About Us

TradeMutt was created by two tradies who had an idea to use funky work shirts to start conversations about mental health among the blue collar community of Australia.

We exist to drive the much needed social and cultural shift required to prevent Australian lives from becoming statistics to the alarming rates of suicide in this country.          

What started as a simple idea to get people talking on site, TradeMutt has seen overwhelming support from communities all over Australia, extending far beyond the building site. TradeMutt workwear has been embraced as a conversation starter in schools, childcare centres, corporate offices, hospitals and emergency services, as well as making it to some of the most remote places in the world including Mt Everest and Antarctica.

Thanks to the support of our amazing community, not only has TradeMutt grown and evolved into a workwear, lifestyle and media brand promoting positive conversations through social media content, TradeMutt’s 120 Grit podcast, Trademutt Toolbox Talks and our online publication, the Mutt Hub.

We have also established and grown our own not for profit mental health support service, This Is A Conversation Starter (TIACS). TIACS provides free, unlimited access to mental health professionals through a discreet support line providing both text and call, removing some of the key barriers preventing anyone from reaching out for help.

At Trademutt, our approach to creating positive social impact reaches far beyond the conversations that our products create. We are fully committed to supporting business and programs throughout our supply chain, both in Australia and overseas, whose purpose and ethos aligns with our unwavering drive to create positive social change.

Together we can make an invisible issue impossible to ignore.

ED AND I MET ON A BUILDING SITE BACK IN 2014 WHEN WE STARTED WORKING FOR A NEW BUILDER ON THE SAME DAY. I WAS TWO YEARS OUT OF MY CARPENTRY TRADE AND ED WAS JUST STARTING OUT, FRESH OFF A STINT FROM WORKING ON A CATTLE STATION IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY.

I was born and raised in the inner west suburbs of Sydney, and Ed is an authentic country lad hailing from Longreach Queensland. We would seem an unlikely duo as I had never ventured west of Ipswich and Ed couldn’t really relate to my stories of interestingly diverse multicultural Sydney. We did however, immediately find common ground with our ability to recite, word for word, every scene from childhood favourite, Dumb and Dumber. Our unwavering appreciation for Jim Carrey along with our solid work ethic quickly meant that working long hours was not so hard because no matter what the job at hand involved, we could always make each other laugh. Our mateship was founded on this attitude and has carried us through absolutely everything.

 

Towards the end of 2016, everything for me came to a grinding halt. I was floored by the news that one of my best mates had tragically and unexpectedly taken his own life.

 

His name was also Dan and was one of the first mates I had made when I moved to Brisbane. He quickly became like a brother who had an infectious personality that was impossible to ignore. This was the first time in my life that I had been affected by suicide. As hard as I remember it being to accept, and the confusion that came with it, it must have been unmeasurable compared to what was felt by his mum, dad and brother. This was truly a life changer.

 

Fast forward two and a half years and here we are, two cofounders of a social enterprise. TradeMutt came about in the confusing but reflective period following what happened in 2016. We are an Australian Workwear brand that aims to make tradies and workers of all kinds look and feel great at work, and in doing so, reduce the rate of male suicide in Australia.

 

Our loud and vibrant shirts act as a catalyst to starting the conversation around mental health, a topic that has been hard to approach in the past for blokes, mostly due to the attached stigmas and perceived weakness. However, seeing the emptiness in the eyes of a family who have lost a loved one to suicide make it blatantly obvious, that the courage that us blokes pride ourselves on, is the very thing required to address this silent killer. I believe that true happiness can never be appreciated until we have experienced what it feels like to be at the lowest of lows. Mum always said to my brothers and I - “the harder the climb the better the view” and it is only now that I can fully appreciate how wise her words were.

 

Ed and I can’t thank you enough for getting on board this movement with us. We hope that wearing these shirts brings you the same happiness and courage that we have experienced in getting to this point. We both hope that this can encourage the cultural shift in Aussie blokes that is necessary to effectively lower the rate of suicide in Australia. The right pocket features the letters YNWA, which is a tribute to my mate Dan, who lived and breathed Liverpool Football Club. In memory of Dan, this is a reminder for anyone wearing one of these shirts, You’ll Never Walk Alone.

 

Thanks again,

Dan (and Ed)

 

THIS IS A CONVERSATION STARTER (TIACS)

This Is A Conversation Starter (TIACS) is not only the underpinning philosophy at TradeMutt, but it is also the name of the not for profit mental health support service created and funded by TradeMutt.

TIACS is a free text and call service providing access to psychologists in a relatable, reliable, and discreet way.  TIACS was created to remove the physical and financial barriers that prevent so many Australians from reaching out for professional help when they need it.

Through the sale of conversation starting workwear, TradeMutt funds two full-time psychologists who provide free and professional support to the extended blue-collar community and their friends and family.

If you or someone you know would like to have a yarn with a mental health professional, find out more by heading to www.tiacs.org or call or text 0488 846 988.

 

WORK RESTART

Recidivism – the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend. In Australia the rate of recidivism is 46% meaning that almost half of all people released from prison will be back inside within two years.

Work Restart is an incredible Queensland not for profit social enterprise that aims to empower people with an experience of incarceration to restart their lives and positively contribute to the community they live in. Simply put, the goal is to break the cycle of individuals who reoffend upon release by equipping them with the tools and resources needed to give them the best chance of success on the outside.

TradeMutt is proud to support the Work Restart program through the manufacturing of several accessories which have been created by incarcerated individuals. Ed and Dan had the privilege of visiting a prison west of Brisbane to meet the individuals behind these creations, spread the message behind TradeMutt and create opportunities to provide pathways to employment and mentoring on the outside.

Find out more about the amazing work that Work Restart does by heading to workrestart.com.au

 

SHE RESCUE SEWING CENTRE

Through the creation of TradeMutt products, we are supporting the work of It’s Not Ok Projects. It’s Not Ok exists to come against the injustices of poverty, sexual exploitation and human trafficking in our world today, by restoring lives once affected, and by replacing vulnerabilities with opportunities for hope.

Two of these projects include She Recue Home and She Sewing Centre in Cambodia.

She Rescue Home exists as a safe haven for girls and young women who have survived trafficking, prostitution and sexual exploitation or are at risk. This high security home is where girls are given the chance to heal, in a safe environment with access to social workers, counsellors, health care and education.

She Sewing Centre provides a place to employ girls from the She Rescue home, equipping survivors and local women with safe employment and ongoing training for a fair and liveable wage. The goal is that this project will create enough income to make other projects in Cambodia self-sustaining.

We are proud to say that our TradeMutt hoodies (and other products yet to hit market) were hand made at the She Sewing Centre, Cambodia. Your support allows us to grow our commitment to ethical and sustainable manufacturing and to support other social enterprise businesses that support their communities.

Find out more about the work of ITS NOT OK Projects here: itsnotok.com

 

SENDABLE

Currently, people with a disability experience lower rates of labour force participation and employment compared to those without a disability. This creates a number of complex barriers around social inclusion and skills development.

Send-Able is a third-party logistics company which exists in partnership with Multicap, a social enterprise focussed on increasing long term employment opportunities and skills for people with a disability. This partnership has not only provided a reliable and efficient solution to warehousing, logistics and dispatch, but this #packwithpurpose order fulfilment evokes true social change.

TradeMutt is proud to say that every order that is sent out to our community has been carefully and precisely packed by a member of the Send Able team. Next time you open a package from TradeMutt, take a moment to consider the positive impact and opportunities that your order has provided for an individual who may have otherwise faced barriers to employment.

Find out more about Send-Able here: send-able.com