Charity T-shirt highlights importance of connection

The founders of True Reverie said they were raising money for the city's Samaritan branch

An ethical clothing brand in Wolverhampton has designed a T-shirt using the city's area dialling code to raise money for charity.

True Reverie founders Lindsay and Tim Baker said they were raising money for the city's Samaritan branch, which this year marked 60 years of supporting residents.

By using the 01902 code they wanted to highlight "how important it is to stay connected with those we care about, near and far".

The husband and wife team said their clothing firm was inspired by Wolverhampton and the West Midlands and they wanted to try to "counter the negative press Wolverhampton sometimes receives".

"Our new 01902 T-shirt design is bright and fun with a retro vibe and pop-art twist," Mr Baker said.

"We hope it will be a joyful addition to people's wardrobes during the grey winter months, and more importantly it will help raise proceeds for Wolverhampton Samaritans with 25% of all profits donated to the local branch of the charity.

"Our independent fashion brand True Reverie was born out of trying to counter the negative press Wolverhampton sometimes receives and instead aims to reflect what a great area it is to live in."

Tim Baker and his wife started their label in 2019

The design uses 100% organic cotton and can be purchased online for £30.

Mrs Baker said they started the brand in 2019 to be positive about their home city and their first item of clothing was a T-shirt championing tyre firm Goodyear, which was based in the city and had been a sponsor of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

"It celebrated the footballing aspect in the city and people whose parents worked there," she said.

"We do screen prints using ethical cotton in our home studio and try to be as sustainable as we can using local people."

The couple have used the 01902 code before in designs, but wanted to use it again this year to support the Samaritans.

"We first did it in Covid, when it was about calling people rather than texting to see if they were okay.

"It's still relevant today for people's mental health and we wanted to team up with the Samaritans as they'd also marked 60 years here."