Meet Jen

Created and led by women.

Hi, I'm Jennifer, the founder of Raw Threads. My journey began as a new runner in 2005. I had never ran before the 2006 Walt Disney World Marathon, my very first half marathon. My only running experience was organized sports where running was our punishment. As I attended more and more race expos I struggled to find shirts that had a fun graphic message and a flattering silhouette--everything was in a men's style shirt. And why is everything made out of low-quality polyester fabric options?

I decided to find a better solution with high quality soft fabrics that featured a flattering fit made for all body types. I also wanted a mission statement based around ethical manufacturing and a low-waste business model.

Women supporting women.

Our amazing network includes female-owned fabric companies and sewing factories that also prioritize a sustainable initiative. Our plant-based fabric partners use every bit of our fabrics, and what they cannot turn into a garment they repurpose.

How it started.

It all started with a van, a dream and a lot of t-shirts.

I started Raw Threads in March of 2010 with the goal of expressing my creativity through t-shirts. What all started from driving cross-country from event to event has turned into the most amazing community a business owner could ever dream of. 

When I started Raw Threads my office view was a windshield; my husband quit his job and drove me across the country with a van full of shirts to live my dream and spread the message of our bamboo shirts. I had to do customer service and design new shirts on a laptop track pad while navigating with an Atlas. (This was before roaming on a cell phone was more affordable.)

We were on a mission to show the world my designs and to tell everyone about Raw Threads. We sold our house and put all of our belongings into storage while we drove state to state, expo to expo, marathon to marathon across the United States, even to Alaska in our white cargo van.

We met so many amazing people across the country that still buy from us today.

The designs.

Express yourself.

You wouldn’t guess that most of my professional design career I was a shy and behind-the-scenes designer. But Raw Threads has given me the courage to express what I'm feeling without speaking. Each morning I go into my closet and decide which mood I'm in that day and pick a Raw Threads shirt to coincide. It's the most powerful feeling to have a shirt completely change how you're feeling and empower you to get through the day’s challenges or celebrations. I love seeing our customers go through the same experience and seeing which designs they chose to wear that day.

It’s all about the designs. Designs are what built our business. It is our most frequently asked question since we started our business. ‘When will the next design be announced?’

Outfit repeating is a good thing.

I try to design our silhouettes to work for both fitness and casual wear. That way you can get multiple uses out of your shirt! I believe in cherishing the inherent value of each and every garment. Each one is carefully packaged in sustainable packaging and sent off to its new owner. 

Our future

Sustainable vision.

Raw Threads will continue to uphold the highest standard of quality while aligning with great partners that carry the same sustainable vision.

Let's slow down fashion

We offer made-to-order products to keep our commitment of providing quality over quantity. Sustainability was my priority from the beginning. We believe in providing a responsible product so we print our graphics made-to-order with our eco-friendly water-based inks. I've worked hard to find partners that can prioritize sustainability in every way that they can.

Let's keep improving

I am always looking to expand our knowledge of innovative technology and materials, including our own production practices and we're always actively improving.