IYB MERCH EXAMPLES
“See Open”
In the middle of so much pain and uncertainty, we asked 19-year-old Ellie what she would say to the world—what words she leans on in the struggle. She drew two simple, handwritten words on an iPad: “See Open.”
We projected her handwriting onto a 60-inch transparent OLED screen placed in front of an 11-foot LED wall. On that wall, her mom—joining via FaceTime from Buffalo, NY—slowly raised her hand to the camera. In a surreal moment of layered technology and love, we aligned Ellie’s glowing message directly over her mom’s outstretched hand, like a real-life Photoshop overlay. Ellie then captured the exact moment using Jeremy Cowart’s camera.
The final image is her own creation. Her own message. And her own way of reminding us all: even when life closes in, we can still choose to see open.
100% of the proceeds from this shirt go directly to Ellie and her mom, Jen, to help cover their mounting medical bills and basic life needs after also losing their home and car. This is more than a design—it’s a defiant declaration of hope in action.
“Even the darkness deserves stars”
While FaceTiming with us from Buffalo, NY, Jen—facing terminal pancreatic cancer—wrote a single, poetic line on a piece of paper: “Even the darkness deserves stars.” She drew the words in a circle and held them up to the camera.
Hundreds of miles away in Franklin, TN, her 19-year-old daughter Ellie stood in front of Jeremy Cowart’s camera, her eye filling the frame through a macro lens. Using a tiny projector, we carefully cast Jen’s handwritten words into the pupil of her daughter’s eye—tiny stars of hope placed with surgical precision. It took dozens of attempts to get it right, but we weren’t just making a photo. We were creating a moment of connection, of legacy—of beauty in the middle of heartbreak.
This image is a quiet miracle. A mother’s reminder, not shouted but whispered into her daughter’s very being. A reminder that light doesn’t wait for perfect conditions—it shows up anyway.
100% of the proceeds from this piece go directly to Jen and Ellie, who are not only navigating cancer but also the recent loss of their home and car. Every purchase brings relief, dignity, and a little more light into their darkness.
“Her Words, My Strength”
This shirt features a raw thumbnail grid of self-portraits taken by 19-year-old Ellie during a powerful session at Jeremy Cowart’s photo studio in Franklin, TN. Ellie wasn’t alone—Jeremy and the full crew were right there with her, guiding her through the process as she captured herself using his camera and a remote shutter.
Just minutes before, her mom, Jen—fighting terminal pancreatic cancer from her home in Buffalo, NY—had scribbled two words that carried the weight of everything: “F*** Cancer.” She texted us a photo of the drawing, and we projected it behind Ellie on a towering 11-foot LED wall.
The result: a spontaneous, long-distance collaboration between a mother and daughter, joined in art and defiance. This shirt immortalizes their love, their fight, and the electric human spirit that shines through even in life’s darkest moments. They didn’t know it at the time, but they were making something unforgettable.
And now, 100% of the proceeds from this shirt go directly to Jen and Ellie—to help cover mounting medical bills and life expenses after losing both their home and their car. When you wear this, you’re not just showing support—you’re actively changing their story.