Red Patch is a mission-driven project to mobilize, engage, and inspire. We design, print, sell, and donate apparel inspired by the extraordinary explosion of artistic pedagogy unleashed by Latin America’s social movements, which pioneered the use of modern visual design as a tool for political education and consciousness raising.
Name
“Red patch” honours the trade-union and progressive activists interned without due process during Canada’s 1940s Red Scare, whose prison uniforms consisted of a blue shirt embroidered with a circular red patch. It is dedicated with gratitude and reverence to all who have met violent ends or suffered harm for their efforts to usher in a more beautiful world and a more just human community.Solidarity with Garment Workers
Sourcing textiles from the garment industry, one of the most notoriously exploitative on the planet, poses vexing ethical and practical problems. While it hasn't been possible as a boutique workshop to source all inventory from firms with strong workers' rights and environmental standards, Red Patch is making every effort to eliminate sweat garments from our shelves. In the meantime we disclose the supplier for each product so that the customer can make ethical choices. We will only use commercial brands on a first print run, and only use third-party fulfillment services to plug gaps in inventory. If a design proves popular, inventory will be replenished with textiles sourced from a trusted ethical, union-made supplier.