It’s been a long time since I was this excited to tell you guys about a new brand I’ve discovered. SWEATIZEN got in touch with me to help raise awareness of their brand as they’re a new start-up, with a focus on sustainability and empowering small businesses. I of course jumped at the chance to tell you guys about them! SWEATIZEN have just launched in July 2021 with an initial series of six designs and the mission to become the world’s most impactful leisure brand. I love a brand with a purpose.

Founder Mustansir Amijee says: “I founded SWEATIZEN with a vision to showcase vibrant African art on sustainable athleisure apparel, providing talented artists from my home country of Tanzania with a platform, as well as a new market for their creative work. I believe in empowering small-scale businesses, independent artists and farmers, and I feel that Africa can play an exciting role in the fashion industry both in terms of sustainable sourcing, and in having a positive impact on people’s livelihoods.”

I was also happy to hear that SWEATIZEN is an all-female team, apart from their lovely Founder, Mustansir. So, it’s great to be supporting a brand led by dedicated, passionate women working to make their brand as sustainable and impactful as possible.

Made in Africa

SWEATIZEN is a UK-based brand that works with small businesses and artists in Tanzania. The hand-drawn designs feature endangered animals like the Red Colobus Monkey, lions, and Black Rhino. The designs are created by local Tanzanian artists who saw their income plummet during Covid-19 due to a lack of tourism and inability to access the digital economy.

Tanzania is the largest supplier of organic cotton in Africa, and the fifth largest globally, but 90% of Tanzanian cotton is exported. By sourcing finished products in Tanzania, SWEATIZEN is supporting job creation and adding value locally.

Doing Things Differently

The artists are paid for the rights to their works and profit from prints sold in the brand’s online Art Gallery. 10% of SWEATIZEN’s profits go into their Future Artist Fund, which provides art classes for children in Tanzanian schools, taught by the partner artists of the brand. This provides an additional income stream for the artists themselves, as well as education and inspiration for the next generation of creative talent. SWEATIZEN also ensures that 30% of the profits from the Art Gallery also go directly to the artists.

What Makes them Sustainable?

The pieces in SWEATIZEN’s collection are made from organic African and Indian cotton, which is either GOTS certified or OCS certified. SWEATIZEN uses OEKO-TEX certified fabric and are Fair Trade. You’ll also be pleased to hear that SWEATIZEN are certified PETA-approved vegan, meaning you can safely shop knowing none of their products contain any animal materials or animal-based ingredients.

SWEATIZEN have also thought a lot about their packaging and how to reduce the environmental footprint of it. They use biodegradable mailer bags and recyclable tissue paper to protect the garments, and recyclable cardboard tags secured with natural string on the items.

If you want to learn more about how SWEATIZEN is championing sustainability, check out their recent interview with their Supply Chain Lead, Evie, here!

The Products

Hoodie, t-shirt and print were kindly gifted

SWEATIZEN kindly gifted me a couple of items from their collection to review and share with you guys. I was really impressed with the high quality and the level of detail on each item, it just shows the brand has thought a lot about every element of the design.

The cosiest, softest hoodie I’ve ever owned!

I received the unisex Rhino hoodie in black, made from 85% organic ring-spun combed cotton and 15% recycled polyester, with the embroidery details made from Madeira® environmentally friendly embroidery threads. It feels incredibly soft inside and out and fits so nicely. I ordered it in an extra-large as I like my hoodies to be a bit oversized but not swamp me. The hoodies are offered in sizes XS to XXL and are available in black and grey.

The design features this colourful embroidered Rhino on the front, as well as the SWEATIZEN name on the left sleeve, and the mirrored design on the back with the words “Hustle to gain more muscle” and some information about the Rhino and the artist behind the design.

Black t-shirt with beautiful design of black Rhino

I also received the womens Rhino tee in black, made from 100% organic Tanzanian cotton. I requested a size Large as they only had Small, Medium and Large, and I’m glad I did as it fits just right, but it could do with being a bit bigger as I assumed it would be slightly loose-fitting. After speaking with the Founder, I was told this was due to the Rhino t-shirts being made from overstock from the supplier and that’s why it was only available in a few sizes. Going forward they will be offering this t-shirt in a wider range of sizes.

The fabric is incredibly soft and features the Rhino design printed on the front with the SWEATIZEN x Haroun Kambi logo underneath. The Rhino t-shirt is fully made and printed in Tanzania, driving the farmers empowerment and manufacturing in Tanzania, with most of these jobs being held by women.

The Artist

The Rhino design featured on the hoodie and t-shirt I ordered was created by Haroun Kambi, a Tanzanian artist who is inspired by the biodiversity and culture of his home country. Haroun’s work is featured in numerous schools and hospitals in Tanzania. SWEATIZEN’s partnership with Haroun is designed to highlight conservation issues facing Tanzanian wildlife which includes the “Big Five”: lion, rhino, elephant, buffalo and leopard.

An Unexpected Gift

A print designed by Haroun Kambi of a black Rhino

In my parcel from SWEATIZEN was also this beautiful print by artist Haroun. I was so touched by this and can’t wait to frame it and display it in my home!

Discover SWEATIZEN for Yourself

Now that you’ve heard all about the brand and what they stand for, why not check them out for yourself? Head over to their website and don’t forget to follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

[Disclaimer: This blog post has been kindly sponsored by Sweatizen and contains gifted products. All opinions are my own.]

SWEATIZEN: a Brand with a Purpose