195essential: How One College Student Uses T-shirts to Make a Difference
Company Logo credits of 195essential
By Rachel Erwin, columnist
When the pandemic hit, Lena Harris decided it was time to take action. Harris, a rising junior economics student at Barnard College, established her own T-shirt business, 195essential, in order to support essential workers and people who had lost their jobs due to COVID-19.
Harris had abruptly moved home to Boston from New York when lockdown began. Her sadness about missing college quickly transitioned into sorrow for those whose entire lives were uprooted or taken by the pandemic.
“I talked to my dad about just feeling very privileged to have a roof over my head and food on my table every day, and wanting to give back to people who are suddenly losing jobs and experiencing food insecurity that they hadn't before,” Harris said.
She suggested that her family donate to help those who were struggling, but her dad, Jason, took it one step further. An entrepreneur, he convinced his daughter that starting a business would be more impactful in the long run if she truly wanted to help those in need. That’s when 195essential was born.
“I thought, maybe this is an opportunity to make some lemonade out of lemons,” Jason said, who wanted to give his daughter more experience in the business world. “Maybe we can formulate some kind of business that can help raise money for people that need it and have a bigger impact than just me writing a couple of checks.”
Harris explained that the name came from conversations about what the word “essential” meant to her and to the world. For her, it goes beyond helping essential workers. Instead, it is a way of looking at who and what really matters and dedicating time and effort to those who need it the most. “195” represents the number of countries on Earth — a symbol of unity to Harris.
Working with her dad is a valuable learning and bonding experience. They have always been close, but Harris has been fascinated to see him from a business perspective rather than a parental one.
Photo provided by 195essential
Photo provided by 195essential
“Now that I'm older, like I'm 21, I feel like we've kind of transitioned into more of an adult and adult relationship,” Harris said. “There are times when we butt heads a lot… but it's been really great. He's always been a huge supporter of mine and always supported what I do and what I'm passionate about.”
In addition to Harris and her dad, there is a whole team of people who work tirelessly to make 195essential possible. Eric Olsson, who has over 25 years of marketing and branding experience, is behind the design of the website and much of the manufacturing process. Dominic Amenta owns a public relations and marketing firm, so he has been able to integrate 195essential into his existing company. These two were on board from the start, while Emma O’Connor, who is responsible for running the business’s social media, joined later.
“I have such an amazing team and it would not happen without them,” Harris said. “It's been a really great learning experience because, obviously, I am young and there are only so many things that I know, right? It's really great to have created this team of other experts in their fields.”
Photo provided by 195essential
The company’s first proceeds went to Nutre, an organization providing meals to nurses and doctors throughout Boston and New England. Over time, the scope of the company blossomed.
“We grew, and we just thought about — well, people,” Harris said. “There are so many people that are central and so many ideas that are essential.”
In June, they created T-shirts in honor of Pride Month, in partnership with The Boston Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth. Then, leading up to the election, they created a voters’ series of shirts. This opened the door to working with outside artists for the first time, which was an experience Harris enjoyed. Three different BIPOC artists — Fred White, Michelle Collado, and Sydney Medina — designed shirts to raise awareness about voter suppression. The proceeds were donated to Seed the Vote, an organization dedicated to ending voter suppression by empowering BIPOC people to vote.
Balancing the business and her other commitments can be tricky, but Harris makes it work. She is currently interning at the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, so she has had to manage her time wisely. 195essential has two weekly meetings for an hour at a time, and from there Harris can decide how to allocate her work. Some weeks she can put in 20 hours, and some weeks she has to step back.
“What my dad taught me is that, when you're an entrepreneur, you can kind of put in as much or as little into your business as you want,” Harris said. “As long as I feel like I am putting in a productive work week, then that feels good to me. It doesn't need to be 25 hours as long as I can get what I need to get done.”
Her dedication has paid off. 195essential has raised at least $5,000 that has been split between multiple charities and paying their artists.
Their next project is a series of shirts focused around climate change and global warming awareness, which is slated to release closer to Earth Day. Additionally, they are collaborating with other small businesses to pivot and introduce new products other than T-shirts. Harris hopes this leads to more partnerships in the future.
Jason is also excited to see what the future brings for 195essential and his daughter.
“Your generation is doing great things, and there was never a more needed time for that to happen,” Jason said. “I'm excited by the opportunity that Lena and your age group really have for changing the world.”
