Two Fins: Supporting the ocean through style

min read

“A lot of people want to help, but they don’t know how. We’re creating a streamlined way for people to help.” This simple philosophy is what inspired self-proclaimed lads Scott Moffatt and TJ Blundell to create Two Fins, a surfwear line that is simultaneously stylish, practical and most importantly, eco-friendly.

An eye-opening moment

Scott and TJ initially moved from New Zealand to Western Australia in 2014 to pursue a career in mining. However, the novelty of ‘making it big’ in the mining industry was quickly replaced with a gobsmacking realisation, “The destruction and the industrial pollution that’s going on up there – it’s amazing,” says Scott. Even minor details like the sheer amount of disposable containers used for the thousands of miners’ lunch left Scott and TJ astounded, and thus triggered their unique career change.

Fast forward eighteen months and the two lads’ vision to give back to the environment has been realised through the birth of Two Fins. Consisting of t-shirts, tank tops and caps, the label is designed for those who love the ocean whether that be because they live and breathe water, or simply because they want to see the oceans preserved for future generations. The best part? Ten percent of all proceeds are donated to charities that focus on conserving our marine environment.

“How do we help the average Joe who just wants to live a normal life and make a better choice without really changing his lifestyle too much?” says TJ of why they chose to make a difference through the medium of a fashion line. “It’s just a matter of choosing our brand over a brand that doesn’t care. That’s where the brand story came from.”

A love of the outdoors

Scott and TJ’s love of the outdoors and the desire to preserve it stems from their New Zealand upbringing, their love of water sports such as surfing, diving and spearfishing, and their worldly travels. For TJ, a recent trip to Vietnam served as yet another reminder of the dire state of our environment.

“We went to Halong Bay, one of the wonders of the world, and it was just a sea of rubbish. That waste is making its way to Australia and New Zealand; it’s not a confined problem. That was a big eye-opener for me that went from ‘I care a little about recycling’ to ‘There’s a big issue here; someone’s got to do something. How can we make it easy for everyone to do a little bit?’”

Walking the walk

In the early planning stages whilst brainstorming charities to partner with, Scott and TJ dreamt of teaming up with the Tangaroa Blue Foundation the way a person might fantasise about owning a Ferrari.

Founded in 2004, the Tangaroa Blue Foundation is an Australian charity focussed on preserving our marine environment by monitoring the impact of marine debris along our coastlines. Thousands of volunteers, communities, and organisations across the nation help track where this marine debris comes from and then implement practical solutions to stop this environmental pollution in the first place.

“We were like, ‘Imagine having them onboard!’ We were going to approach a few smaller charities, but then I thought ‘Bugger it. I’m just going to hit Tangaroa Blue up and be honest about what we are, what we want to do, and what we want to see in the future.’ Heidi came straight back to us and said ‘I love it!’” says Scott.

For Tangaroa Blue Director Heidi Taylor, it was Two Fins’ sincerity which set them apart from the hundreds of start-ups that approach the high profile charity on a weekly basis. “She saw us taking that extra effort with our paper packaging, recycling, making sure we’re cleaning up the ocean… We’re not just someone who’s selling clothes to support them, or as she called it, ‘dirty money’.”

Looking to the future, Scott and TJ are already planning to expand by partnering with more Australian charities. “We’re starting small with Heidi from Tangaroa Blue and once that’s established, we’ll bring on the next charity we can help.”

What’s next?

In total, there are four minds behind Two Fins: Scott, TJ, Luke and Chris. Luke handles the design process and already has new designs in the pipeline despite Two Fins only launching last month.

“As the ball starts rolling, we’ll start looking at boardies, towels, jeans…” says TJ of what’s next for Two Fins. “We have the intention of being a full fashion label, not just an environmental website that sells a few t-shirts. We want to develop a stronghold on surfers as the WA surf brand.”

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