On Jan. 27, Lehigh Valley Apparel Creations announced it would print pro-immigration, anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement and mutual aid designs at no cost.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lehigh Valley Apparel Creations is a clothing printing company based in the Lehigh Valley. The campaign followed the death of Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse who was killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis, and an increase in violence arising from ICE activity nationwide.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The company said at least 50% of profits from the campaign will be donated to charity. Customers still pay for blank shirts and shipping, but the design printing is free.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chris Regec, the owner and operator of Lehigh Valley Apparel Creations, started the business 15 years ago in his parents\u2019 shed. The company\u2019s political roots trace back more than 20 years to the Lehigh Valley\u2019s DIY punk scene, where Regec began printing shirts as a way to get involved.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPolitics has always stayed with me,\u201d Regec said. \u201cMy dad was a union laborer at Mack Truck, my grandfather was a union laborer at Bethlehem Steel, so that sort of working class pride and blue collar, class solidarity has always been a part of my life. We try to engage with the community through this place. It\u2019s more than just a capitalist venture.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regec said he aims to do what\u2019s best for his community and its residents, even if it\u2019s not always what\u2019s best for business.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say opposition to ICE is not a political stance,\u201d Regec said. \u201cI think opposition to ICE is a humanitarian response.\u201d<\/p>\n
That community-oriented outlook influenced the anti-ICE campaign. Regec said everyone at the company, even those not directly impacted by ICE activity, wanted to respond to the nationwide turmoil.<\/p>\n
Jake Prolog, an artist and employee at Lehigh Valley Apparel Creations, said recent ICE activity doesn\u2019t sit right with the company.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUsing our platform and network that we have is really a useful tool for us,\u201d Prolog said \u201cWe\u2019re not out there in the streets protesting per se, but we\u2019re doing our part.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prolog collaborated with Regec to organize the initiative after seeing a similar campaign on Instagram. With Regec\u2019s approval, Prolog created the campaign flier.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since the flier was released, Prolog said the company has received orders from new customers, including people who hadn\u2019t previously heard of the business.<\/p>\n
Prolog began working with Lehigh Valley Apparel Creations in November 2024. He received a degree in applied digital art and previously worked under the name Pantaloop on Instagram.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said art can break through the noise of online discourse, making important messages more accessible rather than simply presenting opinions.<\/p>\n
\u201cArt as an act of resistance and using it as a vessel to speak what\u2019s on your mind I think is super important.\u201d Prolog said. \u201cIt\u2019s just really important for artists to speak up, and if they have a platform use it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Prolog said art can also bring communities together by expressing shared feelings during tumultuous times. He\u2019s participated in other political art initiatives, including an anti-ICE art gallery hosted in Allentown by the Alternative Gallery.<\/p>\n
Lehigh Valley Apparel Creations isn\u2019t alone. Several businesses across Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley have launched anti-ICE initiatives.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Blind Tiger Coffee, an owner-operated coffee roasting company and cafe in Bethlehem run by Charlie Biando, is among them.<\/p>\n
\u201cBlind Tiger Coffee is an owner-operated small business, it does not operate in a vacuum; we believe in community,\u201d Biand said. \u201cThings that happen in our community, it affects Blind Tiger, even if it\u2019s on an emotional level, because where does it end?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n