WFS x Wolne Rzeki - T-Shirt

T-shirt

Wild Fish Stories x Wolne Rzeki. Artwork by Emilia Skwarska. 50% of the profit from sales goes to the Wolne Rzeki Foundation.

Over the past decades, rivers in Poland have been regulated, straightened, and turned into canals. What's worse, modern "renaturalization" efforts or so-called "maintenance" work do not inspire optimism. Water flows faster, the environment dries out, and fish are becoming scarcer. Piotr Bednarek, a hydrologist, naturalist, and president of the Wolne Rzeki Foundation, has been demonstrating for years that this is a mistake and that it can be changed.

Where did this T-shirt come from?

Wild Fish Stories and the Wolne Rzeki Foundation operate in the same place – by the water. They fight to keep rivers wild. We make clothes for people who are the first guardians of order by the rivers. The connection was obvious.

We announced an art competition. It was won by Emilia Skwarska (@nocne_koszmarki), an illustrator whose drawing captures what is hard to describe in words: the entire river ecosystem in one scene. Beavers, fish, birds, vegetation – all together against a deep blue background. A large composition on the back, a smaller collaboration logo on the front.

The color is no accident. It's the shade of deep, clear water.

What does Wolne Rzeki do?

The Wolne Rzeki Foundation works for nature conservation, river and wetland renaturalization. They advocate that effective flood protection is possible without destroying rivers – quite the opposite: by restoring natural processes, reclaiming floodplains, and permanently irrigating drained marshes.

Piotr Bednarek is a hydrologist and president of the Wolne Rzeki Foundation. Professionally, he is involved in planning and implementing river renaturalization in Poland, and he promotes his knowledge on his YouTube channel. For his work, he received the Honorary Badge for Services to Environmental Protection and Climate awarded by the Minister of Climate and Environment.

50% of the profit from each T-shirt sold goes directly to the Foundation's activities.

Material and construction

• 100% cotton, 180g/m² — soft, breathable, field-tested
• Artwork by Emilia Skwarska — large composition on the back, collaboration logo on the front
• Color: deep blue — a reference to the color of a clear river
• Unisex cut — suits every figure

FAQ

How much of the T-shirt's price goes to Wolne Rzeki? 50% of the net profit from sales is directly transferred to the Wolne Rzeki Foundation for its activities in protecting and renaturalizing rivers in Poland.

Who designed the artwork? Emilia Skwarska - an illustrator who won the competition organized by Wild Fish Stories. The design depicts the river ecosystem: an otter, fish, birds, and vegetation in a single composition.

What is river renaturalization? It is the restoration of a river's natural character – meanders, floodplains, woody debris. A natural river retains water in the landscape, supports biodiversity, and protects against drought better than any retention reservoir.

How to care for the T-shirt? Wash at 30°C, without fabric softener. Air dry, do not tumble dry.