UK Based Designer

Gung Ho expresses the causes for a better world. Sustainable and ethical practice isn’t just at the core of their business but also the garments!

The foundations of Gung Ho began, for founder Sophie, at a very young age. Her father was a zero carbon architect and so sustainability was always a huge part of her life. She found that she could use drawings to convey sustainability issues and aimed to become a political artist. However, Sophie then “completely fell in love with silk screen printing” which progressed her work and “transformed the drawings into walking ‘talking points’ that people could wear. Gung Ho encapsulates issues of the world in stunning statement pieces that allow people to showcase their values and bring awareness too.

Gung Ho was built with sustainability and ethics from the beginning, This aspect of their brand makes them who they are and they have worked hard to ensure that they have not strayed from these foundations. Everything that Gung Ho do is carefully considered; “from the prints, fabrics, adjustable garments, reusable packaging to upcycling”. They are innovating how a typical fashion business should run. Gung Ho have also recently announced a move to made to order, which further shows their commitment to sustainable and ethical practice.

The aspect of Gung Ho that Sophie, the founder, is most proud of is the community of people who support and wear Gung Ho! As the brand have grown so have they; a group of likeminded people with a passion for sustainable issues and for beautiful clothes!

For Gung Ho, the biggest challenge faced has been pricing for customers. The increased price of sustainable fashion is often misunderstood. Gung Ho are on an “educating mission to explain what goes into a garment and why cheap clothes should you give you the ick”! They are eager to show people that there is “something special about saving for something that you want”.

Despite the challenges, Gung Ho recognises that the biggest benefit of being a sustainable business is the people that they work with! They have worked hard to build great relationships with the makers and suppliers of their garments. “It is a joy to work with them- this is quite rare in the fashion industry”. Gung Ho care about the supply chain of their garments and more importantly, the people within this chain.

Gung Ho believes that a better future for the fashion industry relies on legislation. “Enforcing sustainability onto those businesses who don’t prioritise it” will ensure that processes are improved, As well as this, focusing on profit margins as “these businesses usually have the biggest impacts due to scale”. By enforcing change on big brands would have a huge impact!

Looking to the future for Gung Ho, they are launching Gung Ho Studios later this year! This initiative will help other “sustainable brands communicate what they do to their customers in fun innovative ways”. They want to enable brands to share their USP and stories. “There is a lot of interest in sustainability right now”, and Gung Ho sees an opportunity to elevate other sustainable brands and show “what makes them special”.