Tyson tackles sustainability challenge

02 September 2020

UniHall resident Tyson is well on his way to completing his Juris Doctor degree to pursue his career as a lawyer, but it hasn’t stopped him from creating his own side-hustle with a meaningful purpose.

It all started back in 2019 when Tyson attended a 7-week course with UWA’s Innovation Quarter, IQX, where students worked on innovative business ideas that helped to solve problems or issues facing the world. There, an idea to reduce clothing wastage and improve sustainability through recycling really got Tyson thinking. 

Almost a year down the track Tyson has launched Sense of Direction, an online store which upcycles unwanted and often unused clothing, giving it a second life in the community and stopping it ending up in landfill.

“We take donated, unused and unwanted clothing, sew our Sense of Direction patch on, and resell on our site to give clothing a second life,’ said Tyson. 

In a further step to prevent clothing ending up in landfill, any clothing that is not upcycled for the online store is donated to remote communities in Australia.

Tyson is proud to keep Sense of Direction local, with all donated clothing coming from West Australians, and employing local suppliers for embroidery.

Community has also played an important role in the development of Sense of Direction. 

“Lots of people have supported this,” says Tyson. “From IQX I was encouraged to attend Minderoo Foundation’s Dreams Summit in Sydney, which is an Indigenous business and entrepreneur forum, and I received lots of mentorship from that.”

Perfect for customers who are passionate about sustainability and looking to support upcycling for the environment, all clothing is available to purchase through their online store at www.senseofdirection.com.au. 

“I think everyone wants to do the right thing, and this is just another way they can do this,” says Tyson.