She's On The Money Not a Date to Celebrate with Clothing the Gaps
Jan 25, 2026
Laura Thompson, Gunditjmara co-founder with public health and community-led activism experience, and Sarah Sheridan, co-founder of a First Nations-led social enterprise focused on economic empowerment, discuss Clothing The Gaps and the Not A Date To Celebrate campaign. They talk about using fashion for social impact, public health framing of apparel, economic empowerment, running a purpose-led retailer, and concrete ways listeners can support the campaign.
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How The Founders Met And Started Out
- Laura and Sarah met when Sarah did a uni placement at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service and Laura was her supervisor.
- They worked together for years delivering community health programs before starting Spark Health and later Clothing The Gaps.
COVID Pivot And Rapid Growth
- COVID forced them to pivot from face-to-face health work to focusing on merch and community via ecommerce.
- A surge in demand around Black Lives Matter made them scale clothing rapidly from a tiny office with long queues.
Legal Battles Over Name And Flag
- They received cease-and-desist notices: one from GAP over trademark and another concerning Aboriginal flag licensing.
- These legal challenges pushed them to take a stronger role in changing legislation and reclaiming cultural visuals.