DWG was born after three Taranaki mates got fed up at the lack of affordable, organic and Fairtrade t-shirts available. They decided to solve the problem themselves by launching a range of great looking, high quality printed and plain t-shirts that are made from 100 percent organic cotton and certified Fairtrade.The DWG lads reckon an ever-broadening group of consumers want to be able to make decisions that are good for the environment, humanity and themselves and their families. They say currently high prices and low availability are creating a barrier. DWG's mission is to make it easy to make the right choice by creating ethically produced t-shirts that are affordable, accessible and great looking.So why Kickstart DWG? A big part of the reason rests in the name. DWG stands for Dirty White Gold and is a reference to the less than ethical and sustainable practices found throughout the world's cotton and manufacturing industries. Cotton is treated with some of the most toxic chemicals found on earth. In California, five of the top nine pesticides used on cotton are known to be cancer-causing chemicals. For every 15 t-shirts in your drawer, 2 kilos of these kinds of pesticides and fertilisers were used. Producing enough cotton for one t-shirt takes anywhere between 2,500 and 7,500 litres of water or up to 50 full standard bath tubs. This at a time where experts are warning of the likelihood of worldwide water shortages. Throughout the entire growing, harvesting, ginning, milling, spinning, dying and finishing practices workers are at risk because of their exposure to toxic chemicals (including formaldehyde and heavy metals) and unsafe work places and practices. Toxic wastewater is a common reality for communities throughout the world who are the cotton industries' neighbours. Although there are some really intense issues at the heart of DWG, the guys we didn't want the t-shirts themselves to be serious. They feature a quirky mix of kiwi slogans coupled with original art work produced by artist and DWG co-founder Paul Rangiwahia. "My designs reflect who we are – straight up kiwi guys who like a bit of laugh. We don't take ourselves too seriously, but we're pretty passionate about looking after the planet and the other folk we share it with," Paul says.

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