Bresheh and Randy McLaren Empowerment—It's In the Bag
Call him “the kreative aktivist.” Randy McLaren is a performer and youth leader who has spent many years using his talent and creativity to address social issues in Jamaica and around the world. “When engagement is heightened,” he says, “you have a better chance of making an impact on young people.” One of those young people is his brother, Davian. After realizing his minimum-wage job wasn’t fulfilling enough for him, Davian and Randy put their heads together and a new creative social initiative was born. Together, the McLaren brothers started Bresheh, a backpack line with a mission that transcends style. Randy laughs, recalling the brothers’ humble beginnings. “All we had was a secondhand sewing machine and big dreams.” He admits that his brother is the “artsy one,” who scoured the Internet for design ideas, and after much trial and error, finally hit upon one that worked for them. Randy handles the marketing and business side of things, leveraging his extensive social network to generate buzz and sales for their first run of bags. It’s a strategy they plan to continue using to push their crowdfunding campaign.
Catalogue
and keep our supporters and backers in the loop. Building a strong crowdfunding campaign is a lot like maintaining a strong social media presence.” Eight months into the venture, Randy and Davian have already moved over 500 Bresheh bags. The appeal is in the individuality: they are 100% customizable as far as colours and materials, and embroidery is the next step. To expand production capacity further and satisfy unmet demand, they will use their campaign funds to invest in sewing, embroidery and fabric cutting machines, raw materials and product development. And, of course, like everything Randy does, there is more to Bresheh than meets the eye. Every bag comes with a tag or card with information on how to report abuse, sexual violence and other offenses. The bags can also be customized with messages of empowerment; reminding young people of their worth and responsibilities, and the brothers are planning to donate 5% of all proceeds to supporting an educational initiative. Beyond that, the McLarens envision a Bresheh factory within their parish of St. Thomas, making their business a place where people can find employment and opportunity.
“We’ve been working with Branson Centre to refine our campaign strategy. We want to tell a compelling story but keep it very visual, create ‘buzz’ and interest, 9