Tom Healey was overseas when he found himself searching for a t-shirt with a cool design to buy for a friend. “I couldn’t find anything remotely clever or that looked like something you’d want to wear,” he says. So he sketched an idea, sent it to his artist sister Frances to draw it, then he placed the image on a tee. 

This kicked off the idea for Alarf and the pair started selling their tees with quirky designs. Think a figure using a broom with ‘dusty’ written underneath, or a pint glass with the words ‘love handles’. The range includes short- and long-sleeved tees, and a range of organic cotton Pretty Neat Jerseys.

“The markets have been great for us. It took a while to get moving online, so it was a great way for us to get exposure organically,” says Tom.

They are community minded and work closely with the charities The WaterBoy and Taku Wairua. The Waikato-based pair also have a range of other creative side projects. Frances sells prints ( @frances.creates) and runs The Flour Cakery (flourcakery.com), and Tom is a musician — check him out under the moniker ‘Thomas Newton’ on Spotify.