It’s not often you can say that by buying yourself a new pair of jeans, you’re changing the world.
With Outland Denim, it’s entirely true.
The recently relaunched Aussie denim brand is making a difference, one pair of jeans at a time – and seriously good ones at that.
The brainchild of CEO and founder James Bartle, every single pair contributes to the company’s goal of stopping human trafficking and transforming the lives of young girls in Cambodia who are targeted by traffickers and forced into the sex trade.
“While our knowledge of sex trafficking was first twigged by the Liam Neeson film Taken, it was a fortuitous encounter with anti-trafficking group Destiny Rescue at a music festival that really started to put things into action,” Communications Director Erica Bartle told Mamamia.
“James went with Destiny Rescue to Thailand and Cambodia to learn more about the issue and witness the work they were doing first-hand. He wanted to help and thought the most practical thing he could do was create work for the girls to enable them to utilise the vocational skills they gained during their restoration process.”
What started as a team of just five sewing staff as The Denim Project in 2011 has grown to a staff of 31 based in Cambodia.
“Beyond having a supportive, nurturing work environment to come to, the young women are so excited that people are actually buying and wearing their jeans. It gives them an immense sense of purpose and dignity, beyond the ability to provide for their families,” CEO James Bartle says.
Model Anna Pembroke shares the story of Neary, one of Outland Denim’s sewers. Grab the tissues. Post continues after video.
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