To celebrate Earth Day 2023, TWOTHIRDS has teamed up with Spanish illustrator, Javirroyo. Based in Barcelona, Javirroyo (Javier Royo) is known for his powerful drawings which reflect a feminist and ecological worldview. You’ll find Javier’s specially commissioned design on our Earth Day tee, showing a single human on the front, and a globe teeming with marine creatures on the back. As we found out in our interview with Javier - published below - “Planet Ocean” makes an important statement. Namely, that the human being owes its existence to the beautiful blue.
“Words and images are the yin and yang of the reality we inhabit.” - Javirroyo
Clearly, he got the memo about TWOTHIRDS being a company of ocean lovers! Since 2010, we’ve made the ocean part of our philosophy: it has been our deepest council and our greatest source of inspiration, summed up by the words We Are Ocean. This maritime bond has influenced our environmental efforts over the years, from carbon offsetting to becoming B Corp™ for the first time.
World Earth Day Tee
Javier’s compelling design is printed on 100% organic cotton, a relatively eco-friendly fibre that is grown without pesticides or fertilisers - in keeping with Earth Day’s origins (more on that later!). An essential t-shirt with a global message: shop the look for women and men.
Meet The Artist - Javirroyo
Can you tell us about the meaning or inspiration behind your TWOTHIRDS design?
The oceans are really the beings that inhabit them. And that's the message I wanted to convey. They are the ones responsible for life on Earth. From the smallest being like the phytoplankton that produce 50% to 85% of the oxygen released into the atmosphere each year to the great whales, it's all part of a system that we are also part of.
What is your favourite memory of the ocean?
I lived in Bilbao for 10 years and I remember very well the smell of the Cantabrian Sea, the force of the waves hitting against breakwaters on rainy days. The droplets on my face. My memories of the ocean are from the off-seasons.
How would you explain the ecological crisis to an alien?
I would explain that the ecological crisis is the most universal form of human beings harming themselves, all living beings and the whole ecological system, which in reality is what allows them to survive. It is a suicide driven by the greed of a few. It is the opposite of intelligence. I would tell them very seriously not to come, that being so hostile to ourselves, imagine what we can do with beings from outside the planet. Don't come, aliens.
What is more powerful? Word or Image?
Both are powerful. They simply have different natures. Images allow you to connect quickly with your brain because we are very visual beings, and they build texts and stories in your head. Words allow you to give nuance to, define, and build images in your head. They are like the yin and yang of the reality we inhabit.
What is your motivation for drawing?
To tell stories, to connect with people, I always say that I write with drawings. That's my thing.
The Story Of Earth Day!
April the 22nd is a momentous occasion. First held in 1970, some say Earth Day laid down the roots for the modern environmental movement. It was developed in response to the 1962 publication of Silent Spring, a seminal work of environmental literature by Rachel Carson. The book highlighted the devastating effects of unregulated pesticides and chemicals on biodiversity. Suddenly, pollution was put on the national US agenda. Earth Day then proved vital to the founding of the country’s Environmental Protection Agency. When it went global in the 1990s, Earth Day also led to the creation of the first global summit on climate change.
All of which is to say that Earth Day has real-world impacts! It’s claimed that 1 billion people celebrate Earth Day every year.
In a message sent to the TWOTHIRDS team, Javirroyo had this to say: “Earth Day acts to remind us that there is an ecosystem we form a part of. The planet itself is a living being.” The artist expands on this idea, and talks about what inspires him in the video below. Happy Earth Day!