Bethesda Magazine


MAY/JUNE 2008

OUT & ABOUT
You might have seen the longsleeved shirts adorned with images of circular blooms missing one leaf in footage of this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The shirts, created by Bethesda friends Eric Burka and Gabby Rojchin to kick off the launching of their sustainable-produced clothing company, Yudu, were a big hit with the Hollywood crowd. Sharon Stone, Matthew Perry, Dennis
Quaid and Sarah Jessica Parker were just a few of the celebs who snapped them up. After spending 20 years in advertising, marketing and branding, Burka and Rojchin decided to shift gears and sell organic duds.

The black, white, avocado green and gray T-shirts, hats and tote bags all feature the seven-leaf flower in muted shades.

But Burka and Rojchin hope to create more than trendy T-shirts and bags. “We wanted to create a bit of a movement,” says Rojchin. Profits from their clothing sales
would go to small, local nonprofits.

“We were at a dog park recently and met these little girls—maybe 8 years old—who were collecting money for donations to the Montgomery County Humane Society,” says
Rojchin. “We loved that! In order to pet their dog, you had to give money. They were social
citizens already at 8.”

She says that’s the kind of grassroots movement Yudu hopes to support as it grows. The founders envision branching out beyond comfy shirts to an entire clothing and
housewares line,much in the tradition of the popular Life Is Good line.

“In five years, we’d love to be the organic J. Crew,” says Burka. Both are still running
their public-relations and graphic-arts businesses. Burka, 38, grew up in Bethesda
and operates Burka Studios. Rojchin, 44, moved to the area from New York to attend
college and later founded her SUMO Creative business.

For the moment, the company’s line is available online at www.yudulife.com for $28
to $58. The ubiquitous logo is on each, and that’s for a reason. Burka says it symbolizes
doing one’s best for the world.

“The leaf is not 100 percent and neither are we,” he says. “But we’re doing our best.” Rojchin chimes in: “The one thing that’s missing is you,” she says. “And you do make a difference.”