Meet Ro & Bree Wrozek | Co-Owners, Love The People

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ro & Bree Wrozek and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ro & Bree, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
What drives us is people. We wholly love them. We love how they’re different and the same, all at once. We are captivated when someone experiences authentic love, and then the magic that happens there. And we marvel when that love is then generously passed to someone else.

What makes love so incredibly impressive is that it isn’t necessarily easy and it isn’t always pretty. It’s sometimes as simple as smiling at a stranger; and sometimes as harrowing as walking someone back from the brink.

But let us be clear. The power to change our world can only be born from love and it has to be a concerted effort between us all.

The charge of our family and our company is to walk out that message at every step of our business.

We’ve worked diligently to only partner with manufacturers who are held to the highest ethical and product standards.

Our 100% Fair Trade Organic Cotton garments each bear the signature of the talented maker who sewed them, connecting you directly to each other. Simply scan the QR Code on the inside tag of your garment and type in the name of the maker to see their photo, biography and even leave them at “Thank You” note.

Every purchase is carefully packed and includes a handwritten note and gift from our team.

And to complete the circle, 10% of every purchase goes directly to feeding people in need through World Central Kitchen.
Love people at every step….that’s our ambition.

What should our readers know about your business?
There are a lot of apparel companies out there and we are rooting for them all. Anyone who has the guts to step out of what is “expected” and build something from scratch, is a winner in our book!

There are several things that are very important to our brand, that we are really proud of and that our customers have come to rely on…

1.) Our products are always ethically and sustainably-made
2.) The quality of our garments are built to last
3.) Our cotton is 100% Fair-Trade Organic
4.) 10% Of every purchase gives back to the community

One challenge of our business is educating consumers on what things like Organic, Fair-Trade, Ethically & Sustainably Made mean, and why they are important.

People have so many choices on where to spend their money and we are truly honored when they choose to partner with us and carry forth the message of love. We find that people genuinely want to make purchases that help people and the planet. Our goal is to give them an opportunity to do just that. Perhaps, making their closet a little more ethical.

Starting a business is never easy. Starting a business during a pandemic is wild ;). We’re a brand that loves people wholeheartedly. Who is aiming to bring that love to our customers through our products, online presence and personal interactions. And who believes love is all around us.

It is possibility, living in every breath. It is discipline, it is power, it is beautiful brokenness, it is freedom.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We love Toledo and therefore, love this question! Let’s break this down by category (you never know what you’ll be in the mood for on any given day, right?)

But First, Coffee:
Starling Lounge (a few minutes outside of town, but WORTH it)
Rustbelt Coffee (Downtown, in the heart of it all)
SIP Coffee (nestled in the University of Toledo neighborhood and next door to great food & treats)

Feed Me:
Jikoni Food Truck (This is a Toledo MUST. Tom Otieno has brought the delicious flavors of East Africa to us and we’re shouting him from the rooftops!)
Zingo’s Mediterranean (Your Order: Veggie Pita, “Zingo Style”…you’re welcome”)
Dollop Shop (A cozy little dessert parlor with the most adorable treats!)
Souk Kitchen (Modern Mediterranean in the heart of Downtown)
Kengo Sushi & Yakitori or Kato Ramen (Order anything. You’ll never be disappointed)

Let’s Go:
Toledo Zoo (Our town is wild about our Zoo. Top notch in every aspect. Have been ranked one of USA Today’s “10 Best Zoos, Readers Choice Award”. A Toledo-Must!)
Toledo Museum of Art (Free to the public, 30,000+ pieces of art on a 37-acre campus.)
Wildwood Metropark (Natural beauty and manmade elegance come together as one at Wildwood Preserve, the most visited of the Metroparks. The 493-acre park is the former estate of Toledo’s Stranahan family.)
Hoen’s Greenhouse (Beauty abounds in this family-owned greenhouse with killer aesthetics. Need a quick gift or just want to spend a morning surrounded by gorgeous plants…look no further!)

Hey, Sport!
Toledo Mudhens Baseball (Summertime and baseball? Yes, please!)
Toledo Walleye Hockey (Toledo’s professional hockey team & proud affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. “T-Town Hockey!”)
University of Toledo Football & Basketball (All the fun of collegiate competition in beautiful facilities!)

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Without warning we both lost our corporate jobs (Just few days before our state went into lockdown during the pandemic). We had a new baby at home and it looked like the world was on fire.

That’s when our good friends Brandon & Steph Paxton stepped in, to not only give us the love and support that we needed, but also give us the encouragement to leave our corporate life and make the jump into Love The People.

Brandon is a wildly talented graphic designer and Steph was an incomparable photographer who shot our first six Look Books. The backbone of our launch team.

Devastatingly, shortly after we launched Love The People, we lost Steph to illness and our world was turned upside down. We had not felt grief like this before and we seriously considered letting LTP just fade into the night, because the concept of building without her was incredibly painful. We were faced with the decision to either let grief overwhelm us or continue our launch of Love The People…honoring her legacy as best we could.

This forced us to practice what we have said to so many others…”There is purpose in pain. Sink or swim. Dream or die.”

Without these two people, their love, their creativity, their constant championing of our dreams, Love The People wouldn’t be.

Website: www.LoveThePeople.co

Instagram: LoveThePeopleCo

Facebook: LoveThePeopleCo

Image Credits
Files LTP 110 & LTP 152 By: Noelle Ann Photography All Other Files By (Artist, Doctor, Giver, Rider): Steph Paxton Photography Owner Photo By: Mark Choconta Photography