About PROGRESS Label

Declaration
PROGRESS is a socially and politically engaging graphic clothing label. We combine progressive messages, original designs, and super-comfy clothing to bring you PROGRESS Label.

Originally motivated by America’s bold patriotism post September 11th, the subsequent invasion of Iraq and many events that led up to the invasion of Afghanistan and the Iraq War. We found the American media to be a sad disaster and little more than a megaphone for the George W. Bush administration. While the world achieved the largest protests in documented history, Colin Powell told obvious lies to the United Nations, and mass media in America accepted the White House’s justification of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Americans were excited for the Shock and Awe that had been sold to them. As a social critic and artist that had just returned to Wisconsin from extended travels abroad, I found this time and this experience strangely shocking. PROGRESS began as a reaction to these relationships between people, culture, and power.

PROGRESS Label designs supports creative resistance and positive changes in the world around us. Our messages highlight injustice, incompetence, and hypocrisies in our communities, our culture, and our government. While some of our designs are quite bold, many of them leave interpretation to the viewer. Our graphics cause viewers to question both the meaning and reasoning behind the imagery. The concepts, though sometimes quite subtle, are more complex than solely popularizing the PROGRESS brand. Each apparel graphic addresses a social, political, or global issue. While our graphics are created as stand-alone artwork, each clothing tag explains the message behind the design and offers additional insight into the design.

As part of the PROGRESS mission, we give back through our Spare Change? Campaign. With the Spare Change? Campaign, we donate a portion of our time, creative skills, and apparel printing to aid local, national, and international organizations in their progress. We also support a wide variety of community-focused organizations and progressive non-profits that are working towards a greater good.

PROGRESS Label clothing is made in the USA and hand-printed with eco-friendly water-based ink in my former print shop. Water-based inks soak into the fabric allowing our original designs and fabrics to remain super-soft. Quality printing and comfortable fabrics are at the heart of our bodies and our business. With each PROGRESS design, you receive a blend of original aesthetics, casual comfort, and a mindful message.