A ‘tur-shirt’ isn’t your usual slogan t-shirt – it’s designed to make its wearers look at themselves with confidence and positivity.
The Tur-Shirt Company is a Manchester-based business that creates t-shirts with motivational messages printed on them. But unlike any others on the market, these are printed backwards, so that the wearer can only read the message by looking at themselves in the mirror.
The brand was launched in August of 2020 by Terri-Anne Turton, with its name paying homage to her four-year-old daughter, Amber, who calls t-shirts ‘tur-shirts’.
Unlike many other clothing brands, fashion isn’t the main priority for The Tur-Shirt Company. Their slogan is: “Less dress to impress, more wear for self-care.”
Terri-Anne hopes that her business will encourage her customers to practice positive self-talk, which is something that everyone could benefit from during the global pandemic.
“This is more than fashion, this is a mental health tool,” she says.
Terri-Anne always wanted to start a family Instagram business. While brainstorming potential ideas, she recognised her love for nontraditional clothing, and positivity, and she was empowered to do something with this. She also wanted to create a brand that could help people’s mental health, as this is a matter that is very close to her family’s heart.
“I realised that as an adult, I don’t have much self-belief, so I wanted to make sure that my children do believe in themselves,” says Terri-Anne.
“Then I thought that there must be other people out there that need a little encouragement when it comes to self-belief.”
But this wasn’t enough for Terri-Anne – there are plenty of slogan t-shirts on the market – but she wanted to produce something completely unique.
“I started thinking about how I can do it. That’s when I thought, I know clothing. I can do my own motivational, positive, self-belief quotes on t-shirts. Then it just came to me, what if we flipped it?”
Terri-Anne’s idea was born in May 2020, at a time when the country was in a national lockdown, and desperately needed an injection of positivity. Three months later, The Tur-Shirt Company was founded.
The brand currently sells t-shirts for women and children. They are planning to launch a menswear selection in the future with the help of Terri-Anne’s fiancé.
Terri-Anne is extremely aware of the negative impacts of the fast fashion industry on the economy and the environment, and so she conducted a lot of research to make sure that her business model was sustainable. Her ‘tur-shirts’ are printed using water-based, eco-friendly ink and are wrapped in compostable packaging.
In addition to selling t-shirts, Terri-Anne also provides free affirmation cards on her website that people can print at home. The idea is that even if someone cannot afford to purchase a ‘tur-shirt’, they can still access a tool for them to speak positively to themselves.
The Tur-Shirt Company’s products can be ordered via their website, and they can also be found on Facebook and Instagram. Terri-Anne has provided an exclusive discount code for readers of The Mancunion, valid until 22nd November. Use the code “Turshirt15” at checkout to claim a 15% discount.
