This startup wants to help change the world, one T-shirt at a time

For Moeez Javed, co-founder and CEO of ecommerce startup Virgin Teez, the devastating floods that hit Pakistan in 2010 struck close to home. His scholarship to attend university was rescinded, as funds had to be urgently diverted to help flood victims instead. Overall, almost 20 million people were affected by the natural disaster, and losses to infrastructure and the economy were pegged at nearly US$2 billion.

Javed was appalled by the depth of despair and destruction that he saw around him. He wanted to help those in need but was reluctant to simply join another charity or volunteer at a non-profit organization. The best idea, for him, was to start a sustainable enterprise – one which would also be around if another calamity was to occur. “People donate money, but they can’t keep donating forever,” Javed tells Tech in Asia. “If funds dry up, then those in need are the most severely hit.”

Rather than running after people to solicit donations, Javed started Virgin Teez, an ecommerce startup focused only on selling T-shirts. He promised to donate 43 percent of all profits to charity and made the list of supporting non-profit organizations completely transparent.

Pakistan experienced widespread floods in 2010

Initial goals were humble: Javed estimated he would only be able to help 10 children within the first few months of operation, as he didn’t have a large marketing budget or funds to help spread the word. However, on its very first day, Virgin Teez sold 500 T-shirts.

“I was completely taken aback with the magnitude of the orders, and realized it would take over a month to fulfill all of them,” says Javed. “Nonetheless, customers were patient and didn’t protest.”

The startup went on to assist over 1,000 flood-affected children, purely through the sales of T-shirts. Javed saw he didn’t have to invest in sales and marketing, as word of mouth was helping drive home his social impact message. However, he wasn’t able to fully invest his time in the startup as the demands of being a college student also caught up.

Adding on more social causes

As more international organizations stepped in to assist Pakistanis affected by the flood, Javed felt he could expand the scope of his work to include other social issues. Profits from Virgin Teez were now also given to charities focused on tackling environmental, health, human rights, and child abuse problems.

The products were designed on a pro-bono basis, helping keep costs low and encouraging more sales. Owners of large-scale textile units in Pakistan agreed to manufacture the T-shirts in their factories, thereby keeping quality at consistent levels.

Javed, who has now dedicated himself full-time to running the venture, claims his startup is showing increasing traction simply due to their social commitment.