Fast five with Laura Thompson & Sarah Sheridan at Clothing The Gaps

Ahead of Convene 2025 on 17 September, we asked some of the speakers five quick questions to give you a behind-the-scenes look at their work, passions, and the values driving their fight for a fairer, more equitable Australia.

Convene 2025 – Australia’s largest social impact conference – will bring together leaders from across the country to connect, learn and collaborate on business for good.

Today, we spotlight Laura Thompson, Co-Founder and CEO, and Sarah Sheridan, Co-Founder and Deputy CEO of Clothing The Gaps. Sarah will be speaking in the session “There’s work to do and we need you!” – a powerful conversation on why Clothing The Gaps was founded and their mission to close the life expectancy gap between Aboriginal people and non-Indigenous Australians.

Clothing The Gaps

At the heart of Clothing The Gaps lie the values of elevating, educating, advocating and motivating people for positive social change. Co-founded by Laura and Sarah, the brand creates merch with a message - influencing and uniting people through fashion and causes so that Aboriginal people and communities can thrive. From bold campaign tees to national movements like #FreeTheFlag and Not A Date To Celebrate, Clothing The Gaps (CTG) uses every garment to influence social change.

We caught up with Laura and Sarah ahead of Convene 2025:

Laura, how would you describe Sarah in one sentence?

Sarah is energetic, committed and all in. She isn’t afraid to stand by her beliefs, and she keeps the back end of CTG in order and running smoothly.

Sarah, how would you describe Laura in one sentence?

Laura is the Community and Creative heartbeat of CTG. Her vision for ensuring alignment to our values and impact is always on point.

What’s the best part about working at Clothing The Gaps?

Laura: Using business as a vehicle to campaign and self-determine our futures. I also love seeing new products come to life.
Sarah: Seeing people wear their values boldly and visibly stand up for social justice through how they choose to dress.

Who’s your role model in life?

Laura: The matriarchs in my family - all of them have shaped who I am today.
Sarah: My parents, they’ve always role modelled deep community care to our family.

Out of your collections, which one is your favourite?

Laura: The Free The Flag tee is a standout. With this design we realised the power of a tee to create social change and spark conversations.
Sarah: I still gravitate towards our Tread Lightly collection, especially the matching tracksuit. This range was created within a 75km radius of our store, from design to weaving to printing and sewing. It was slow but so special.

Who’s someone you’ve collaborated with recently?

Laura: Lush! We’re yarning with them about ways to support and elevate the Not A Date To Celebrate campaign. Look out for a Clothing The Gaps soap in-store in January 2026.
Sarah: The University of Melbourne, to create a traceability pathway that helps us map and articulate our production process to supporters.

Join Sarah and other leading voices at Convene 2025

Gain valuable insights and practical strategies you can bring back to your organisation to deliver more social value. You’ll also hear the latest trends shaping the social enterprise sector and take away fresh ideas to grow impact together.

It’s also a chance to celebrate the leaders and pioneers driving social impact, as we announce the 2025 National Game Changer Award winners.

Check out the full agenda and register.

Keen to meet some of the innovative social enterprises and network with the business for good community? Join us at the Social Enterprise Trade Fair on September 16 – free to the public. Get your ticket today.

Join us as we discover more ways to find the good in business together.