Most brother and sister duos merely master the art of noogies and wedgies, but sibling set Kevin and Jin Chon are working to master the world of conscientious-cool apparel, one piece of clothing at a time. How? Well, for every item you buy from their L.A.-based label, A-thread, they donate five percent of the sale to a charity—Kiva, Children of the Night, Thirst Relief, and Los Angeles Animal Services—of your choosing.

For Jin, a lawyer-come-designer, this do-gooder mentality started long before A-thread, which launched in May 2012. “I went into law with intentions of being able to help people,” she says. “Some people would argue that law is a very creative profession, but I didn’t feel that I was able to contribute to society in the way that I wanted to. So it was no longer a great fit for me.” And clothing was in her blood: Her parents had a manufacturing company—one that her bro Kevin started working for straight outta college in 2006. “My parents built this legacy. And I thought before I tried anything else, I wanted to give this a shot. I didn’t want it to go to waste,” he says. “They’ve come really far, and once I got into it, I just got enveloped in it.”

They hope that the brand they’re building on their bond is as strong as the name they gave it. “A-thread makes so many things. A thread on its own is very weak, but a thread woven into a fabric can make something so incredibly strong,” says Jin. “We wanted to show people you’re not in it alone. We’re in it with you—we wanted to convey that sense of community.” —alisha prakash

a-thread.com