FoundHER – Split Shirt

“We started Split Shirt in 2020, during my senior year of college and my sister’s sophomore year. Immediately, I was so amazed by how our UT network embraced the concept of Split Shirt with open arms. Organic growth is crucial for a small business, and the UT community has really become a launch pad for us. From invitations to do pop ups to collaborations with other creators, we are truly so grateful for the endless support that stems from the friendships we built on the Forty Acres. “

– Helena Sampayo ‘21

Helena and Gisele Sampayo

Introducing Split Shirt, an up-cycling clothing company. Helena and Gisele Sampayo create unique button-downs from recycled textiles. By reusing, recycling, and up-cycling into SPLIT SHIRT, they strive to extend each textile’s useful life to reduce the numbers in our landfills.

“I would definitely attribute our business’s success to the community we have at The University of Texas. The support we have received by all of our peers has been monumental in building the brand’s image. Being a Kendra Scott WEL Featured Female Founder has given me the feeling that I belong, and that confidence has enabled me to thrive as an entrepreneur in spite of all the turmoil this year. ”

– Gisele Sampayo ‘23

Split Shirt uses 100% recycled textiles to give old shirts new life. Each Split Shirt is unisex, completely unique, and is intended to be worn in many different ways. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 6.5 million tons of clothing and footwear were generated in 2000. But in 2018, this doubled and 13 million tons of clothing and footwear were generated in the United States.

Since it is very difficult to recycle complex blends of fibers, only 13% of textiles were recycled in 2018. Over 80% went straight to landfills. Split Shirt was founded as a passion project by Helena Sampayo (‘21) and Gisele Sampayo (‘23), sisters from Brownsville, TX when they were both students at The University of Texas at Austin.