Arnav Ahuja’s brand ChngTheWrld strives to provide a voice for environmental activists.

By McKay Lucas ’21

Schoolwork, sports practices, and college applications—for most high schoolers, these pursuits are more than enough to make for a full schedule. Not for Arnav Ahuja. This Cary Academy senior has figured out how to balance all aforementioned activities, as well as his very own clothing brand.

Although the company officially took off in June, months of preparation went into the launch. Ahuja wasn’t creating his brand to just have a little extra spending money. He wanted to make a difference. There was only one dilemma: with all the current  global crises, which cause  should he choose to support?

“I haven’t always been an environmental activist,” says Ahuja, “but I felt as if the discussions regarding environmental issues have gotten lost amongst other pressing issues. My goal is to give environmental activists a voice outside of social media through clothing/accessories that others could see.”

With this goal in mind, his brand ChngTheWrld was established. As any startup company knows,  creating a brand is not a simple process.  Ahuja began with a streamlined website design, expansive advertisements, and a little help from friends and family.

Ahuja and his team design the products from scratch—which is no simple feat, as he has to take copyright and style into consideration. The T-shirts are then manufactured through an online printing company called Printify, which automatically routes orders to open manufacturers after the orders are processed.

As the brand has grown, products have expanded to include hoodies, iPhone cases, and face masks. Equally important as the actual t-shirts and slogans are the causes they support. Proceeds are donated to a vast majority of renowned organizations including the Honeybee Conservancy, Earth Justice, and the Coalition for Rainforest Nations. “We found companies whose mission we resonated with and who we felt were best suited to receive our donations. We didn’t want to take the risk of donating to a small company who might take advantage of the proceeds,” says Ahuja.

When Cary Academy resumes in-person classes, don’t be surprised to see many students representing ChngTheWrld. “Arnav’s shirts are great quality, and more importantly, I get to spread awareness for the important environmental issues which we need to combat,” says Brandon Yi (’21). The shirts are ideal for exercise, casual outings, and even photoshoots.

Ahuja’s mission to provide a voice for environmental activists has not stopped as school gets underway. He continues to gain support for his brand as the battle for environmental awareness continues. “There is still a lot of work to be done,” says Ahuja. “But educating each other through means as simple as clothing is just one way that we can make a better future.”

Buy your own t-shirt, hoodie, phone case, or mask here: https://chngthewrld.net/