As you all may well have heard, a second massive earthquake has rocked the Mentawai Islands in a matter of days and the aftershocks continue. SurfAid International has been sending out an announcement to all of their newsletter recipients keeping us up to date and fully aware of the situation as it develops with eye witness accounts from their teams on the ground. Not only is this devastating to the people of the Mentawais but the threat of a Tsunami is very real and is being monitored carefully. SurfAid has published both of the releases on their website at www.surfaidinternational.org, I encourage you to have a look to get the full story on the situation.

With our first SurfAid contribution fast approaching I have REDUCED THE PRICE OF THE ENTIRE “PREMIERE EDITION” in hopes that we can make a last minute drive for the benefit of the people touched by their great organization. Our contribution will remain at 5% of the profit per sale based on the original price.

With that said I would like to thank everyone for the welcome and support you have shown AS[ONE] Clothing and give you a brief look into what this contribution means. I believe that the message and concept behind this independent label is beginning to be heard and I can only hope that it will spread futher in the future.
Months back when my dream of a clothing label which would not only be tailored to people like you and me but also support the causes we believe in started coming alive, I choose SurfAid International as the organization I would dedicate the first line of unique tees to. They were very receptive of the idea and were extremely helpful in the early stages of the launch of AS[ONE] Clothing. In return I pledged to them a initial donation on the 15th of February and I plan to make that contribution on behalf of all of you. SurfAid International is an organization that can inspire us all whether you have been drawn to AS[ONE] through sport, hobby, art, music or compassion.

AS[ONE] Clothing is not a large corporation, you would be amazed to know how small we can actually be, no we are just a dream much like you had the first time you stepped into the water, drew your first line or jammed out your first tune. We are just trying to enjoy ourselves and make it a reality.

Intro…
This is it the big exciting news, asone Clothing is about to go live for real. In the next week we will be opening our shop doors to display “The Premiere Edition” All six designs will be featured in limited hand numbered shirts only 250! and they are gone, never to be reproduced by asone Clothing. Oh and the hermit well we got something special lined up for him… only 200! of this little guy.

The limited edition factor…
We look at each piece as a work of art, a story lies within, a concept behind the development. As with all works of art everyone will have their own view or intrpretation, embrace this. Our decision to offer each design in small quatities is based on the concept of asone itself. We promote self expression and the ability to differentiate yourself from others. We know that you would rather have something unique, something rare. In fact our ability to develop these desgins is in a large part based on the time we spend exploring the uniqueness of the world, its’ cultures and people. You may only see a handful of designs from asone clothing each year to ensure that we are offering you the finest pieces.
Our contribution to SurfAid…
It is our responsibility to give back, to do more with this clothing line than just make a profit. SurfAid is taking huge steps to improve the quality of life for the people of the Mentawai Islands and continues to branch out in their efforts to improve the world community. We belive that asone Clothing shares a similar vision with SurfAid and it is our hope that we are able to offer our continuing support for them and other great organizations like them. Therefore we will be donating $1.00 for every shirt you buy to SurfAid International! I understand that asone Clothing is not for everyone but I encourage you to check out SurfAid and gain a deeper understanding of their project @ www.surfaidinternational.org. Purchasing a shirt is not the only way you can help! You can also add them to your friends on MySpace and spread the word by encouraging others to do the same.

“Six years ago, physician and surfer Dr. Dave Jenkins went on a surf charter to the Mentawai Islands with one goal in mind: to find perfect waves. The surf proved to be everything he had hoped for. What he also found, though, were the Mentawai people—mostly women and children-–-suffering and dying from the ravages of malaria and other preventable diseases. Troubled by the inequity of lifestyles and moved by compassion, Dr. Jenkins went on to establish SurfAid International, a non-profit organization dedicated to the alleviation of human suffering through community-based health programs. With the support of the New Zealand and Australian governments, the global surfing community, and most importantly the Mentawai people of the affected areas themselves, SurfAid has come to exemplify the healing power of cross-cultural partnerships.“

In the future…