Born out of a passion for wildlife, That Gorilla Brand do things differently. Leo and Casey explained their passion behind the label, “We started our journey to create something bigger than a fashion brand. By supporting a charity which means something to us, not only are we are actively helping this organisation by donating money, it allows us to give something back which gives us and hopefully in time the wider fashion industry, a new perspective on work and life.” For every item sold, That Gorilla Brand donates €2 to The Gorilla Organization. Each season That Gorilla Brand will also nominate one exclusive piece from their women’s, men’s and kids’ collections and give 100% of the profits directly to this amazing cause.
For more than two decades, The Gorilla Organization has worked to save gorillas from extinction and supported the anti-poaching patrols created by the pioneering primatologist Dr Dian Fossey. Building on her legacy, the charity looked into the reasons why poaching was so prevalent in Africa’s national parks. Their findings led them to form the foundations of their innovative community-led approach to conservation. In 2002, they took their current name, and continued to expand the scope of their field projects. The fundraising and administration headquarters are based in London, supporting their field work in Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo. As well as supporting ranger patrols, their projects include organic farming, tree planting, education of women and children, and gorilla-friendly bee keeping. These initiatives give impoverished communities the opportunity to earn a substantial income, without having to rely on the natural resources found in the gorilla’s forest home. At the same time, conservation education projects such as radio programmes, children’s wildlife clubs and portable pedal-powered cinemas allow them to spread the message of gorilla conservation to communities across Central and East Africa.
The Gorilla Organisation projects have transformed the lives of thousands of people and have also helped to safeguard Africa’s critically endangered gorillas, but their work is by no means done. Through the dedicated clothing brand That Gorilla Brand, the organisation can continue this fundamental work. The collaboration with The Gorilla Organization is an integral part of That Gorilla Brand and sits at the heart of everything the brand does.
Though a worthy cause, the brand hasn’t lost site of the fact that customers want to support a good cause but also want fashionable, wearable and fun products. The range of T-shirts, hoodies and caps all feature unique, gorilla inspired designs and graphics to make them stand out. The products are all beautifully made in Portugal using good quality fabrics and organic cotton, with attention to detail in the finishings such as brand toggles, embroidery and design placements.
Leo and Casey encourage you to discover That Gorilla Brand, ‘join the troop’ and help them “do better, be better and build a better world.” I, for one, will definitely be supporting their passionate cause.
www.thatgorillabrand.com