What would you say if I told you there is a clothing company that is more concerned with caring than consumerism? That this company believes business can and should be profitable, but giving back should always top the list when it comes to their bottom line? And what if I told you this company puts you at the epicenter of their cause, because every time you purchase one of their products, you personally feed a child in need?
This is what HALF UNITED is all about.
In the blistering hot summer of 2009 a small North Carolina based clothing company called HALF UNITED was formed. The story behind the brand really dates back to the mid 1980’s when sibling founders Carmin and Christian Black were born. These two grew up in Hawaii, Alaska, and various cities throughout North Carolina. Their story is interesting and one that they hope will inspire you to create change, believe and go after your dreams, and always do your HALF to help those in need.
Born and raised all over the globe Carmin and Christian know the value of a good pineapple, they can teach you how to climb a palm tree, how to feed a Moose out of your hand, explain the best time to pour out hot coffee and watch it freeze before it hits the ground, and can tell you how to get around every major N.C. city- because they’ve probably lived there. No strangers to travel or how to pick up friends all along the way, these siblings attribute the places they’ve lived as major influences on their lives.
More than where they grew up, the people they grew up with also significantly shaped their view of the world. In their family every male member was or is a member of the clergy. While other children were playing Saturday soccer, Carmin and Christian could be found feeding the homeless with one of their grandfathers, or visiting the sick or elderly with their father. The women in their lives on the other hand taught them to appreciate the arts, how to spot good clothing design and the value of interesting architecture. Their lives were never void of opposite extremes, but this explains why owning a clothing company that feeds children in need with every purchase made is the perfect fit for this dynamic sibling duo.
So in the summer of 2009 the aspiring entrepreneur, Carmin Black, teamed up with her younger brother to start a clothing company called HALF UNITED. At the time, Carmin had just returned home from L.A. after working and traveling the country on behalf of TOMS Shoes as a Vagabond. It was her job to travel around with two other young female team members in a 15-passenger van to spread the word about the TOMS One for One movement. At TOMS Carmin learned how to correctly run a business that gives back. This knowledge combined with everything she and her brother lived through as children made this type of business the perfect fit for their lives.
The name HALF UNITED is based upon the idea that every time you purchase one of our products you are UNITING with others to do your part to fight global hunger. Your purchase is only HALF of your story, the other HALF is your selfless act of changing a child’s life, possibly forever. At HALF UNITED we UNITE with men, women and children across the globe to peacefully protest global hunger. We realize none of us can eradicate hunger alone, but UNITED there’s nothing we cannot accomplish!
