As animal lovers we are thrilled to feature a uniquely
benevolent Southern California based clothing company called Arm The Animals. Spawned
from a place of genuine concern, co-founders, Matt Heinmeyer and Danian Rios have
created a company that makes a point to give back by donating profits to local
and international animal organizations. The company evolved in memory of Matt’s
sister Karen, a renowned animal lover and pet rescue advocate whose untimely
death motivated him to do something in her honor.
Matt said, “Her death sent me for a pretty big loop and
for about a year I was racking my brain trying to figure out something to do in
her memory. I felt like I wanted to do something in her name that would keep
her good works going. So one day the term, Arm The Animals, popped into my
head. I wasn't sure exactly what it was going to be but I knew it was a great
name so I researched the term [and] the URL’s were available so I borrowed
Danian’s debit card and registered the domain. After that, I thought if I'm
going to have an organization I need to have a logo, so I put together an image
of the letters with the gorilla, came up with a couple more designs and it
ended up becoming a t-shirt company. Instead of just saying, we've had a
tragedy, I'm going to do something in her memory to raise money, we said, let's
have a product, let's have a brand, let's try to make something more.”
When asked why it’s so important to their brand to
preserve quality of life and to protect animals Matt said, “It’s important
because the globe in general is at a crisis level as far as eco systems go;
we're about 25-30 years away from having the ocean fished out and potentially
collapsing the food chain. There are megafauna, silver back gorillas, elephants
and rhinos that are literally disappearing! Our kids are going to grow up
without knowing what a white rhino or a silver back is. There is such a battle
for resources and expansion across the globe that in 5 years there will be
massive consequences. If the ocean actually is fished out and collapses it's
going to start a chain reaction that we can't come back from. Our advantage is
that while people are browsing Instagram or Facebook, we can put an image in
front of them which will generate a response; it’s all about spreading
information and putting a stop or reversal into collapsing eco systems.”
Danian has his own reasons for making such important
contributions to the preservations of wildlife and says, “I'm bummed out about
what we've done as a people. Like Matt said, we're just consuming every
resource possible in the world. I wasn't actually aware of how bad the
situation was with domesticated animals until I really started researching the
problem. I had animals growing up, but I never really knew how bad the
situation was with euthanizing animals. Matt was the one that really started
teaching and educating me on the atrocities that were taking place. It was
pretty much what his sister had taught him. Having compassion and being willing
to do something to make a difference is my responsibility. I like the idea of
going to work every day and being able to do something that brings awareness or
makes a difference in these animal’s lives, it's really fulfilling.”
Arm The Animals has had several successful collaborations
with some amazingly talented artists including Tony Koehl, Franz Garcia and
Abby Diamond. They most recently partnered with Alias Blake whose War Paint
collection is both impressive and fashion forward. Their brilliant designs, revolutionary
thinking, and continued generosity has also allowed Arm The Animals to create
successful business partnerships with other important animal rescue advocates
including Wildlife SOS. Their generous donations even helped facilitate the
rescue of Raju, a tortured circus elephant who is now living the remainder of
his life free from chains and bondage.
With commitment to their core values Arm The Animals is
helping to keep no kill rescue shelters open, save elephants from captivity, as
well as preserve and restore the quality of life for a variety of species
worldwide. They strive to do everything within their power to create a better
quality of living for both domestic and wildlife animals.
October is Pitbull Awareness Month and in order to celebrate
they have created several new designs of which 20% of the proceeds will benefit
four Pit Bull rescue shelters; Casa Del Toro Animal Rescue, Priceless Pet
Rescue, Fresno Bully Rescue and Lilo’s Promise. Information for these Pit Bull
rescue centers is available below or on
Instagram @armtheanimals.
Matt and Danian are two of the most amazing guys you will
ever meet, we can’t express how incredible they truly are. They are generous,
sincere and dependable people with a genuine concern for life. Please check out
the new 2015 Fall designs at www.armtheanimals.com
Please also check out Arm The Animals on Facebook,
Instagram, and Twitter @armtheanimals
For more information on the ATA collection contributors, please
check out the following;
Tony Koehl, a
renowned Death Metal artist that has done hundreds of album covers and has also
created several designs for Arm the Animals.
Franz Garcia
who is primarily a sketch and comic book artists but who has also done some
great work with ATA over the past 2 years.
Abby Diamond,
an insanely talented artist whom they recently collaborated on the Finch Fight
Collection. She is a brilliant and vivid artist who they plan to continue to work
with.
Alias Blake, a
freelance artist and designer from Melbourne, Australia. With over 15 years of
experience working in the fashion and design industry it’s no wonder that her
War Paint collection is colorful and amazing.
Pit
Bull Awareness and Rescue Information:
Lilo’s Promise:
www.lilospromise.com or IG @lilospromise
