David Zoffoli launched his +17+ brand in an effort to raise awareness of school gun violence. (Courtesy photograph)
Bradford entrepreneur David Zoffoli is making it his mission to combat school violence the best way he knows how: Through design.
The owner of bespoke apparel company ZHandmade, Zoffoli tells WHAV his latest effort is a brand called +17+, which he created as a response to school gun violence.
Zoffoli’s +17+ bag (Click for a larger version)
Zoffoli was inspired to use his creativity for a greater purpose following the February shooting at Florida’s Parkland High School that left 17 dead and 17 injured.
“+17+ is my direct response, what I can do locally, to affect something nationally and globally: School gun violence,” the designer told WHAV. “As a teacher, I was really affected by Colombine and then Sandy Hook, with those innocent children, just made me very angry. Parkland, Florida, inspired me. The survivors made the number 17 part of a national conversation about gun violence.”
The line’s first product is a clear backpack-like bag with strings, designed to be transparent for more reasons than one, Zoffoli said. Making the vinyl bag see-through is the designer’s way to send a message about transparency.
“The bag is a call to action,” the designer told WHAV. “You can see through it and we think it’s a pretty good metaphor for having transparent conversations that are bipartisan about this state of violence in our school systems—and how we can make it in the past.”
Priced at $20, the unisex bag featuring the +17+ logo is available for pre-sale through Zoffoli’s ZHandmade.com website. All after-tax proceeds will go to charities that advocate for gun safety in schools, Zoffoli told WHAV.