Pathways to Success: Lachlan Brett
Lachlan Brett has started his own clothing label with an important message supporting an amazing cause. Here is the inspirational story of Acts of Kindness Apparel.
Lachlan Brett always wanted to help people, but couldn't decide on an appropriate career path - until a conversation at GOTAFE Open Day completely changed his life.
Now, Lachlan runs his very own successful clothing label called Acts of Kindness Apparel. The clothes are locally designed with 20% of the profits going toward helping people with mental health and suicide prevention awareness.
Born in Shepparton, Lachlan finished high school in 2015 but wasn't entirely sure what career he wanted to take. Following school, Lachlan spent a couple of years working in various fields including hopsitality and trades, but none of these jobs ever felt like his calling.
"I started looking at all the different universities and stuff, and then the GOTAFE Open Day popped up and I thought there's no harm in going down and having a look," Dylan explained. "I had a nice conversations with the head of design, Deanne Bramley. We talked all about the course and she was absolutely fantastic, really personable, and she had the care; she wanted to see me succeed."
Following their conversation, Lachlan understood that he should go back to what it was he enjoyed doing in high school - graphic design. Before long, Lachlan was studying a Certificate IV in Design course at GOTAFE and loving every second of it.
"I had a little bit of knowledge about Adobe programs and stuff, but I have learned a lot more about the finer detail of what those programs are capable of. Also in our course, we learned a lot about the history of design, which is really important knowledge to any creative field," he added.
Acts of Kindness Apparel
The idea for Lachlan's brand, Acts of Kindness Apparel, is something that has been bouncing around his brain for quite some time. Through study at GOTAFE, he was able to actualise his ideas into something tangible with real-world purpose.
"I've always been a person that's wanted to do something that helps people. And in the world of design, I've always been interested in apparel. I came up with the idea of Acts of Kindness Apparel to be able to help people, give back, and help remove the stigma around speaking about mental health because you can really see the impact of how it effects people."
Regarding the concept for the name, Lachlan says: "I asked myself: what are we doing? We created the brand as an act of kindness, it's an act of kindness buying these products, an act of kindness wearing them, and if you walk down the street and see someone wearing Acts of Kindness Apparel, you know they are supporting a good cause. I realised it was perfect. I added the little symbol with the three fingers to lift the design and make it a little groovy and funky."
At the end of May, Acts of Kindness Apparel donated $322 to headspace Shepparton. Four times a year, Lachlan will look for other local charities to assist people struggling with mental health in the Goulburn Valley region, donating 20% for the process quarterly.
Lachlan is selling Acts of Kindness Apparel from his own website at www.aokapparel.com.au and at Fyre Fashion in Shepparton's Maude Street Mall.
While you're here...
We've got a whole bunch of articles for you to peruse, check them out below!
Student Spotlight - Tracey Paterson
Graduating Veterinary Nursing student Tracey Paterson talks about why it's never too late to follow your dreams.
Student Spotlight – Felicity Simmonds
Felicity Simmonds talks about her passion for beauty therapy.