RIPEBRAND

For All Seasons and Communitites

When he was in college, Nick Chang volunteered at a San Francisco nonprofit that helped the economically underprivileged community in the area.

When Chang founded his Los Angeles–based T-shirt line, RipeBrand, he wanted to maintain the same philanthropic drive. “I knew I wanted to bring awareness and work with smaller nonprofits that help communities grow,” Chang said.

The name RipeBrand, refers to Chang’s idea of growth and development. He wants to inspire people to be evangelists to show their support in building a united community.

RipeBrand features 100 percent cotton jersey tees with names of fruits—pomegranate, grape and zucchini—printed on the front. The shirts are vegetable dyed and printed with water-based inks. RipeBrand tees retail for $39.99 and can be purchased online at www.ripebrand.org.

RipeBrand will donate over 20 percent of revenue to Los Angeles–area nonprofits Free Arts for Abused Children; The Busted Foundation, which provides financial support for women fighting breast cancer; and Philanthro Productions,an organization that helps young entrepreneurs get involved with social-work activities. Customers can select which organization to support with each purchase.

Next up for Chang is to launch a dynamic social application to add other nonprofits to become part of the RipeBrand movement. He also plans to expand the company’s offerings into a complete lifestyle brand.