Five years ago, brother-sister duo Christian and Carmin Black launched HALF UNITED, a humanitarian clothing company located in downtown Wilmington. They started with 200 dollars and a dream: to fight child hunger with a portion of the profits from every product sold.

Two hundred dollars may not sound like much when it comes to starting a business; however, backed by the idea of feeding hungry children, their start-up fund grew.

“Our designs were really basic and novice when we first started, but it didn’t matter,” Carmin said. “People would buy our merchandise, because they knew they were feeding children.”

“Without our customers’ support, there were many days we would have just given up,” she said.

For every HU item sold, half of the profits are distributed equally to organizations in the United States and abroad that work to feed children in need. HU has partners in Cambodia, Fiji and Madagascar in addition to the local Cape Fear Volunteer Center and food banks in the United States.

HU’s idea of giving back was inspired by TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie. TOMS works on a “one for one” business model; for every pair of shoes sold by TOMS, one pair is given to a child in need. HU works in a similar way, but instead of shirt-for-shirt or shoe-for-shoe, they donate profits.

“The great thing about profit sharing is that there is no cap on how much we can give,” Carmin said. “It’s a great feeling to know that as we grow, our giving efforts grow right along with us.”

When she was 24, Carmin worked with TOMS and spent six months traveling around the country giving speeches and participating in outreach. Christian stayed in Wilmington drawing up sketches for his clothing company, 1989.

“When I was traveling, I called him [Christian] and asked to partner up,” Carmin said.

And thus, in 2009, HALF UNITED was born.

Three years later, Carmen and Christian continue to adhere to a simple design-and-give process. Designs for accessories are hand drawn and then discussed as a team. The approved designs are then rendered in Photoshop/Illustrator.

“One thing we really pride ourselves on is hand making most of our merchandise, and in N.C. at that,” Christian said.

HU uses the profits to plant school gardens, give lunches to children in developing nations, host food outreach events and drives, adopt neighborhoods and other activities to make sure they “do their half.”

“We really want to grow and expand and reach as many people as possible,” Carmin said. “The more we excel, the more mouths we’re feeding.”

HU has grown a tremendous amount since 2009. Their products are now sold online and in stores across the nation.

Nordstrom department store picked up their line last September. HU products are now sold in 58 Nordstrom stores in 21 states.

“Nordstrom buyers have been very supportive of our brand and of our cause,” Carmin said. “They placed an initial order of about 3000 units, and then a week later, ordered 500 Cambodian bracelets.”

The Nordstrom order allowed HU to feed more children than any order they had previously received.

Last year, TOMS contacted Carmin about an official partnership between the two brands. TOMS started a new online marketplace where they sell items from other giveback brands like HU. Only 30 brands were selected for the marketplace, and HU was one of them.

“We feel fortunate to have been chosen and are very proud of this amazing, new opportunity,” Carmin said.

See what Carmin and Christian will do next. Check out the HU website and look for their products in stores.