LIFE AFTER: Hero Essential Tees

SUPPORT THE ESSENTIAL WORKERS!

TLDR: We've dropped a preorder to the “Hero Essential” Tee meant to raise awareness and funds for those in the health field in need of protective gear in the fight against COVID-19. All profits from the shirt will be donated to support those in the health field in need of protective gear. Here's a link to the product:

https://spiffpasse.com/collections/frontpage/products/hero-essential-tee-preorder

CALL TO ACTION:

“The hospital is a crazy place to be rn, so I’m tryna be as safe as I can.”

When I read that message from my good homie JC, one of the health workers putting his life at risk to take care of the many individuals impacted by COVID-19, I immediately felt uneasy and had no idea what I could do to help. We joked that we couldn’t even give each other a hug to comfort one another, so we’d save them for when this was all over. But that conversation burned a feeling of helplessness in my mind that I simply couldn’t shake.

The harsh reality that this was a battle affecting my immediate community along with the entire world was thrown in my face and I could no longer look away.

Arvie must have been feeling the same way because a week or so later he brought up to the team that we had to utilize our platform and streetwear brand to help out these essential workers all we could. He proposed that we make tees to raise money for the workers that needed it, so I immediately got to designing.

The phrase “unsung hero” quickly emerged in my head because the words perfectly described the individuals keeping the world running before the term “essential worker” gained its popularity. I figured I’d combine the two labels to create a new one that was more representative of this time and the people who we were attempting to support.

Minutes after doing a Dragonball Z-style fusion dance with the words, Arvie brought up using an anime character in the design (likely because I haven’t stopped drawing them since quarantine started lol). My mind immediately raced to the one and only Lemilion from Boku No Hero Academia (aka My Hero Academia).

BEHIND THE DESIGN:

SPOILER ALERT! (Skip this paragraph if you hate spoilers lol)

Lemillion is the epitome of a hard-working individual for a variety of reasons, but what truly gained Lemillion the respect of every fan this season was the effort he exerted as he tried to save Eri during his fight with Overhaul. 

 In the middle of the battle, Lemillion lost the powers he trained for years to develop but still had the confidence to say, “Nothing I’ve done up to now will ever be useless! I will always be Lemillion!”

“Nothing I’ve done up to now will ever be useless! I will always be Lemillion!”

The work he put in prior to that fight defined him as the hero he wanted to be; with or without his abilities, he was still Lemillion and would willingly sacrifice everything he had to defend the girl he was trying to save. At that moment, it appeared easy to dismiss him as a normal human, but his efforts from the past made him remain the hero he worked to be. 

The parallels between his resilience and those of the people in the health field are uncanny. Both Lemillion and many essential workers are faced with what seemed to be an unbeatable enemy and are asked to go against it with the powers of an average human. None of the energy they’ve put in during their fights will ever be considered useless, and they will forever be cemented as heroes.

I could go on and on about what makes Lemillion the perfect symbol to represent today’s essential workers, but to keep things concise, just know that when I made these connections, I immediately knew what I had to do. 

THE POINT.

These tees dropped yesterday and within the first few hours of the release, we witnessed an overwhelming amount of support in the form of ordered tees, shared posts, and constant comments. For a few hours, it felt like my phone was going to blow up from how much love y’all showed the cause we’re working for. We’ll let the preorder stay up for a few more days before production begins; we appreciate y’all so much for doing what you can to help the individuals currently at the frontlines of this battle against a disease that I’m sure we’ll beat. 

Being given the label “Hero” simply isn’t enough; there are a ton of essential workers out there who need to be given appropriate wages and benefits. But one thing we understand is that a hero is what all you essential workers are. Thank you for doing what you’re doing to keep society afloat. We truly hope the world is able to recognize the importance of your efforts and give y’all the compensation you deserve ASAP.

https://www.instagram.com/ericearholes/

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