Candra Johnson & Saskia Daggett – Global Tribe Clothing Co

“COVID-19 brought us together and now we are launching our new business to help charities around the world.”…

The story of Saskia and Candra – Global Tribe Clothing Co

When former Bournemouth University student Candra Johnson, 24, moved in as a lodger with Saskia Daggett, 42, in Bournemouth last year, neither knew that their new arrangement would turn into a world-changing philanthropic business venture.

“COVID-19 brought us together and now we are launching our new business to help charities around the world.”

The friends have just launched Global Tribe Clothing Co, selling eco-friendly, sustainable clothing with meaning and message. Working with designers from around the world, their designs highlight activists and communities working to make the world a fairer and better place for all.

They said: “In recent years, the world can sometimes feel a bit bleak and people feel they can’t affect change. But the truth is that people are the only ones that make change happen. We want people to feel they can make a difference and change the world and we want to celebrate that.”

The Global Tribe will support The Mizizi Project – a charity Saskia set up which brings together a network of global game changers to get to the root of the problems, and find solutions to, global inequality and injustice. With a background in international development and having spent her career in the charity sector, Saskia moved back to the UK after living for nearly ten years in Uganda in 2016. Candra studied sound and music production at Bournemouth University and worked as a chef in the town, moving in with Saskia in 2020.

Saskia said: “Covid brought us together. We had to take in lodgers because I couldn’t find work, so it’s a really happy coincidence.”

Candra said: “We got on right away and we share the same life values. We were talking about the Mizizi Charity and how to set up a business to help it and I said I’d love to do it!”

Saskia had already been to an event hosted by Outset. Based in Bournemouth and funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), it is part of the Dorset Growth Partnership, providing Dorset start-up businesses with free 1:1 mentoring, workshops and events.

“Their support really helped to broaden our horizons for the business. The best part is that they break everything down and so you know what the next step to take is. You get that big picture strategic support and have a plan of how to approach it and what to do next. Having that support for free was amazing – we didn’t have the money for that level of quality expertise. Outset helped to break things down and create work plans to go through systematically.”

Saskia

Candra added that 1:1 mentoring with Yvonne Lee and Sarah Veakins, from Outset had helped them grow new confidence and skills.

This is just one example of over 22,500 businesses that have been assisted by YTKO’s services since 2006.  According to an independent impact assessment commissioned in 2020, YTKO’s support has enabled the creation of 6,574 businesses, over 10,500 sustainable new jobs and an estimated £2.61bn in sales income.  The businesses that have received support in that time, have also been proved to be fitter and better funded with over 76% of new firms surviving more than three years and having raised around £71.3m of growth finance. For more information click here                                                                

For more information about Global Tribe Clothing Co visit their website