A start-up apparel company working to bring enlightenment into what we were.
A while back out of Boston, a company called Consious Minds Ink called me to see if I would be interested in writing up a story about them. I said sure but I want to try there product. You know to really understand if a green products work is to try it; not just from a press release..
So they sent me these extral large shirts with graffiti all over it. I said what the heck is this? Then I figured out it said Be Consious. Then I looked at the tag and noticed it uses bamboo and organic cotton. I thought it was an interested combination of resources and was wanting to really put it to the test. Therefore, I used the shirts during the harsh winter through the spring. I used it as a t-shirt for shovelling snow and even a recreational shirt while relaxing during my book tour in California.
I am pleased to say that it really held up and seems like it hasn’t shrunk, pilled or anything. The only thing is it feels softer to the touch. I then knew there had to be more to this story so I asked to interview them. Here is what I found out.
Their History
As stated on their website:
At Conscious Minds Inkorporated, we seek enlightenment through the creation of a culture through which we can share our ideas. We believe clothing helps speak the stories of our souls and identifies the expression of our being. We aim for our business to grow organically through the people, mirroring the environmentally conscious material on which we print our clothing. We look to achieve wholesome connections for meaningful collaboration with creative minds alike. We embark on this journey to shake the world awake from the socially-accepted fog we sleep in.
“It’s a lifestyle, and it’s everyone’s lifestyle,” 21-year-old Murray explained as he glanced up from his design work. “If you’re doing your thing and you love it, then that’s it, you’re a conscious mind. If you don’t like my t-shirts, that’s cool, you’re still a conscious mind. The clothing is like the uniform. No, not a uniform…”
“It’s kind of like a plain sight community,” 21-year-old Irish offers as the group nods in approval.
The t-shirts are the tangible representations of Conscious Minds. The designs, like a Buddha holding a boom box on his shoulder, blend peace and zen with cultural trends like graffiti art. Made of bamboo
and organic cotton, even the fabric is environmentally conscious. The tags of the shirts reflect the group’s simple philosophy: spread love. stay fresh. wash cold. hang dry. keep it real. forever. one.
Murray stressed that monetary gains are far from the purpose of the t-shirt line.
“Conscious Minds is not a clothing company, it’s a lifestyle company,” Murray said. “We’re not trying to sell a product. We’re trying to push a philosophy. It’s about being awake. Yeah, we portray it through images, designs and clothing, but it’s not just selling t-shirts.”
This movement started at rap performances by Talib Kweli and Chuck D in BU’s Metcalf Hall on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The guys grabbed front row seats at what ended up being a panel discussion of the lives and stories of prominent African Americans.
Another part of their philosophy goes to the mind: “All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If #mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?” – #Buddha
consciousmindsink.com/
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