SOTRU and Ropeadope are teaming up to celebrate and support American communities – on your shirt.

Can a T-shirt be more than just a T-shirt? What if instead of just a  stylish illustration, it’s design symbolizes a place and the  stories, struggles and triumphs of the people that call that place  home? What if the shirt has a greater purpose than just being a  comfortable garment to wear?

State of the Re:Union (SOTRU) has teamed up with the purveyors of  cool at Ropeadope.com to aid community charities across the country.  Representing select cities from past SOTRU episodes, each of these  designs has been created by an artist local to that area, and  proceeds from each sale go directly to a specific charity in that  community. Featured cities include:

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Brooklyn, New York

These shirts were inspired by our Brooklyn episode, touting artwork from the local Brooklyn artist, Aerosyn-Lex, and the proceeds will benefit Urban Word NYC. These tees are the first of some quality choice threads that have the power to make friends and influence people, or at the very least inspire some interesting conversation.

Las Vegas, Nevada

For those of you out there who like to take a gamble on what they wear, then this tee is certainly worth your while. The SOTRU episode on Las Vegas, NV, exploring the unfamiliar and lackluster side of Sin City.  The local artist, Stephan Maman, created a SOTRU tee that will really get the dialogue going. The proceeds for these shirts will benefit the Shine a Light organization which provides living essentials (water, food, clothing, etc.) and services to those who live in the tunnels beneath Las Vegas.

Los Angeles, California

SOTRU’s Los Angeles episode spotlighting the city of the Angels in California, gave inspiration to the creator of these tees by L.A.’s  Jim Darling, with the proceeds helping the People Assisting the Homeless (PATH). This organization provides the tools that men and women need to help them become self-sufficient and successful at remaining off of the streets.

Austin, Texas

Another opportunity to add to your already profound wardrobe is the tee designed by local Austin, TX artist, Brandon Ortwein. This tee’s design represents some of the interesting characters that are discovered in SOTRU’s Austin episode These proceeds will directly benefit the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM).

Will wearing one of these T-shirts help you change the world? No,  that’s still up to you. But it will showcase your brilliant taste in  public media, look good and benefit programs dedicated to making their communities a better place.

Click here to place your order today.

About Ropeadope
Ropeadope is a record label and coveted clothing brand that uses the tee shirt as a medium for knowledge and pride. Past collaborations with Blue Note Records, Okayplayer, The Love Movement and others have been well received amongst community tastemakers and fans. Ropeadope’s message has always been one of knowing your history and supporting community. Ropeadope is proud to bring their talents to this collaboration, supporting American communities.

We are extremely excited to announce that the newest T-shirt of the SOTRU/Ropeadope collaboration, Jim Darling’s Los Angeles design, is now available!

Jim is a celebrated Los Angeles based artist and was able to capture the essence of the area with the type of work PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) do.

Additionally, as part of a limited promotion, you can catch a sneak listen of our newest episode, Las Vegas: Bright Lights, Big City, Small Town with the purchase of Stephan Maman’s Las Vegas T-shirt.

Charity: PATH – People Assisting the Homeless
Since 1984 PATH has built a multi-denominational and community based organization with the mission of breaking the cycle of homelessness by empowering people with the tools for self-sufficiency.

From transitional housing and employment centers that help homeless job-seekers develop marketable skills and secure employment to street outreach teams and collaborative partnerships with area civic and philanthropic service providers, PATH is committed to providing “A Hand Up, Not a Hand Out.”

Artist: Jim Darling
Jim Darling grew up in the sprawling suburbs of Dallas, Texas. After high school he headed to Denver Colorado for art school. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Jim works as a fine artist and freelance creative. Darling’s gallery work ranges from intricate ink drawings to layered wood work with illustrative painted skins. Outside, Jim expands his tool set by including found objects and materials. His subject matter lives between play and real. Large issues are often looked at in simplistic terms and are then juxtaposed by intense detail. You can find out more about Jim and his work by visiting his website.

Purchase the Los Angeles shirt here.

To Benefit Local Charities

The perfect collaboration has occurred to keep you looking fly and giving back! We couldn’t be more happy to bring focus to some of the amazing local charities that we’ve discovered and pair them with celebrated artists in the respective locations. This project with Ropeadope is all about community and culture—spread the word and the love.

It is common to see that unequivocal red sleeve tag on many of the T-shirts being worn around SOTRU’s office. Ropeadope’s distinctive tag, inventive designs and consistent quality has made them a premier online T-shirt retailer. Clothing is just a small part of who Ropeadope is. The brand is also a record label and esteemed cultural collective that shares that same community driven conscience as State of the Re:Union. So, it made so much sense to team up with them in a new T-shirt project that will be benefiting selected local charities. And just for the record, the collaborative moniker “SO-dope” was shot down . . . way down.

Today marks the first release of the project with three more to follow. The four designs are based on locations that SOTRU has featured in radio episodes. From there, a charity in the area was selected to get a portion of the proceeds of T-shirt sales. And lastly, we chose celebrated artists that are based in the respective city. Here is the breakdown:

Stephen Maman's Las Vegas Design

Las Vegas
Release Date: March 18th
Artist: Stephan Maman
Charity: Shine a Light

Los Angeles
Release Date: April 12th
Artist: Jim Darling
Charity: PATH – People Assisting the Homeless

Brooklyn
Release Date: May 17th
Artist: Aerosyn-Lex
Charity: Urban Word NYC

Austin
Release Date: June 14th
Artist: Brandon Ortwein
Charity: HAAM – Health Alliance for Austin Musicians

You can go here to pre-purchase the first shirt in the series, Stephan Maman’s Las Vegas design to which some of the proceeds will go to Shine a Light.