Jordyn Weekly, founder of Don’t Eat The Homies is starting a movement in streetwear that has not yet been done before. Don’t Eat The Homies is more than just trendy, pandemic approved shirts and sweatshirts that you’ve most likely seen some of your favorite influencers wearing on Instagram. This brand is not only influencing street style, but it is influencing animal lovers to go a bit deeper.
Jordyn and partner Julienne Green have started a movement they believe humans will gladly jump on board of and get behind as long as they are educated about just how much veganism and sustainability can help the planet. The environment has been a major topic of discussion this past year and Jordyn’s brand is inspired by opening up the conversation about how to conserve and promote healthy habits for Earth and everyone on it while of course, in style.
On top of what Don’t Eat The Homies is capable of doing as a movement, it is also a brand that gives back. Don’t Eat The Homies donates 10 percent of all proceeds to animals rescues and vegan outreach associations.
When creating Don’t Eat The Homies, Jordyn wanted to make a street style vibe that people not only want to wear, but can also feel good about. She created an aesthetic that is original and unique and makes people feel like they are right on trend. When people are wearing Don’t Eat The Homies, she wants people to feel fashion forward as well as environmentally conscious and confident in the future veganism can build on our planet.
Tell us a little bit about Don’t Eat The Homies and the inspiration behind the brand.
Helping save as many animals as we has always been the inspiration behind the brand. “Don’t Eat the Homies” exists for the animals. I never imagined that it would ever become what it is today, but the bigger we grow, the more awareness we will bring!
What is different about DETH in comparison to other clothing lines that promote a good cause?
Unfortunately, a lot of brands build off of causes to make their brand look “good”. DETH really is only about saving animals. I’m not in this for money or anything – I honestly haven’t paid myself a dime since I started this. I created this brand because I care about this cause more than anything and needed to find a way to use my skills to really help push this movement forward. This brand isn’t about making clothes, it’s about making noise and hopefully changing the world for the better.
What brands and/or organizations do you see Don’t Eat The Homies collaborating with in the future?
As of now, we are focusing on building our own brand before collaborating with other brands. DETH really just started to take off in the last 6 months, so right now we’re focusing on working with vegan athletes and celebrities before we work on brand collaborations. We do donate 10% of all sales to other vegan organizations that are genuinely on the same mission as we are.
Tell us about what you hope Don’t Eat The Homies does for everyone in the vegan community?
This brand makes it possible for anyone to be an activist. When someone wears DETH in public, they’re planting seeds in the minds of people who love animals but continue to contribute to their suffering. Not everyone feels comfortable speaking up about their beliefs – I’m definitely not a public speaker, so this is a way for people to spread awareness for a cause that they are passionate about in a non confrontational way.
If someone is at the store, and they see someone wearing, “Don’t Eat the Homies”, then they too might question their own decision to buy a piece of meat that day. It’s really cool to be caring and compassionate and educated, and DETH translates that.
Which celebrities do you hope to have in support of the brand and why?
There are many celebrities that we have an eye on. Kyrie Irving is a huge inspiration for us at DETH because he advocates for veganism and the animals. Basketball players such as Kyrie, Wilson Chandler, DeAndre Jordan, and Javale Mcgee are extremely influential for young athletes who look up to them. There are some incredible celebrities who use their platform to advocate for veganism as well.
Joaquin Phoenix who used his Oscar speech as an opportunity to bring awareness to this cause was an amazing moment and we’d love to have his support. A dream of ours would be to work with well respected players in the music scene like Erykah Badu, and Billie Eilish as well.
Explain the style of the clothing – what makes it “streetstyle”?
“Street style” to us is cool casual clothing that represents inclusivity. Streetwear doesn’t discriminate, because a good vibe is a good vibe regardless of gender, age, or size. We took a lot of inspiration from the skate and surfer scene that was coming up in the 90’s. There is an authenticity behind streetwear because it combines art and relevant ideas to create a dope form of visual activism.
Some of the most influential and inspiring public figures in the postmodern era have worn streetwear as their form of expression. “Don’t Eat the Homies” is my version of activism. It has truly taken on a life of it’s own at this point, and I’m excited to see how the brand will continue to shape itself over time.
What are your short term and long term goals for the brand?
Our short term goal is to grow the brand as much as we can. So many vegans have already started noticing the brand which has been such a cool thing to experience. The next thing we want to do is start working with vegan celebrities because it feels like the natural next step to get us on the map.
There has never been a vegan streetwear brand before, so we are definitely figuring it out as we go. Long term is to expand the brand as large as we can so that we can become major players in the streetwear world. Of course the entire purpose of the brand is to help save the animals. We want to show the world how cool it is to be conscious and kind.
Where do you hope to see DETH in 5 years? 10 years?
In 5 years, want DETH to be one of the biggest players in streetwear game. We want to save as many animals as we can by inspiring people to be aware of their impact on the planet and our fellow earthlings. I believe that the future is vegan and I want to do everything in my power to get us there faster. Monetary success doesn’t matter to me as much as influencing as many people as possible to examine their choices and do their best for our planet and everyone on it.
I believe that veganism is the act of choosing compassion everyday. Helping heal the world is my long term goal. This is just the beginning. Hopefully in ten years, we will no longer have to convince people that veganism is cool. In ten years the world will already be vegan. This is going to be the brand that revolutionizes the movement.
To get your own Don’t Eat The Homies merch, check out donteatthehomies.com. Follow them on Instagram to stay up to date on all new Don’t Eat The Homies drops and news.
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