AUS.SHIRT. A Shirt Is a Choice. Stories Worth Wearing
Some events end when the last guests leave. Others stay with you long after the evening is over. That was certainly the case with the AUS.SHIRT. A Shirt Is a Choice. community event held at the Reet Aus studio at the end of May.
The evening brought together people and organisations who share a belief that even the smallest decisions matter. Including the decision of what kind of shirt your team wears, what message it communicates, and what environmental impact its production creates.
Throughout the evening, we took a closer look at upcycled t-shirts designed by Reet Aus for companies and organisations, and listened to the stories behind them.
The panel discussion featured Sandra Sarv, creative producer at PÖFF (Black Nights Film Festival), Terje Trochynskyi, manager of the band Svjata Vatra, and, Kristi Jõeäär, Marketing Manager at Tehnopol.
The discussion was moderated by Katrin Isotamm and Kris Liiva, who helped uncover not only the practical experiences of the organisations but also a broader question: why choose the more conscious path when simpler and cheaper alternatives are always available?
Interestingly, no one on the panel was really talking about shirts. They were talking about identity. Belonging. Values. Stories that people want to carry forward.
Tehnopol’s story illustrated how conscious choices often emerge after witnessing too much of the opposite. Kristi admitted that many marketing professionals have become almost allergic to promotional giveaways.
“Our approach is to create very little, but when we do create something, it is carefully thought through, practical, and carries our brand values with the smallest possible footprint.”
Tehnopol has collaborated with Reet Aus for nearly ten years. During that time, the core design of their shirt has remained the same. Only the details and colour combinations have changed, largely because of the nature of upcycling itself. The exact same material is not always available, and that unpredictability has become part of the story.
Perhaps the most telling insight from Kristi was that their biggest challenge has never been getting people to wear the shirts. Quite the opposite. People wear them so much that they eventually wear out.
Even more interestingly, a certain recognition has developed within Estonia’s startup ecosystem. When someone spots a distinctive Reet Aus shirt at an event, they immediately know they are meeting an organisation that shares similar values and a similar mindset.
Svjata Vatra took the conversation into the world of festival stages and fan culture. Terje recalled how their collaboration began more than a decade ago when the band was looking for a way to create something that would last longer than a single season or concert tour.
They approached Reet Aus with their iconic Firewolf symbol and a desire to create garments that people would want to wear not only at concerts but also in everyday life.
The decision has proven more successful than anyone could have imagined. The Firewolf shirts have become part of the band's identity, worn by both band members and fans. Entire families sometimes arrive at concerts wearing them. Abroad, people still stop to ask where these unique garments come from.
According to Terje, artists have a responsibility not only for what they say on stage, but also for what their choices communicate.
“As an artist on stage, you have tremendous influence — through what you say, what you sing, who you are, and what you wear.”
PÖFF’s collaboration, on the other hand, began with a practical challenge. Over theyears, the festival had accumulated a large collection of banners and promotional materials. Instead of simply throwing them away, they decided to ask a different question: what else could these materials become?
Sandra described how that question grew into a long-term collaboration that has resulted in several collections of bags made from former festival materials.
What left the strongest impression on her, however, was the opportunity to witness the entire creation process firsthand. We are used to seeing finished products, a shirt in a store or a bag on a shelf. We rarely think about how many decisions, skills, details, and hours of work are required to bring a single product to life. As part of an upcoming mini-documentary about the collaboration with Reet Aus, Sandra had the opportunity to follow the process from beginning to end.
“When you see how much work, detail, and human effort goes into creating a product, you start to value it much more.”
Throughout the discussion, one idea kept resurfacing: responsibility does not begin with the producer, it begins with the customer. Ultimately, it is our choices that determine what products are created, what stories are told, and what kind of future we build.
Design your own UP-SHIRT
During the second half of the evening, participants had the opportunity to step into the role of designer themselves. Tables filled with sketches, ideas, and lively discussions. Reet provided immediate feedback on which concepts could be realised right away and which would benefit from further development.
One of the highlights of the evening was watching a new shirt concept emerge live from a real organisational challenge. The selected organisation was Saint Gobain, whose design brief focused on bringing together several different brands under one unified visual solution.
It was inspiring to see how a practical business challenge could be transformed into a meaningful design concept through collaboration between client and designer.
And, as every good community evening should, the event also included music.
Ruslan Trochynskyi from Svjata Vatra treated guests to a short trombone performance, adding another memorable layer to an already warm and inspiring atmosphere.
Building Meaningful Brands, One Choice at a Time
Looking back, one simple truth echoed throughout the evening.
Consciously designed garments are not just company merchandise. They become part of an organisation’s identity. They create a sense of belonging, tell stories, express values, and bring people together around a shared purpose.
Perhaps Kristi Jõeäär captured the essence of the evening best:
“If you want to build a meaningful brand, you need to choose meaningful companions along the way.”
Those who attended left with fresh ideas, new perspectives, and inspiring conversations. Those who missed it will simply have to wait for the next one.
Because sometimes a well-designed shirt can say more than an entire advertising campaign.
And if your organisation is looking for a way to strengthen team identity, communicate its values, or create something people genuinely want to wear, perhaps it is worth starting with one simple question:
What story does your shirt tell?
