Taking it to the streets

A second-year science student has eyes on becoming a doctor, but it’s a love of design and desire to give back that really makes her heart race.

‘I wanted to make clothes while doing something good for the world,’ says Sophia Gawan-Taylor (TC 2019) of her clothing brand Pulse Streetwear. Set up with her brother Johan, the label uses profits from T-shirt sales to donate to charity.

The T-shirts’ signature heart motif was designed by Sophia and honours the siblings’ founding charity of choice, the National Heart Foundation. ‘Our friend’s father passed away from a heart attack, so it’s quite personal to us,’ says Sophia. ‘We wanted to fund research and paramedics working in cardiac health.’

Sophia Gawan-Taylor

Responding to the needs of the times however, Sophia and her brother this year have directed their profits to Filipino workers displaced as a result of COVID-19. While Sophia manages sales in Australia, Johan, who is currently based in the Philippines, helps coordinate with food banks to gather provisions for those out of work. ‘It’s been received really well, and I’ve been so happy seeing how we’ve helped people,’ says Sophia.

Asked about her motivation to give back, Sophia offers a thoughtful yet humble response. ‘I feel like I’ve been very lucky in life. It’s almost like I’m too lucky to be here, living at such a beautiful college and studying at the University of Melbourne – one of the best universities in Australia. I feel so grateful that I’ve been given an opportunity to study, educate myself and meet new people, and I want to do something with that to help others.’

Support Sophia and Johan’s project at pulsestreetwear.com