After launching their clothing brand just earlier this year, nonprofit Rare Republic Canada has officially decided to close up shop.
The company, which was founded by a group of high schoolers with drive and initiative, uses their clothing as a way to raise awareness for endangered species and raise money for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The company initially began as a business class project, in which CEO Jessica, CFO Nathan, CMO Fiona, members Jose Emiliano, Luca, Gavin. Ajani, Ella, Mashaal, Mathew, Kierra, Amir, and Olivia were prompted by their business teacher Mr. Nuyens to tackle one of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
The team decided on life on land and life in water, and soon, Rare Republic Canada had materialized.
“There were a lot of us and it seemed hectic in the beginning,” admitted Rare Republic CMO Fiona, “ but once we got started it was easy and we all worked together to figure out how to make Rare Republic succeed.”
When Rare Republic first launched in April, Fiona admits that reality quickly hit and the team realized just how difficult building a business would be. But through trial and error, they were able to change and perfect their products until they were satisfied.
“I was our first customer,” Fiona confessed. “And my zip up hoodie has our first typo on a product. This allowed us to go through and fix our mistakes so no one else would have the mistake. I love the hoodie though as it’s a reminder for me on how far we’ve grown as a company.”
Using the Rare Republic Canada website, donations can be sent directly to the World Wildlife Fund, and all proceeds made from purchases will be donated to the WWF as well.
“We decided that it had to be the World Wildlife Fund because they aligned with our beliefs and we love that they are helping with endangered animal and habitat conservation. Thus making it an easy decision for us to donate all the money we make to them,” said Fiona.
Starting Rare Republic Canada has been an amazing opportunity for these students and has given them unique and valuable experiences that not many teenagers have.
“Jessica and I recently attended a meeting with Harvard professor, Jal Mehta, and the Director of Education at OCSB, Tom D’Amico, regarding our company,” Fiona said. “We were also given the opportunity to present our company at the Young Entrepreneurs In Action Provincial Showcase.”
But all good things come to an end, and unfortunately, Rare Republic Canada will be officially shutting down their business today, June 16th, 2023.
With the team graduating from high school in the upcoming weeks, the members of Rare Republic decided that closing the company is the best option at the moment.
For those who are interested in making a purchase or donation, you can access the official Rare Republic Canada website here. There are a variety of different animal images available on the products, and each product has a ‘Did You Know?’ fact on them as well.
Until Rare Republic Canada closes, they will be offering free shipping on all orders using the code FREESHIP in checkout.