Impact
Global Impact Beyond the Walls of Life SA
GOEX Apparel was founded in 2012 as one of several global family strengthening initiatives through The Global Orphan Project. At GOEX, our purpose is to sustain fair wage jobs that empower families. Our employees are able to care for their children through the dignity of work. Today we want to share more about the larger family strengthening initiative our work in Haiti is a part of – read on to learn more! At GO Project, we believe that every child belongs in a healthy, loving family. While it’s common for all families to experience both high and low times, environmental and societal factors beyond their control can create overwhelming challenges that threaten to break families apart. When this happens, we believe that the local community, not governments or other systems, should be equipped and empowered to respond with the vital skills, resources, and relationships that families need to stay together. GO Project chooses to partner with and equip local churches, which can be found in every single community and who share a divine mandate to serve the vulnerable. Church leaders possess firsthand knowledge of the needs in their community and have the ability to train and mobilize various members of their congregation to strengthen and empower families in times of crisis or instability. In recent years, we’ve worked with our ministry partners to address the complex issues that can lead to family breakdown by developing a peer-based education and training program called Strong Families. The program, which is owned and implemented by members of the local church and surrounding community, focuses on empowering parents to care for their kids across eight domains of child and family wellbeing. This includes food and nutrition, shelter and care, protection, health, psychosocial, education and skills training, spirituality, and financial literacy. Thousands of families in the rural villages of Africa and Haiti have completed the Strong Families Program and are now sharing what they’ve learned and encouraging others to participate. Soon, the program will be implemented by our partners in India and Lebanon so that the children and families they serve can be equipped to stay together and thrive. And they, in turn, can invest in other families in their communities when they find themselves in times of crisis. At GOEX, we believe that every community has value can possess the skills and knowledge needed to uplift families and children. We believe that education, investment and equipping are the solutions needed to break the orphan cycle, not charity. Stay tuned to our blog for more stories about families and communities who have benefited from our Strong Families curriculum!
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Details Matter . . .To You and To Us
Details Matter When it comes to the apparel you wear we know you details matter, which is why our mantra of, "A Better Shirt for A Better World" is more than just a slogan. We care about details in every aspect of garment construction.The Neckline: The neckline of our tee is secured with a cover-stitch detail. This helps to keep the neck looking smooth and even wash after wash. Our competitors opted out of this detail to save cost. Sleeve Finishing: Our sleeve hems are finished with a method known as a clean finish. This means that the seam in the back of the sleeve is folded up into the hem. This gives the sleeve a smooth finish all along the hem. It is a more expensive operation than our top competitor's sleeve finish.Stitch Condensing:The stitching on the inside of our garments gets closer together at the end of a seam. This is called stitch condensing which helps secure the seam and keep hems from unraveling during washing. The competitor garment just overlaps at the end of the seam which is less secure and makes the garment less durable. Labeling:Our garments come with two eco-friendly labels. A Tear-Away size tag at the neckline and a side seam label with care and content information. This means that if you re-label your shirts with your brand info you will still have the care and content information in the side seam along with the Fair Trade Federation logo. Our competitor's garments have just one tag, so re-labeling becomes more complex.Fit:When compared to the leading competitor, our tee is slightly wider and longer, especially in the bigger sizes. Our sleeves are also a little looser. Our competitors have adjusted their sizing down over time in order to save on fabric and reduce their manufacturing cost while charging the consumer the same price. In conclusion, when you choose GOEX Apparel you are choosing a better shirt with quality details.
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Think Of Us For . . .
GOEX Apparel offers a wide variety of services and products.We are unique in the industry because we control our own supply chain, manufacture all of our garments, and are a full service custom print shop. Custom Prints:Our team of graphic designers will work with you to create the perfect graphic and our talented printers will make sure your vision becomes reality on the garment. Fundraising:Your custom fair trade tee can raise money for a cause, club or event. Wholesale Blanks:You can purchase our blank tees at wholesale prices in bulk. Orders typically ship the next business day from our Kansas City warehouse. Ask about additional discounts for orders of 1,000, 2,500 or more garments. Special Events:Got an upcoming race or community service event? We have options for collectible memorabilia as well as staff/volunteer shirts Company Merch:Your company logo on a fair trade polo, tee, or hat will give your business a professional look that you can feel good about.
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Expanding Our Eco-Cotton LIne
At GOEX we are committed to people and the planet so we’re always looking at ways to be more sustainable. You already love our Eco-Triblend, but did you know we use recycled materials in our cotton tees as well? By using recycled materials as much as possible we keep items out of landfills and preserve the natural resources used in farming new cotton for every garment.The newest addition to our environmentally friendly fabrics is our new Black Eco-Cotton. This fabric is a cotton/poly blend made with all upcycled and recycled components. This new fabric is comprised of 50% upcycled cotton, 47% recycled polyester, and 3% other upcycled fibers. We are looking to expand this fabric into other colors in the future, but right now this 5oz weight fabric is available in our Henley, Adult Unisex Short Sleeve Tee and Youth Unisex Short Sleeve Tee.In addition to this latest fabrication, we are continuing to produce garments in other Eco-Cotton garments.Our Ivory Eco-Cotton is 100% cotton, combining 50% organic cotton with 50% recycled cotton. This sturdy 5oz cotton has a great workwear feel and is the perfect backdrop for a variety of graphics.Finally, our fabric that is so FUN there was nothing else to name it but Funfetti! This cotton blend contains 48% upcycled cotton (including the rainbow colored speckles that were once other garments), 46% recycled polyester, and 6% viscose (a semi-synthetic fiber that is made from the wood pulp of fast growing trees). If you’re looking for the most eco-friendly fabrics around, it doesn’t get much better than our line of Eco-Cotton blends! Looking for a custom print? Reach out to your sales representative and ask for Eco-Cotton options for your graphic!
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Joining Forces with Starfish Project
Our second resolution for 2023 is to Support and Promote Fair Trade. A big piece of that is using our business to support other fair trade businesses. We often tell our customers that how they spend their dollars matters. That every purchase is a vote for the kind of world we want to live in. If that’s true, then we have to use our purchases the same way! And so we do everything we can to support fair trade or sustainable or local companies throughout our supply chain. As of this year, all of our hang tags and garment labels are sourced from a fair trade company – Starfish Project! Like GOEX, Starfish Project is a Social Enterprise and a member of the Fair Trade Federation. Through their business, Starfish Project cares for women escaping human trafficking and exploitation in Asia. Those women & girls receive wholistic care and gain freedom through the power of work and community. We are so incredibly grateful for the work of the Starfish team and are thrilled to be able to support them with the power of our purchases. You now have another reason to feel great when you buy a GOEX tee! Thank you all for choosing good!
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Introducing the Haiti Artisan Collective
We are beyond excited to share that we’ve joined the Haiti Artisan Collective, linking arms with like-minded brands who are caring for makers in Haiti through the dignity of work. Collectively, this group of independent companies employs more than 500 artisans in Haiti. By joining together in the collective, we can share resources and best practices, encourage one another and cross-promote! As we’ve shared in the past, the current environment in Haiti is extremely challenging. As a result, the power of a fair wage job is more life changing than ever before. Unemployment rates continue to rise, the currency continue to devalue against the dollar and simply moving around the country is more difficult and dangerous than ever before. But all of our artisans continue to work because they feel cared for and respected by their employers and because a job gives them freedom and power. But we can’t accomplish this without the army of consumers who choose to purchase the goods we bring to market so thank you!! And we hope you’ll take some time to get to know all of the brands in the Collective at the link below! But first, our group is currently planning for the Gift and Home Show in Atlanta in July. In total, expenses for all of our brands to attend the show will be $30,000. As a group we are able to negotiate some lower rates on booth space, share supplies and share housing but it’s still an expensive endeavor! If you would like to support this effort, click here to learn more and to make a tax exempt donation via Touch of Hope. And click here to learn more about each of the companies in the Collective.
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GOEX Grant . . . UPDATE
In September, 2022 we awarded our first GOEX Grant in celebration of our 10th anniversary. The grant was for a 501(c)(3) in the United States that serves youth, particularly those who are transitioning to adulthood.Out of all of the applications we received for this grant, Look Ma No Hands from Columbus, Ohio (LMNH.org) was selected. Recently, the staff at LMNH sent us the following update:"We have started the 2nd year of The Next Era program. We have a unique, eager and excellent group ready to tackle the journey ahead. Here are a few pics of some of the students with their iPads and pens! They are very appreciative and excited to put them to use!"
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Fashion Revolution Week 2023
10 years ago the Rana Plaza factory collapsed in Bangladesh, killing at least 1132 people and injuring over 2000 others. This served as a wakeup call to the working conditions of those who make our clothes and an international movement, Fashion Revolution Week, was born out of this tragedy. People all over the world ask questions like, "Who made my clothes?", "Who Made My Jewelry?", "Who Made My Shoes?", etc. At GOEX we are committed to transparency and fair wages.As Fashion Revolution Week approaches April 22-29 you’ll see many ethical, transparent brands posting and sharing pictures of the amazing craftsmen and women who produce your garments, shoes and accessories. Typically we would be right there with them – we believe in the power of this movement and link arms with others who are pushing for fair wages and ethical practices in apparel manufacturing. However, above all this movement is about caring for makers and so this year you won’t see any of those photos. Realistically, pictures of our makers will be absent from your inboxes and feeds for the foreseeable future. Why? Back in September our General Manager in Haiti shared about the dangers there due to political instability and gang activity. Unfortunately, while the port is open and goods are flowing for the most part, the danger has not decreased. In fact it’s continued to escalate. If our employees are associated with us as an American company, it could potentially make them targets and we absolutely do not want that! We are taking every precaution we can think of from the US to prioritize their safety. So why do we continue to produce in Haiti in this climate? It’s because the need for jobs is more real than ever as the unemployment rate rises and the currency continues to devalue. As you may recall from the letter we shared in September, coming to work “is a risk that our employees are willing to take at any cost, because "Le travail c'est la liberté." This is a saying in French that means, ‘Work is Freedom.’” As other employers pulled out of Haiti we doubled down on our trust of the team to make good decisions and in our desire to care for our team and their families through the dignity of work. We added a social worker to our team to invest in their emotional health and we continue to provide lunch each day. And so, when you next put on a GOEX tee, we hope you’ll think of the hands that touched it and take a minute to pray for their safety and for Haiti. The need has never been greater than it is today. As always, thank you to the entire GOEX family for your support!
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GOEX Spring Trend Is Here!
You all regularly ask us how we decide to introduce new colors and how we decide which colors and styles to stock. We would love to tell you that we had this all dialed into a science but that’s really not the case. There’s a lot of reviewing what’s happening in fashion combined with listening to our clients and analyzing what sold or didn’t sell the year before. And we’d be lying if we said sports teams in key markets didn’t have a bit to do with it! 😊 Sales data and your feedback both definitely matter! You, our customers, vote with your purchases and your comments. Our sales team regularly reports on what you’re asking for. When the requests start to pile up, we look very seriously at a color, especially if it’s an obvious hole in our collection. Over the past few years we expanded a lot in earth tones and pastels based on feedback from our customers. We were strong in jewel tones and neutrals but lacked these other two categories. So we brought you olive, amber, mustard, sage, rose and lavender. All of these colors have done really well and helped round out our color palette. National fashion trends also matter! Some colors are good in certain markets but not necessarily nationwide. Classic purple for example – it’s a great color if you’re a K-State fan but overall in fashion it’s not a popular color. So we stock versions that are easier to wear (like berry & lavender) and keep classic purple ink on hand which looks great on heather grey or vintage white. National trends have brought you colors like neon pink (Barbie-core anyone) and wine. Both of those colors have been all over fashion the last couple of years. As we look at the new colors and styles for 2023, you see style very much influenced by the trends toward neutrals and work wear. You’ll continue to see henleys and boots paired with denim and trucker hats. Speaking into this trend, we’re bringing you a heavier weight eco-cotton in black and ivory. This is not for all of you who love the feel of our triblend. But for those who love a rougher, heavier weight tee, you’re going to love these! And they’re super eco-friendly with upcycled and recycled content. Speaking of the workwear trend, we’re also adding camel fleece to the line this year! Our best-selling unisex premium fleece hood is coming in a warm camel shade you’ll want to live in! Comfort remains key at GOEX as always! So our super soft bi-blend fleece will also a get a new color this year – teal! If you didn’t already know, we have an awesome NWSL team in Kansas City, the KC Current. They made an incredible playoff run last year and are building the first stadium in the country specifically built for a professional women’s soccer team – how cool is that? You already love our teal triblend so this seemed like a great year to add fleece. Both will be a new shade, slightly lighter than our current teal. It pairs really well with red as a recent Vogue cover highlighted! One of our 2023 Resolutions is to the listen well. New product and color is one area where we hope you can see that we’ve been listening but we want to hear more! Keep sending us those notes telling us what you love and what you’d like to see. No promises but the more feedback we receive, the better job we can do of getting you the products and colors you want! Email, call, ping us on social media or check in with your sales rep. We love hearing from you! Let us know what you think about spring trend! JESSICA RAYExecutive Director
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