We were lucky to catch up with Matthew Hickey recently and have shared our conversation below.

Matthew, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission the drives your brand?

The mission of Be Kind Vibes is to inspire kindness & compassion for people + planet through sustainably made goods. This brand is an extension of myself really. The idea behind Be Kind Vibes and its purpose stemmed from the way I wanted to live my life. I believe that we’re all connected on this journey. We’re connected to each other, and we’re connected to the Earth. If we can treat all things with kindness and compassion, then I believe we can create a more beautiful world that my heart knows is possible :) Be Kind Vibes is my way of getting that message out to the world.

Matthew, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was first introduced to sustainable clothing through a good friend of mine who owns a hemp clothing brand. Before we met, I was totally oblivious to the negative impacts that traditional clothing has on the environment. I was just out of college and trying to find my place in the world. I knew that I was passionate about the environment, and I was passionate about, really just being nice to each other :) But at the time I wasn’t really sure how all of this was going to fit together into my life. It wasn’t long after my friend introduced me to hemp clothing that the idea for Be Kind Vibes was planted in my mind. I became fascinated with all things sustainable clothing, and it really just tied everything together for me. My personal life’s mission of inspiring kindness & compassion for people and the planet, and wanting to start my own company. In those moments Be Kind Vibes was born.

Over the past few years, it’s really blossomed into everything that I imagined it could be. Our small batch collections include ethically-made goods like t-shirts, crop tops, hats, and tote bags, all made with organic, natural, or recycled fabrics. For every purchase, we plant one tree here in California to help with reforestation efforts. We also create small one-off collections that raise money for specific non-profits that our community members are passionate about. My goal is to continue to grow Be Kind Vibes so that we can raise more money for causes that are making this world a better place.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Our social media community has been a slow build through organic growth. My main piece of advice for those just starting out is to be authentically you and be active in the space.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

My first initial funding for Be Kind Vibes came from very generous family members who believed in me and the mission of the brand. I am so grateful for the love and support of my family and close friends. Looking back on the beginning days of Be Kind Vibes I’m just in awe of my family for taking the jump with me because I really had no idea what I was doing!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bekindvibes.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/bekindvibes
• Other: tiktok.com/@bekindvibes

Image Credits
The first two images are from Laysea Hughes.