeks as team members, we had ample practice in these matters! As luck would have it, we began our journey with Raw Label just as flu season hit – and hit it did! Within two weeks, nearly the entire team became ill.

What did this mean? Well, we just had to buckle down, communicate extensively, and learn to trust and help each other.
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Photo by: picjumbo

 

One particular challenge our team faces lies in our schedules. Each team member has a slightly different schedule, meaning that we do not often see each other aside from our bi-weekly meetings. How do we communicate, you may ask? We rely heavily on technology and accountability. Does this make things more challenging? Absolutely. But does it make these same things impossible? Absolutely not. In fact, we rather enjoy the challenge. Tackling obstacles head on, especially as a member of a team, is another one of those particularly fulfilling tasks we encounter in life.

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Photo by: picjumbo

 

So, what can you gain from reading our story? We hope that you are encouraged to go out and chase what you believe in. We believe in Raw Label and although we may face challenges, these same challenges are exactly what make our work so rewarding.

Do you have negative experiences working with a team? Give it another shot. Keep searching, because when you find something you are passionate about, and people you enjoy working with, the challenges become exciting. What once seemed daunting becomes plausible. Challenge yourself, and challenge others. Within this camaraderie and teamwork, you may just find you can accomplish more than you ever thought possible. And that is exactly what you will find is possible when a team comes together.

To Speak the Truth

By: Casey Malone

Photo by: Instant Vintage

Photo by: Instant Vintage

What did you talk about today?

Think about it. My guess is the norm—yesterday’s mishap, today’s stress and tomorrow’s uncertainty. If you think even harder, I bet you’ve had these conversations, or ones like it, before. And that’s fine. We need to talk about that stuff. It’s healthy! But it rarely gets us to think beyond ourselves and those we’re talking to. It places us within a bubble, afraid to branch out. Our issues matter, but there are bigger ones to discuss.

We’ve deemed them “the untouchables”—the subjects no one really wants to bring up. Issues like politics, race, class, our general existence, are deep. They bring about some pretty heated opinions. But, daunting as they are, they’re important. They drive the world and fuel ongoing concerns.

In August, the shooting of a young black man, Michael Brown, sparked protests and unrest in the town of Ferguson, Missouri. Since then the news media has been abuzz, discussing the ever-present racism in America. Summer also brought the ALS Ice Bucket challenge, a campaign to raise money and awareness for Lou Gehrig’s Disease by asking nominees to dump buckets of ice water on their heads. But this in turn raised concerns about water waste.

These issues matter, and they should to everyone. And that’s just two of millions. But did you talk about them? Conversations like race and water waste remain in the news.

But how about in you?

Photo by: fMoya

By: fMoya

It’s time to start talking.

Here at Raw Label Wear we strive to bring attention to relevant topics. We present the facts, you bring the conversation. It’s wear with meaning, a springboard to share your thoughts and opinions about how the world works. We encourage you to be open. Don’t shy away from what you, or society, deem too sensitive. We want to hear what you have to say and we think others should too. We know it’s comfortable to stick to the norm, but comfort rarely brings change.

Let’s be brave. Change the topic. Make it “touchy;” be raw, and get people talking. Discussions fuel ideas, and ideas present outlets for progressive change.

So, start talking. Let’s see where it can take us.

Reinvent Your Conversations

“Fashion is a language that creates itself in clothes to interpret reality”.

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Photo by: SplitShire

Clothing is ubiquitous.

Society dictates that we must wear it. Our independence, then, comes from what clothing we choose to wear. The landscape of today’s apparel most often consists of clothing with pretty designs and/or commercial branding. While such designs may be entertaining and fun, they provide little substance.

Here at Raw Label we aim to do something different. Our company strives to inspire intellectual conversation about the things that matter, and we hope that others will join us in this act of sharing and discussing.

With the emergence of the information age, average citizens gained the ability to become revolutionary. In 2011, a single mans self-immolation in Tunisia set off a wave of revolutions around the Middle East, a phenomenon we now know by the name Arab Spring. The effects of this movement are still readily apparent to this day, with continuing unrest in nations such Tunisia and Yemen and the ever-raging civil war in Syria.

So, what does this have to do with a T-shirt, you ask? At Raw Label we believe in intellectual conversation about difficult topics, particularly those most often deemed “untouchable”. The space on your body that your clothes occupy is valuable yet, as we said, so often underutilized.

This is where Raw Label comes in.

We aim to reinvent the real estate of clothing, to make it more meaningful and to give it a purpose. Our designs inspire you to talk about the world with those around you – your friends, your family, or perhaps even a fellow passenger on the bus.

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Photo by: David Marcu

Be curious. Be informed. Talk about the difficult things. We hope that our designs remind you just how important conversation is to our global and interconnected world. As we move forward as a company, we aim to organically market ourselves and hope you are persuaded to join this movement with us.

This blog will follow along in our journey. It will keep up with and follow not only the progress of our company but current events as well, and will provide a comfortable environment for debate.

Raw Label: It Starts Here.