Tauranga students create 'gender-neutral' T-shirts

Tauranga Girls' College students Abbey Crawford, 17, and Skye Lunson-Storey, 17. Photo/John Borren

Abbey Crawford and Skye Lunson-Storey like to shop in the men's section sometimes.

However, they feel they get judged for buying men's clothing.

So the Tauranga Girls' College students have created a gender-neutral T-shirt for males and females to wear.

"Anyone can wear it," Crawford, 17, said.

"Our clothing is not about whether a boy is wearing a pink T-shirt or not," Lunson-Storey, 17, said. "It is about wearing what you like."

Lunson-Storey and Crawford like baggy clothing and do not want to be defined by what they wore.

"If you go into a shop and see a top in the men's section, you feel like you can't buy it because it is the men's section," Crawford said. "We wanted to break those barriers to make it more inclusive to everyone."

"We both like baggy clothing but when you go into the girls' section the clothes are quite small and tight, and that is not really our type of style," Lunson-Storey said.

The girls' business is called Offkuts "with a K" - a sustainable gender-neutral clothing brand made from waste fabric and offcuts.

Lunson-Storey was inspired to use offcuts after working in a textile factory last year.

"A big thing I noticed was if anything was the wrong die colour or fabric offcuts because the fabric is non-biodegradable, it goes straight into the landfill," she said.

"What I wanted to do was recycle those offcuts to create clothing."

Crawford said every top was unique because it was all made from offcuts. "There is not one the same."

Lunson-Storey said some people identified as non-binary and there was nothing for them because "clothing is so gendered".

Crawford said they had positive responses from their parents, peers and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community.

"At first for some people, they were quite unsure but the more we explain it, the more open-minded they become to the concept," Lunson-Storey said.

"It just gives another group of people an option," Crawford said.

"[It is] for people to feel more comfortable with the clothes they are buying, so they don't have to worry about if they are buying a pink shirt or a blue shirt or a multi-coloured shirt."

The girls have entered their product in the Young Enterprise Scheme.

Through entering the Young Enterprise Scheme, Lunson-Storey won a scholarship to Singapore and Crawford will be going to Wellington as part of Entrepreneurs In Action, where students compete in business challenges.

The T-shirts cost $50 each with a percentage of the funds donated to the RainbowYOUTH charity.

The girls are in the process of making a website, but to purchase or donate fabric offcuts they can be contacted via their Instagram @Offkuts

THE GIRLS' TOP FIVE BUSINESS TIPS:
1. Make sure you are passionate about your business
2. Make sure you're doing business with people who share the same ideas
3. Know your problem and objectives
4. Know your target market
5. Market your project well