Q&A with the directors

M E E T    T H E    D I R E C T O R S ! !

Big Wild Thought was founded back in July 2018, by Laura and Liam who had an idea to create a brand that allows people to wear and care at the same time. We asked you all what you would questions you would like to ask them about Big Wild Thought and here are their answers...

Apart from buying your products, what else can we do for these animals?

"One of the main things you can do is to waste less. Pollution is one of the main issues facing the natural world. From food waste, which causes over farming, to plastic pollution in the oceans, which cause more than 100,000 marine mammals and over a million sea birds to die each year from plastic ingestion and entanglement. So just buying only what you need, and recycling everything you can, can go a long way to help keeping the plant safe for all the wildlife!"

"We also provide website links to each of the charities on our website (www.bigwildthought.co.uk/pages/charities), and they all have information about the work they do, and how you can provide future help, either via monthly donations or volunteering. With the Bee Conservation Trust, you can go on bee walks to help record different species of bee so they can better understand the decline in bee populations across the UK. And the Whale and Dolphin Conservation are always looking for volunteers to help with fundraising events across the UK."

What was your inspiration to start Big Wild Thought?

"We have both always loved wildlife and the outdoors. So, when we decided that we wanted to start a clothing company, we knew we wanted it to be one that gave back. Once we had come up with the designs, we got in touch with the charities to see if we could help, and they more were more than happy to accept any help we could offer. By donating 10% of the retail cost instead of profits allows people to know exactly how much of the sale goes to charity. Most companies donate a percentage of the profits, and profits can vary so much between products, meaning they can vary their donations without the consumer knowing. We did not want to hide anything from our customers and wanted them to know exactly how much we donate and where it goes to."

"While we were developing Big Wild Thought, we were spending time on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. During our time there we spent a lot of time on the amazing beaches they have and saw so much plastic that had been washed up. We knew then that we were going to use plastic free packaging, as we did not want to contribute to the problem."

"Our main aim from the beginning has been to help as many animals and charities as we can."

 I S L E    O F    L E W I S

Is your clothing sustainable and produced ethically? From raw materials to fair labour?

"We are currently developing a page about this on our website which should be available to read soon."

"All our clothing is made from sustainable fabrics, all the Cotton is 100% Organic and the Polyester that is used is made from recycled plastic bottles. All the factories we use to are audited by the fair wear foundation, which make sure the factories are safe, and are creating a better environment for their employees."

 T H E    B A N G L A D E S H    F A C T O R Y

When will you start a big cat’s collection?

"We have just launched our first big cat design last month, our Bengal Tiger and we will adding to the big cat range later this year/early next year, which we are all extremely excited about!"

How do you decide which animals to support when there are so many?

"At first, we just picked our favourite animals which we knew were under threat, which was an Orca, Sloth and Butterfly. From here charities started to get in touch with us about collaborations, so we now have nearly 20 charities on a waiting list. We try our best to release them in order, but if there is a day coming up, like International Orangutan Day, then we will aim to get the animal design released for then."
 

Would you ever add something to your site so you can track the impact you have with each charity?

"We would love to eventually, at the moment we post on our social media everything we can about the help we give the charities, and they in turn post various projects we help fund. Like the sloth bridge we sponsored in Costa Rica." 



If you could choose one animal from your products to see in the wild which one would it be?  

"For me (Liam) it would have to be the Sloths in Costa Rica, I have always wanted to visit the Rainforest so I would love to be able to go and see them in their natural habitat. The Sloth conservation do some amazing work creating rope bridges for the Sloths and educating the kids at local schools so it would be amazing to go and see that in person."

"Mine (Laura) would be to see Orcas in any of the oceans that they can be found in. When I was a child I always wanted to go and see Orcas and Dolphins at SeaWorld and thought it was amazing that you could see them up close and personal and watch them do amazing tricks! But as I got older and understood that Orcas and Dolphins do not belong in captivity and I realised very quickly they belong in their natural environment and thrive there, not in a swimming pool!"



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