METRO SCENE – TransElated: Breaking new ground in fashion and culture

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2015 March Transelated Fashion 5March 1, 2015

Brelaun Douglas

News Writer

Metro Scene

“Our company was created out of a need, which also became our mission, to build a new platform in art and fashion that would inspire, uplift spirits, and unite the people of the world by exposing them to different cultures and customs that exist globally,” says Jameel Francis, co-founder of a new clothing company that reaches beyond the realm of simply being fashionable.

TransElated founders, Francis and Shahidah Matthews, noticed that the current state of fashion was, in their opinion, often repetitive and did not seek to evaluate thoughts and experiences. “We were tired of seeing t-shirts with just branding names or shirts with negative and non-tolerant messages,” said Francis. Inspired by their love of art, people, traveling, new cultures and their passion for fashion, the two took it upon themselves to develop a new brand of fashion with “positive messages that would 2015 March Transelated Fashion 2transcend race, religion, languages, and geographic location,” said Francis. In July 2013, Francis and Mathews enacted their vision and TransElated was officially born.  This uniquely styled fashion company is more than just fashion; it is a lifestyle brand.

Located in Georgetown, Washington D.C., TransElated aspires to inspire and unite. Their clothing incorporates sustainability and culture. “We don’t choose between being sustainable and being fashionable,” Francis insists. Every product contains the story of a distinct culture and geographic region or provides a positive message to the2015 March Transelated Fashion 4 wearer and those viewing the clothing.  And this, according to Francis, is one of the reasons TransElated is different from other clothing companies. “We make being positive across multiple cultures cool. We are an intelligent brand that wants to use fashion to foster better discussions and interactions between people.  Each piece of our clothing has a story or a purpose,” he says. “Our products create a platform that promotes love, unity, tolerance and a radiant lifestyle across the world. TransElated encourages customers to live a lifestyle that takes them beyond the mental and physical limitations they place upon themselves and learn about different things and different people,” he continues.

The other reason TransElated is different from other companies according to Francis is that they are about giving back.  He states that “[they]support education and collaborate with local non-profits to sell products that highlight and support their efforts,” instead of just focusing on selling their own product. The company makes donations from specific product lines to support certain causes. They have also partnered with Orphaned Starfish, a NYC non-profit that provides healthcare, education and food to orphaned children in Latin America, and produced a line of T-shirts to be sold and donated to their cause.  They have also partnered with numerous other organizations.

TransElated is also about creating fashion that is eco-friendly. They work with 2015 March Transelated Fashion 3manufacturers based in North America to source sustainable fabrics and materials for their eco-friendly products.  Their T-shirts are made with organic cotton, organic bamboo fibers, recycled polyester (re-used fabrics or recycled plastic bottles), or a combination of some or all.  The artworks on their T-shirts are printed using soy and water based inks.

In the future, Francis and Mathews see the company “quickly becoming a global fashion and lifestyle brand that is known for producing quality sustainable products that showcases positive messages and feelings.”  He along with Mathews see their products evolving beyond T-shirts but keeping the same goal of uplifting spirits, inspiring people to live fulfilling lives and uniting people. To accomplish this goal, the company is currently working on pop-up shops and live events throughout the DMV area in order to spread their message and connect with people. TransElated can also be found online at their website https://www.transelated.com/ and their blog http://www.beelated.com/.

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