The Rumplo T-Shirt Blog

An Interview with Rebecca Shostak
Designer of the Myanmar Cyclone Relief T-shirt.
BRUTE LABS and friends are making a difference.

The Myanmar Cyclone Relief T-shirt:
Only $25 for the best of causes.
Buy one now at BRUTE LABS.

Rumplo First off, awesome shirt, thanks for making it. Can you tell us a bit about the design of this T-shirt and how it is connected with your goal of supporting relief efforts in Myanmar?

Rebecca Shostak My original vision for this shirt was to bring attention to several issues related to Myanmar and also the culture that we live in here in the United States and especially California. Many of us never consider the implications of the items we buy and wear, the people behind them, and the resources used to bring them to us. In making this shirt I wanted to bring attention to the fact that the shirt is comprised of cotton and ink, cotton being one of the major exports of Myanmar, and ink, a powerful materialization of words and thoughts. These two raw materials coming together create the shirt, and in buying and wearing the shirt a person is actually making a difference to the lives of the people in Myanmar. I am hoping that the design will not only allow its wearer to realize they can and will make a positive difference, be it ever so small, in the world around them, but also begin to think consciously about where the other products that they wear and use come from and what kind of impact they have on our environment. If we can be more collectively conscious about where things come from and what the implications of buying and wearing them are, I believe we will be headed in the right direction to solve many of the problems we face together today.

Rumplo Are there any personal connections you share with the people of Myanmar? Can you tell us a quick story about your understanding of the situation there right now, or what is most striking about it?
Rebecca Although I do not know anyone from Myanmar personally, I feel a very strong connection to anyone who wears this shirt and consequently anyone affected by the benefits of the purchase of the shirt. My understanding of the situation in Myanmar is that there is a great crisis among the people due to the fact that it is one of the poorest nations in the world, and this is only magnified by the devastating effects of the cyclone. By designing this shirt and promoting it in collaboration with BRUTE LABS, I am making a direct connection between myself and those in Myanmar although it is very far away.

Rumplo Can you introduce yourself and your collaborators and tell us what drove you to print this shirt?
Rebecca Joshua To and I have been friends for quite a while. We both come from the same design program at UCLA and share a passion for using our design talents to make the world a better place. So when BRUTE LABS asked me to come up with a design for a shirt to help the cyclone victims, there was no question in my mind as to my answer; it has always been a dream of mine to use design as a means of improving the world, and this was a great chance to do so. I am grateful for the opportunity BRUTE LABS has presented to me and deeply hope it will make an impact, be it small or large, on the lives of those who are suffering in Myanmar right as I type this.

Rumplo Thanks a bunch for your time Rebecca, and thanks to Joshua To and BRUTE LABS for putting this project together!

Be sure to pick up the shirt over at BRUTE LABS, and tell your friends. 100% of the procedes from this shirt go to relief efforts in Myanmar. For more information about how the recent cyclone in Myanmar and how has effected people in Myanmar visit the Wikipedia entry.