Girth Guides - Fat Activism Patches
A$4,602
of $3,500 targetyrs ago
Successful on 24th Nov 2015 at 2:08AM.
A few years ago I came up with the concept of Girth Guides - a place for fat activists to come together and find support and community. The idea got bigger than my finances and abilities and so I put it on the shelf to revisit. Now I have decided to bring it back, in patch form! Collect patches related to your fat activism and display them proudly on your vest, jacket, hat, or undies.
(Hand stitched prototypes from 2013)
I've spent the last 15 years growing and learning more and more each day by practising my own fat activism. It gets tiring. I've been on radio and tv talking about the apparently "radical" concept that fat people are human beings deserving of respect and love; presented at the Australian Fat Studies conference in Sydney 2010; blogged since 2008; and created art based on my own experience as a fat lady.
Merit patches are pretty cool at the moment and from time to time I've thought, "I deserve a patch for that thing I did!" Just like when I was a Girl Guide as a kid. After a bunch of encouraging feedback and gentle prodding I set to work creating these initial designs based on old ideas from 2012 as well as some new ones. I hope to continuously add to the collection of Girth Guide patches... and sneak some limited edition ones in from time to time as well!
Lucky Guides have the opportunity to receive a random Girth Guide patch at a discounted price. If you live in Australia I'll cover your postage! I'll list your chosen name on the Girth Guides website as a Lucky Guide.
Chose from one of the 12 Girth Guide patches, and if you live in Australia I'll pick up your postage fee. I'll list your chosen name on the Girth Guides website as a Girth Guide.
Pick from one of these:
Pick from one of the packs of four and save money!
Pack 1 - Belly Love, Eating Mindfully, I Quit Dieting & Joyful Movement
Pack 2 - Decorated By Stretch Marks, Thunder Thighs, Lovely Chubby Legs & Double Chin Grin
Pack 3 - Ban Armrests, Fat, Fat Merbabe, My Adipose Tissue Is Not Your Issue
I'll cover postage if you live within Australia, and your chosen name will be listed on the Girth Guides website as a Girth Guide.
Guide Leaders are truly generous and dedicated people! You'll receive all the patches plus the large Girth Guides Emblem as well as a handmade sash to display all your patches on. Postage is free for Australians and your chosen name will be listed on the Girth Guides website as a Guide Leader.
You will receive:
A Patron Of The Fats is a most wonderful thing to be! If you chose to a Girth Guide Patron you will receive an extremely limited edition Patron Of The Fats patch that only 20 people in the world will own. You will add every Girth Guide patch to your kit, including the Girth Guide Emblem, and you'll have a handmade sash to display everything on. Postage is free for Australians and your chosen name will be listed on the Girth Guides website as a Patron Of The Fats.
You will receive:
(Hand stitched prototypes from 2013)
I've spent the last 15 years growing and learning more and more each day by practising my own fat activism. It gets tiring. I've been on radio and tv talking about the apparently "radical" concept that fat people are human beings deserving of respect and love; presented at the Australian Fat Studies conference in Sydney 2010; blogged since 2008; and created art based on my own experience as a fat lady.
Merit patches are pretty cool at the moment and from time to time I've thought, "I deserve a patch for that thing I did!" Just like when I was a Girl Guide as a kid. After a bunch of encouraging feedback and gentle prodding I set to work creating these initial designs based on old ideas from 2012 as well as some new ones. I hope to continuously add to the collection of Girth Guide patches... and sneak some limited edition ones in from time to time as well!
Rewards
Lucky Guides have the opportunity to receive a random Girth Guide patch at a discounted price. If you live in Australia I'll cover your postage! I'll list your chosen name on the Girth Guides website as a Lucky Guide.
Chose from one of the 12 Girth Guide patches, and if you live in Australia I'll pick up your postage fee. I'll list your chosen name on the Girth Guides website as a Girth Guide.
Pick from one of these:
Pick from one of the packs of four and save money!
Pack 1 - Belly Love, Eating Mindfully, I Quit Dieting & Joyful Movement
Pack 2 - Decorated By Stretch Marks, Thunder Thighs, Lovely Chubby Legs & Double Chin Grin
Pack 3 - Ban Armrests, Fat, Fat Merbabe, My Adipose Tissue Is Not Your Issue
I'll cover postage if you live within Australia, and your chosen name will be listed on the Girth Guides website as a Girth Guide.
Guide Leaders are truly generous and dedicated people! You'll receive all the patches plus the large Girth Guides Emblem as well as a handmade sash to display all your patches on. Postage is free for Australians and your chosen name will be listed on the Girth Guides website as a Guide Leader.
You will receive:
A Patron Of The Fats is a most wonderful thing to be! If you chose to a Girth Guide Patron you will receive an extremely limited edition Patron Of The Fats patch that only 20 people in the world will own. You will add every Girth Guide patch to your kit, including the Girth Guide Emblem, and you'll have a handmade sash to display everything on. Postage is free for Australians and your chosen name will be listed on the Girth Guides website as a Patron Of The Fats.
You will receive:
How The Funds Will Be Used
I will be using the funds to kick off the concept of Girth Guides as a long term venture. The money will be used to fund the initial order of badges to fulfil rewards, provide money in the bank so I can create more fabulous patch designs while keeping food on the table and fund the development of the official Girth Guides website.
To give you a rough idea of where your money will go, I've put together a little mini-budget:
Pozible rewards
Manufacturing - 1600
Postage costs - 200
Packaging - 70
Designer (me!) fee - 250
Website
Hosting - 100
Domain - 20
Design and setup - 500
eCommerce plugins - 250
Re-stock/ New Patches
Manufacturing - 320
Packaging - 25
Pozible fees - 166.75
The patches will be manufactured in Australia because I want to support Australian manufacturing.
Orders will be shipped personally from my house to your house. I have factored in the cost of postage for domestic orders but international orders will have to pay a small fee. I am almost certain all orders will fit in a small parcel or a large letter.
I've built in a fee for myself to cover the time I have spent designing, refining, seeking quotes and liaising with manufacturers, promoting the campaign, and packaging orders.
To give you a rough idea of where your money will go, I've put together a little mini-budget:
Pozible rewards
Manufacturing - 1600
Postage costs - 200
Packaging - 70
Designer (me!) fee - 250
Website
Hosting - 100
Domain - 20
Design and setup - 500
eCommerce plugins - 250
Re-stock/ New Patches
Manufacturing - 320
Packaging - 25
Pozible fees - 166.75
The patches will be manufactured in Australia because I want to support Australian manufacturing.
Orders will be shipped personally from my house to your house. I have factored in the cost of postage for domestic orders but international orders will have to pay a small fee. I am almost certain all orders will fit in a small parcel or a large letter.
I've built in a fee for myself to cover the time I have spent designing, refining, seeking quotes and liaising with manufacturers, promoting the campaign, and packaging orders.
The Challenges
My main obstacle will be to ensure I receive quality patches in a timely manner. I will keep in touch with supporters regarding their orders so everyone is kept in the loop. I have had feedback from two suppliers that their turnaround time is currently 4-5 weeks. They both require half the balance up front and the rest before delivery, so I need to ensure I have raised the money for the patches first!
I'm anticipating some colour and design limitations when going through the process. All of the art I have shown on this page is subject to those limitations, and might change a little bit.
In the event I am totally bowled over with orders, I will recruit friends and family to sort and stuff packages. I've run small pre-orders on my current shop in the past and have managed fairly well to date. I've never done a crowd-funded project of this size so I am ambitiously anticipating a few orders!
I'm anticipating some colour and design limitations when going through the process. All of the art I have shown on this page is subject to those limitations, and might change a little bit.
In the event I am totally bowled over with orders, I will recruit friends and family to sort and stuff packages. I've run small pre-orders on my current shop in the past and have managed fairly well to date. I've never done a crowd-funded project of this size so I am ambitiously anticipating a few orders!
Lucky Guide
Can't choose a patch? Let the luck of the draw decide your reward! A patch will be chosen at random for you. Your name will be listed as a Lucky Guide on the website!
5 chosen
Est. delivery is Dec 15
Girth Guide Single Patch
Choose from one of the original 12 Girth Guide designs. Your name will be listed as a Girth Guide on the website.
34 chosen
Est. delivery is Dec 15
Girth Guide Packs of 4
Choose a pack of four patches. Your name will be listed as a Girth Guide on the website.
29 chosen
Est. delivery is Dec 15
Girth Guide Leader
All 12 Girth Guide patches will be yours! You will also receive the official Girth Guide Emblem and a sash to display all your badges on. Your name will be listed as a Girth Guide Leader on the website.
6 chosen
Est. delivery is Dec 15
Patron Of The Fats
You will receive a Patron Of The Fats patch, rewarded strictly to those who pledge this tier. You will also receive all 12 Girth Guide patches as well as the official Girth Guide Emblem, and a sash to display all your badges on. Your name will be listed as a Patron Of The Fats on the website.
12 chosen / 8 available
Est. delivery is Dec 15