END. DEBUTS: THAT GORILLA BRAND

Founded in 2019, That Gorilla Brand is built around the principle of using their profits for good. A brand that blends contemporary design with real-world impact, TGB harness their vision for a more equitable fashion future with a desire to do good, actively working to help preserve the natural habitats of the endangered mountain gorilla through uplifting, supporting and empowering the communities that surround them.

Launching exclusively at END. for the first time, TGB present their “Bwindi” collection for SS26. Named after the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in the southwest of Uganda, the home to over half of the world’s population of mountain gorillas, the biodiverse region continues to be an immeasurable source of influence for the brand. Developed under the guidance of newly appointed creative director Harris Elliott, SS26 sees TGB refine their aesthetic vision further, blending cultural reference points, graphic treatments and vibrant colours, drawing inspiration from the music culture and wildlife of East Africa. Continuing the brand’s dedication to designing clothing with purpose, TGB remains committed to their key goals through design, film and their Adventures For A Cause initiative to raise funds to protect and preserve one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet.

Sitting down with TGB’s founders Leo and Casey Gripari to welcome the brand to END. and spotlight their cause, we lifted the lid on the real-world impact of the brand and how they are using fashion as a means to champion responsibility, creativity and collective action.

Founded in 2019, what first inspired the formation of That Gorilla Brand?

That Gorilla Brand began with a simple question: how can product create tangible impact beyond itself? After spending time in Uganda and visiting Bwindi, we understood that conservation and community are inseparable. That experience changed how we saw fashion, and what responsibility in this space really means. TGB was built to connect contemporary design with long-term, measurable outcomes on the ground.

Putting impact and TGB’s core goals ahead of profits, why does the purpose of TGB specifically resonate with you?

For us, purpose is lived. It’s shaped by the people we work alongside in southern Uganda and by the responsibility that comes with building something beyond product. Being present keeps the mission human and accountable, and it directly influences how we design, collaborate and grow. It isn’t abstract. It’s long-term relationships and real engagement.

There are many different worthy causes across the world – what was it about the conservation of the endangered mountain gorilla that you specifically connected with?

After spending time in Bwindi, we saw how closely environmental protection connects to education, water infrastructure and sustainable income. Mountain gorillas represent one of the most fragile ecosystems on earth. There are just over a thousand left in the wild, living within a tightly protected region. What stood out was the interdependence between conservation and community. It isn’t wildlife in isolation. It’s people, land and long-term systems working together. That balance is what made it meaningful and actionable for us.

Multidisciplinary artist Harris Elliott O.B.E. has recently joined the brand as creative director — how did that relationship first start?

The relationship began when Harris reworked a selection of our early samples. What started as a creative exchange quickly evolved into ongoing conversations around culture, research and direction.

As the brand matured, we needed to elevate and sharpen our visual language without losing its honesty. Harris brought a research-led and multidisciplinary perspective that strengthened how we translate place, rhythm and lived environment into product. He has travelled to Africa with us on three occasions, including two visits to Bwindi in southwestern Uganda. Those visits grounded the creative process in lived experience rather than theory.

With your work at TGB spreading across fashion, film and initiatives like Adventures For A Cause, how do you balance the different facets of TGB?

They operate as one system. Product and Adventures For A Cause both fund the work on the ground, while film documents reality and builds participation. The mission sits at the centre, allowing each expression to evolve without fragmenting the brand. Clarity of purpose keeps everything aligned.

With focus primarily being on the brand’s core mission, what guides the creative outlook of TGB?

For us, it starts with research and rhythm. We spend time understanding environment, music, typography and lived experience before translating anything into product. The aim is not to aestheticise a place but to interpret influence through a contemporary lens. That approach shapes our current season, which draws directly from rhythm and lived environment developed through continued engagement on the ground. Creative direction is guided by context rather than trend.

At its core, TGB is rooted in community as an undeniably beneficial and integral part of our world. Why is building and nurturing community so important to you and the brand?

Without community, a brand is simply product. Whether through running initiatives, collaborations or engagement on the ground, participation matters more than spectatorship. Community keeps the brand accountable and connected to something real.

Having been with TGB for a number of years, what has been the most rewarding moment that you’ve experienced so far?

This month, we returned to Nyagakenke Village Primary School for its official handover. Funded and built from the ground up in partnership with The Gorilla Organization, the school now serves over 600 pupils in the region. Standing in a space you helped bring into existence makes the connection between product and purpose immediate and real. It reinforces why we started.

Looking to the future, what is on the horizon for TGB?

Looking ahead, the focus is refinement and depth. We will continue evolving our visual language while scaling responsibly. Growth should strengthen our projects, not dilute them.

Our ambition is to operate at the intersection of culture and conservation, pairing long-term cultural relevance with measurable outcomes and building something that holds weight beyond seasonality and beyond trend.