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ExploreWe recently spoke to Jeff Woodrow about his Canadian based tshirt enterprise Joy Apparel. The concept behind the brand is totally inspired and combined with the ultra comfy vintage feel tshirts makes for a memorable product. Every Joy tshirt has a face on it and every face has been inspired by a real person. As a customer, when wearing your shirt you are encouraged to think about that person and how your everyday actions can affect others and the world we live in. You can also submit yourself to appear on a future tshirt. Jeff is a genuinely cool guy who approaches business in a creative, ethical and extremely mindful way that a lot of larger companies could learn a great deal from.
TH: So, Jeff, can you tess us what your brand is all about?
JW: The essence of the Joy Apparel brand is to promote peace and equality on a global project. I always refer to it as project rather then an T-shirt company. A project that is encouraging people all over the world to think of each other and how our everyday actions can affect others and the world we live in regardless of race, gender, age, disability, sexuality and religion. The brand is also about connecting people and celebrating the the passions of regular everyday people in the world because we all have a passion.
TH: What first inspired the idea of Joy Apparel?
JW: The idea first came to me upon drawing a portrait of a dear friend from Japan named Megumu whom I had met while working on a cruise ship. Sometimes in life you meet these amazing people but they only come into our lives for a short period of time. To honour my new friend Megumu, I drew his face and printed it on a T-shirt. When I would wear it around everyone was always curious about the portrait and there is this general assumption that if you are wearing someone they must be famous or really important. From there the idea grew…why not strangers simply wearing one another. The project began with 18 friends from all around the world that I had met while working on the cruise ship. Today we have well over 1250 portraits of people that we have drawn from all over the world.
TH: Did you have a background in design or business that helped you launch Joy Apparel?
JW: I studied Fine Arts at the University of Waterloo and then went on to do a post grad diploma in film. Upon completing my studies I was working as a film editor, broadcast designer and compositor. I worked so hard to get there but one day I found myself staring out the window in my little office and I realized I was putting all of my time and creative effort into projects that where in no way helping to make the world a better place. The work I was doing was not fulfilling so I decided to quit. I had the idea for Joy Apparel in my mind at the time but I had no idea how to screen print and I had no formal business training. I enrolled in some community business classes and also took some screen printing workshops, bought a book on how to build a website and started everything from the ground up. I have certainly made a lot of mistakes along the way but I have also learned a ton.
TH: How do you select which people/faces end up on a tshirt?
JW: The way the faces get chosen, is that after you buy a shirt from our website, we automatically email you a participate code. You then become a participant in the project by uploading your photo. The idea is that everyone who buys a shirt then gets to submit there photo and that photo is then drawn by hand and worn on the heart of another. The motto of the company is “Think of someone else for a change”
TH: We hear you’re hitting the road this year to spread Joy all over the USA, what are your plans for it?
JW: I have had the pleasure of driving all across Canada over the past two summers. I fill up my little hatchback with Tee’s, my tent and a little stove and I hit the road going to various music and folk festivals along the way.
Here is a little video of my adventures on the road:
This year I am hoping to travel to the states… which is a bit overwhelming but I am excited about the potential. A few places I would like to visit this summer with my Tee’s would include Chicago, Brooklyn and Boston.
TH: What made you want to keep everything strictly Canadian in the manufacturing process?
JW: After driving across this great country a few times, it was really sad to see that so many small communities that once had a sustainable source of revenue slowly died because we began to rely on imported goods that were cheap. Manufacturing sectors dried up and there was no work left for many of these small towns and we have become very dependent on importing goods. While I don’t necessarily think that all importing is bad, I strongly believe that we need to think about buying local whenever possible. Supporting local manufacturing is very important to me and I am very proud that my T-shirts are made of the highest standards here in Canada. All of the manufacturing is done ethically and I like to be involved in every stage. I also don’t think that importing goods is going to be a sustainable option as the cost of oil continues to climb.
TH: What do you hope tshirt lovers will take away from owning your gear?
JW: I hope that everyone who wears a Joy T-shirt will do so because they are advocates for social change. I hope that by wearing a Joy Tee, it will encourage people to do something nice for a complete stranger… I think the world could use some more random acts of kindness. It is a conversation piece and more importantly I hope that it will always be a thought provoking movement.
TH: Where would you like to see Joy in 3 years?
JW: The ultimate goal with Joy Apparel is to be able to use this company as a tool to fund other philanthropic projects. The goal is always to promote peace and equality but in three years I would like to see several small Joy studios set up around the world where the T-shirts can be made locally in a developing country with the proceeds going back into that community to help with sustainable development. We are always collaborating and working with various local charities. We are currently working with a Youth Shelter here in Toronto, teaching youth how to screen print and I want the philanthropic efforts to always be the driving force behind the company.
Check out more info and shop the current Jay Apparel collection: right here
