Ethical Threads

We like to think THTC is a big team of contented people; from our farmers who pick our sustainable crops, to our contemporary artists who spread our name in paint, to our designers who create garments to weather any fast-fashion trends - we work as a creative collective.

Having produced some of the most sought after t-shirts in recent years, THTC has worked with friends from the urban music scene to cement a brand in the hearts and minds of its loyal followers. The use of intelligent political comment, cutting-edge graphics and original sloganeering, has lead to merchandising collaborations with numerous bands, artists, record labels, charities, magazines and other fashion labels…

- A limited edition ethical fashion range with hip hop legends Zulu Nation to coincide with the anniversary of the birth of hip hop.

- A limited edition t-shirt in support of the Burma Campaign UK, supported by the much-hyped band Lo Star and actor Martin Freeman, with contributions from sales going directly to the campaign.

Trojan Soundsystem (Reggae)

Maharishi (Clothing Label)

H.I.M. (Rock Band)

Whatever It Takes (Charity)

Asian Dub Foundation

The Ecologist Magazine

Renegade Hardware (Drum and Bass)

Well-known supporters of the brand include:

Sir Richard Branson, Woody Harrelson, Benjamin Zephaniah, Danny Dyer, Martin Freeman, Mark Thomas and Rob Newman,Wu Tang clan, Goldie, Morcheeba, Afrika Bambaataa, Kurtis Blow, Beadyman (UK Beatbox Champion), Foreign Beggars, DJ Hype

THTC – Leading the party

•We’ve always used the hemp plant as a base product in our clothing and consider sustainability from the crop to the hanger. The catwalks are just discovering the wonders of this fabric.

•We’re founding members of the Ethical Fashion Forum

•We’ve converted a host of unlikely lads into ethical-fashionistas, from MCs to Danny Dyer; educating markets that have been otherwise untouched by the ethical industry

•We help run creative workshops for young offenders and disadvantaged kids.

We think youth culture has a lot to say. (See all pals website www.defconworkshops.org.uk)

•We use eco and led-free screen-printing processes (we mean the words our tees) and we use recycled and hemp paper for fliers, post cards, swing tickets and press releases

•We make the accessories multi-functional so they have several uses and can be kept for years; (parts can be exchanged when they wear out)

•With excellent up to the minute communication with our factories we can sample less and avoid waste and shipping and cost; we approve samples when possible from digital photograph and production packs are sent digitally, meaning less waste and shipping.

• We lead the life we sell and run the office to be as environmentally-friendly as possible. We argue over who’s sorting the recycling and Saida hasn’t yet converted everyone to soya milk, but it’s a work in progress..

•We use Ecobee – the super eco wind powered server group for our Internet hosting

• We came runner-up at the Observer Ethical Awards 2007, now we’re working to improve and impress, until we win….

Events to remember us by:

THTC continues to sponsor some of the coolest club nights and events in the UK and beyond, including: Thursday night Throwdown, Battlejam, Ill Commotion, UK Beatbox championships, Stricktly Digital, Def:inition, Essence Of Chi, Rollercoster

Listen-up! You can also enter competitions to win THTC clothing by listening to one of our sponsored radio shows including:

DJ Forte (Drum and Bass Worldwide)

DJ Nookie (Ministry of Sound Radio)

DJ Concrete (Diverse FM)

What they say about us:

“When I started work at the Ecologist magazine seven years ago the idea that environmentally friendly clothes could also be at the cutting edge of fashion was laughable. It was back then that I first met Gav and Dru from THTC. While everyone else seemed to be making ill fitting and deeply unflattering clothes that wouldn't make it into a Littlewoods catalogue, they were - years before anyone else that I knew of - actually responding to what the young people with whom they remain so connected wanted to be seen wearing. Now of course every Kate, Sienna and Lily wants to be seen in green, but for me it will always be THTC that got there first and did and said it best.”

“Fair to the planet, Fair to the people, true school hip hop meets true hemp trading!!! Working together is the only way!!” – Zulu King Troy

Planet and people

With a 9yr history of ethical production, SKAL certification and now with SEE companies (www.SEEcompanies.com) accreditation, we’re proud of what the THTC label stands for. We’vealways thought about the effect we have on people and planet. Cutting-edge fashion with a clear conscience.

We use organically grown hemp and a variety of other sustainable textiles and work towards being as carbon-neutral as humanly possible. We consider Mother Earth on every level of our companies activities and we’re continually progressing

It is claimed that mixing a t-shirt with 55% hemp instead of 100% conventionally produced cotton can save up to 744 gallons of water per t-shirt.

(Sources: US Environmental Protection Agency, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, World Wildlife Fund, World Health Organization, Pesticide Action Network North America)

Our production team has visited the factories on numerous occasions to inspect living and working conditions and ensure the workers are well paid, well treated and content. We interviewed all factory managers with a stringent list of working requirements. Get in touch for a detailed list and for more information. We’re proud of how we work. All our garments are produced under ethically-audited conditions from the crop cultivation to the final display. THTC is for people who really know what their clothes say, and want to wear their heart on their tee.

Working with the local community:

THTC directors have worked tirelessly to help community schemes and youth workshops over the years. These have included: The Jae Project, BBC Blast, Hammersmith Young Offenders scheme, Feltham Institute of Young Offenders. THTC continues to work with Make Your Mark in Fashion and Defcon workshops

SS08 sees the release of the first full THTC collection, harnessing the full potential of hemp, bamboo, organic cotton and other sustainable fabrics.

Famous around the globe for producing sweat-shop and pesticide-free t-shirts and hooded-tops, THTC has expanded with an innovative celeb-endorsed range of garments and accessories, designed and made with independent thinkers and street culture in mind.

The new THTC range includes:

Polo shirts (male and female), Zip Up hoodies (male and female), Crew Neck, sweaters, Tracksuits (male and female), Reversible caps, Reversible belts (nickel-free buckle), Sweatbands, Wallets.

New products for Autumn/Winter 08 will include:

Shirts, Beanies, Jackets (male and female), Bombers, Bags and Combats.

The style is urban and edgy; industrial-wear meets rock solid sportswear. With echoes of hip hop divas and extreme sports pros, the statement is loud and clear.

Instead of using the more traditional metals, buttons are made from ethically sourced buffalo horn and coconut as well as zinc and nickel-free rivets on all clothing. Meanwhile, swing tickets are made from 100% recycled newspaper with hemp string, and all plastic bags used are made from recycled plastic.

Autumn/Winter 09 will see the launch of yet more groundbreaking ethical fashion products…watch this space!

We continue to work with our favourite contemporary artists and graphic designers to ensure we always bring you the most topical and cutting edge artwork (Mau Mau, Herse, Little Warrior, Fybe and Design Lab – you know you are. We love you guys!) Whilst our in-house fashion designers, name them? New range is as much about brilliantly designed garments as it is about the graphics? Create exceptional garments to weather any fast-fashion trends with a clear conscience.

It’s all about the Hemp

Industrial Hemp still forms the basis of our textile production. We think it’s the best crop in the world and we can give you a long list of reasons why….

• Hemp is an environmentally-sustainable, organic plant that needs no polluting chemicals to be grown. By comparison, cotton crops use over 40% of all agricultural pesticides, contributing to water pollution and acid rain.

• Hemp has over 25,000 uses, inc: food, paper, fuel, plastics, cosmetics and textiles amongst others, as well as being one of the most nutrious food sources available to man (We hope you heard that David Cameron)

• Hemp is three times stronger than cotton (Skaters take note). Hemp-based paper can be recycled over 50 times, compared to tree-pulp paper, which can only be recycled around five times.

• Hemp fabric is also hypoallergenic and thermodynamic, meaning it’s kind on skin allergies and keeps you warm in the cold and cool in the heat.

In our love of hemp we’ve been joined by some of the most intelligent and influential people in history, including: Prince Charles, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Ray Charles, Richard Branson, Queen Victoria, John Sinclair, Ed Rosenthal, Dizzy Gillespie, Jesus, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Oliver Stone, Woody Harrelson, Friedrich Nietzsche, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, JFK and William Shakespeare.

Lucy Siegle, Observer Ethical Columnist, loves it too: 'The fact that hemp has attracted so much opprobrium (historically fear was whipped up by those with powerful interests in the cotton trade) is a significant mistake. Older and wiser, clever design companies now prefer it to so-called eco materials (bamboo and corn starch fabrics) as a low tech solution to a myriad of ecological issues caused by the global fashion trade. We should love it, use it, mix it with other natural fibres, wear it close to our skin and with pride.'