Jyo is sustainable, screenprinted, handmade clothing
This was a small project I did where I created handmade clothing, like hoodies, as a way to creatively express myself through art and raise awareness on animal safety. I used traditional hand screen-printing (a dying craft that uses a big printing press with real ink) and modern designs of animals created with my friend Jessica Gawley to promote animal welfare.
Some cool images of our clothing:
problem solving at its peak
I faced a hurdle. when screenprinting, the ink needs UV light to “cure” onto the garment and be permanent, but the only curing options were £1k+ commercial units that were totally overkill
so i did some research and turns out you just need a light source that emits light a wavelength of 395nm 🤓 … AKA this lamp from Amazon. Paired with a sturdy big box, and some supplies from a local DIY store, I built my own curing unit for £40
Things I learned:
- Just Doing > obsessively planning. I often get stuck on nitty-gritty “what ifs,” but learning as I go is way more fun and freeing. I learned to worry less and just embrace failures
- Most people want to help — if you just ask the right person (and the right question) politely. Don’t know where to get a logo? Just ask. Need a budget flash dryer? Just ask. staying curious is awesome :)
The culmination of my work was getting a B2B deal (LinkedIN final boss moment) with SociaLimit for 30 hoodies and £500 from The Queen’s University of Belfast’s MIHF which I spent on a logo, website and screen printing machine. And learning from successful UK entrepreneurs Francesca Morelli and Helen Keys.
Ultimately I dropped the to project to work with my cousin on Mayfair Rugs, which you can read about here!