Pawsitive Shirts is a brand new apparel company dedicated to supplying ethical, cruelty free shirts, tote bags, and other accessories. Its owners, Justin and Nealani Orr, live with their beloved rescued dog and started their new business with the intent of making a difference for rescued animals everywhere.
Pawsitive Shirts donates a portion of proceeds to animal shelters, sanctuaries and rescue groups. They believe that in addition to supporting animal rescue efforts, it is the responsibility of an ethical company to ensure that all of its materials are free of animal-based materials and products tested on animals.
As Justin and Nealani put it, their compassionate company is “striving to change the clothing industry one shirt at a time”. Smart Dog Owners interviewed Justin of Pawsitive Shirts to find out more.
1) Tell us about your company! What inspired you to start this business?
We have always loved animals and wanted to start a business where we would be able to give back to non-profit organizations that essentially run off of donations, such as animal shelters and animal sanctuaries.
2 ) We see that you have intentionally chosen to use only cruelty-free and vegan ingredients and products in designing your apparel.
Why do you feel that is so important?
After researching different materials, we have found that very few clothing materials live up to the standards of being Eco-friendly and cruelty-free. One of the few materials that is Eco-friendly and cruelty-free is 100% Organic Cotton.
This is not only important to help protect the longevity of the planet, but also to make sure we are not feeding into any unethical practices involving the use of animal products in clothing.
3) We can see that you’re really passionate about rescuing dogs. Do you have a rescued dog?
Is there anything you think people should know about rescued dogs?
We have a wonderful rescue dog who we named Kolohe (which means “Rascal” in Hawaiian). He is a very curious and playful black lab mix. We rescued him when he was two years old and have had him for two years. We are the 7th home he has been in and are happy to say that he has found his forever home. We also have two cats that we rescued from an animal shelter in Chico, Ca over 9 years ago.
Some shelter animals, especially those that are not puppies or kittens, are never given a second opportunity at living the amazing life they deserve, and the aim of our business is to help these animals receive the supplies and necessities they need while living in a shelter, even if it just means a nice cozy bed to sleep on at night and a chew toy to play with during the day.
4) What are some organizations you plan on donating your company’s proceeds to?
We are going to start with some of the local Southern California animal shelters and sanctuaries in our area that we have been in contact with, and expand out from there. Our goal is to reach to as many animal shelters and animal sanctuaries as we can in the U.S. over time.
We give 15 percent of all purchases each month to a different shelter, that way we can spread the love and help those facilities that are really in need.
5) We love the shirts and Totes! Do you plan on continuing to release more designs?
We are going to release one new design each month. We will begin to offer more shirt styles and colors as we come up with new designs as well.
6) Where can people find and buy your apparel?
Customers can purchase any of our shirts and totes we offer online at PawsitiveShirts.com. We will also be selling our shirts and totes at local farmers markets in Southern California in the near future.