There is something about gardeners and their willingness to proclaim their love of plants, trees and more on a garden tee shirt, sweatshirt, or hat.
Whether the subject is flowers, weeds, a manicured lawn, or growing vegetables in their garden, you can usually find a gardener sporting a quote or two on their clothes at some point in the growing season.
I think for most gardening lovers, it’s in our DNA to be proud of what we love. I know that is certainly the case for Mary and I. Gardening is a way of life. It is a passion. And not only do we love to talk about it, but we also love to show our passion for it anyway we can – even on our clothes!
And that is exactly how we happened to stumble upon one of the coolest, softest and most amazing tee shirts around, and then decided to make it our own!
The Softest Garden Tee-Shirt Ever – And It’s Recycled Too!
A few years back we decided to order a few shirts, hats and sweatshirts with our farm’s logo.
Of course, being organic gardeners, we also asked our clothing company (ANC Promotions) if there were any clothes that promoted our love of the land and sustainability. And that is when they introduced us to a tee shirt made with 50% recycled plastic bottles.
We both can’t stand the feel of heavy, thick or bulky shirts, and wanted something soft and breathable for our tee shirts. Our folks at ANC assured us we would we would love these shirts, and we were excited to give them a go. (See : Old World Garden Shirt Store)
A few days later, a few samples arrived for us to try out, and we were hooked! That was three years ago. And to this day, you would be hard pressed to show up at the farm and not see both of us working in them.
They really are the softest, most comfortable shirts we have ever worn. Even better, they haven’t shrunk or lost a ton of color, and that is after wash after wash. Best of all, we absolutely love that each shirt is created with the equivalent of 6 plastic bottles. And the rest? 100 percent organic, U.S. grown cotton.!
Garden Tee Shirts, Sweatshirts & Hats – With A Purpose
When we first ordered our shirts, we simply did it for us to have and wear. In addition to working around the farm, we almost always wear our shirts, sweatshirts and hats in many of our videos and speaking engagements.
At the time, somewhat as a joke, we also ordered a few with”The Simple Life” on the front. After all, we really do feel like a life of gardening is the ultimate Simple Life.
But to our surprise, folks started writing us and asking if they could buy them directly from us. And for some reason, the Simple Life shirt was a favorite to ask for. Without anything formal, we sold them here and there at shows and upon request.
It was then that we decided it would be a great idea to use a portion of the proceeds to put towards some of our favorite gardening causes.
And crazy as it sounds, last year, we actually sold enough to sponsor two local Master Garden students fees. This year, we hope to be able to help a few more small garden groups and clubs across the U.S. as well. After all, every little bit helps!
Our Little OWG Vintage Garden Tee Shirt & Apparel Store
Over the last few months, we had a few requests to set up an on-line store. But for us, it really would have been too difficult to manage. Especially while still doing what we love most – gardening and writing about gardening!
But that is where our clothing partner ANC Promotions, stepped up to help and manage it all for us. They really have been incredible in the process, and have been such an amazing company to work with.
The on-line store is now all set up and live. See : OWG ON LINE CLOTHING STORE And to help with the launch, fellow OWG team member Chelsea (Our Social Media Specialist) created 4 more awesome gardening quotes for shirts to put in the store as well.
Chelsea has been so incredible for us and we love her creativity. It certainly shines through in her designs for the shirts!
All of the items, from the garden tee shirts, hats, and the incredibly soft and thick sweatshirts are all made from high-quality materials. It was important to us to not have low-quality, mass produced, run-of-the mill clothes. And we are really proud of all the items for sure.
For now, these can only be purchased and shipped in the United States. But hopefully soon, we can ship to our garden friends
Hopefully, a few sales here and there will help us help a few more gardening folks around the country. And of course, help anyone wearing them show of their love of gardening in the process!
Happy Gardening – Jim and Mary