As the general election fast approaches weâve discovered a way for people to stylishly show their opposition to the Conservative party.
Created in a gender neutral design, this âLetâs Make June The End Of Mayâ tote bag, makes a political style statement for a very good cause.
Designer Bethany Wells is donating ÂŁ1 from every sale of this accessory in the run-up to the general election (8 June) to the Trussell Trust - a charity that works to prevent hunger and poverty in the UK.
âI saw a tweet with #LetsMakeJuneTheEndOfMay hashtag on; someone had replied to the original tweet saying âwhen can I get that on a t-shirt?â, and it gave me the idea,â Wells told HuffPost UK.
âI knew Iâd have to move quickly and luckily I know some great printers in Leeds who have quick turnarounds.
âWeâre just onto our second batch now; I sold the first 100 within a week. The next 200 are on their way next week.â
Wells is impassioned about getting people discussing politics in everyday situations, and she uses particular colours to project peopleâs values.
âI loved the idea of getting political conversations offline and into the street, homes, buses, trains and workplaces,â Wells explained.
âI decided on bags because I felt people would be more comfortable taking them into work, standing at the bus stop with them etc.
âThe colours were chosen to represent âprogressive allianceâ colours - not specific party colours but suggesting the values of Labour, Liberal Democrats, and Green parties.
âEach bag includes a donation to the Trussell Trust, so even if the bags donât succeed in changing the political landscape, we will still have created a real impact.â
Sold for ÂŁ6, the bags are available to buy online.
The Labour party are also selling a tote bag to make a style statement too - priced at ÂŁ5 and available to buy online.
Not to be outdone, the Conservatives have created several tote bag designs, and all are available to buy online.
Living up to Wellsâ original intention, her bag has already prompted discussion on social media about politics in the UK.
âLaynes Espressoâ coffee shop in Leeds was sent a bag, which they then posted a pic of one of their staff members using on Instagram on Thursday 11 May.
âI have no idea who sent this to the shop...but have you got anymore?â they wrote.
After receiving some criticism from commenters, the coffee shop worker has opened up a dialogue about politics.
âArguably itâs a light hearted raising of the incredibly important issue that we currently face,â she wrote.
âMy opinion hasnât been forced on anyone, people can observe the post and move on, âtake it or leave itâ if you like. These same people are still absolutely welcome into the shop.
âMy political leanings/concerns/opinions existed well before owning a business, cool or not.â