Burlaep Apparel was released in October 2011 by four Mississippi State University students, but it began earlier in January when they stayed up all night discussing how they could stop a preventable problem.
Chase Duncan, Cleat Morris, Waymon Chenault and Hunter Freeland were upset by an email that stated an average of 35,000 people die each day from preventable diseases in Third World countries. The men began brainstorming their ideas on a dry erase board, and they decided to make a clothing company named Burlaep.
“Burlaep is a clothing company that recognizes a need,” Duncan said. “We want to reduce the number of unnecessary deaths while building relations with the people in the local villages.”
Burlaep’s mission is to reduce the 35,000 diseases with donations of food and necessary supplies. The four men plan on making trips to each destination to deliver the supplies to make friendships with the natives.
The men spent about fourmonths creating the purpose behind Burlaep. They received a donation from a professor at MSU to help fund the initial costs. The web domain for burlap.com was already taken so the men were challenged with choosing a different name. Duncan believed the traditional spelling for burlap looked too plain. The group looked up the word in a dictionary, which helped them find not only the new spelling but also the design on the shirt.
“The way Burlaep’s name is spelled is the pronunciation that is shown in a dictionary,” Chenault said.
The symbol on the left sleeve is the “ae” letter combination in Burlaep. All shirts are printed on American Apparel cotton shirts. The short-sleeve shirt is available in pomegranate and the long-sleeve shirt is available in gray. The men plan on releasing other t-shirt designs as soon as their budget will allow.
Right now Burlaep is having a Countdown to Spring Break 2012. The men aim to sell 100 shirts before March 9 to help raise funds for their first trip to Tegucigalpa, Honduras. They have been in contact with several people from Tegucigalpa for the necessary supplies the villagers need.
“The conditions in Tegucigalpa are pretty harsh,” Freeland said. “It gets really cold at night. It is pretty common to see children without shoes. Their homes are basically mud huts built into the sides of the mountains.”
Those who purchase Burlaep can post a picture to Facebook or Twitter in their Burlaep shirts to model the shirts on the website.
Currently, Burlaep has outgrown its in-apartment operation, and are trying to find stores to carry its clothing. The shirts are sold online at the website burlaep.com, but mainly Burlaep is growing through its customers.
“When we first started out, a lot of our close friends bought the shirts,” Morris said. “We have relied on our customers to spread the word about Burlaep to other people to help us grow.”
Cleat Morris’ co-worker, Kelsey Marx, bought the first Burlaep shirt. Marx knew about Burlaep since it began. 
“The guys saw a need, and I am glad that they created a plan. I thought it was going to take a long time before it took off,” Marx said. “I am proud of them, and I hope that their business expands.”
Although all four guys are seniors, they all agree they want to keep Burlaep going after they graduate.
“I really do not know how things are going to be at the moment, but I do not want to abandon Burlaep,” Duncan said. “Even if Burlaep is a small company, I still want to keep Burlaep going.  It will be worth it to know that I sold enough shirts to help feed two families.”