Umano Reminds Us The Importance Of Creativity

Graphic tees may not be everyone's favorite summer closet staple, but brother designer duo Alex and Jonathan Torrey might make it yours. As huge advocates of creativity and art, Alex and Jonathan are using their label Umano to help raise money for art education in a heartfelt and unique way. The Torrey brothers have taken trips to Harlem, Mexico, Peru, and Athens, Georgia, dropping off backpacks filled with art supplies and giving kids the tools to draw and doodle whatever they think of. Afterwards, they take the drawings and print them onto t-shirts and tank tops while doing their best to, "preserve the integrity of the drawing," said Alex. "We don’t go in to straighten any lines or ‘fix’ anything."

The coolest part about the charity is that the designs have gone to major retail stores such as Bloomingdale's and, "when [the kids] see their shirts, the most common reaction is that they're famous!...One of the little girls started to cry [when she saw the shirt]. She was like, 'It's my drawing and it is in this beautiful store!'" But this charity doesn't just stop after it reaches the retail stores. With every t-shirt purchase, the revenues fund for more art-supply-filled backpacks that they can deliver to more schools.

The inspiration behind the charity stemmed from the Torrey brothers' parents who are teachers. "The art budget in schools [had] been cut," said Alex, continuing to share how, "art education is more than learning how to draw, it's learning those important thinking and problem-solving skills."

It's definitely apparent that both Alex and Jonathan are using their art education to problem solve, but it's even greater to see that they're giving so much hope in all these young creative minds. Also, after seeing these designs, I'm thinking children doodles make the best graphics for t-shirts.

Images: @umano/Instagram; Courtesy of Umano