‘Always in Season’ tee raises funds for neighborhood farmers market targeted by DEI-related cuts

Kansas City designer Lauren Allen is serving up something fresh — both in style and in message. Her latest T-shirt for the Ivanhoe Farmers Market delivers a bold statement: “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion are always in season.”

Designed with vibrant vegetable illustrations, the shirt celebrates DEI while supporting a vital community resource — and its message comes at a crucial time, she said.

The Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council, which runs the farmers market, recently lost a $165,000 USDA grant because of President Trump’s federal rollbacks on DEI initiatives, threatening the neighborhood group’s plans to expand fresh food access in underserved areas.

ICYMI: How Trump’s win on DEI means fewer fresh foods for KC’s east side; USDA rakes back critical grant for farmers market

Determined to help, Allen teamed up with the market’s marketing team to design the shirt, making the connection between DEI and fresh produce.

“I started thinking, how do we tie the two together? And this just came to me,” she said.

The result: a design that makes both a statement and a financial impact.

Click here to purchase a shirt or here for the related sticker design.

Designer Lauren Allen; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

A community connection

Allen’s collaboration with the Ivanhoe Farmers Market wasn’t a chance encounter. Her ties to the market stretch back to 2018 when she first started attending. Since then, she has built relationships through her involvement in Kansas City’s cycling community.

“I lead a cycling group called Women-Led Cycling, and we try to connect with local organizations doing good stuff,” Allen said. “A couple of years ago, the market’s marketing team reached out about collaborating on an event. I ended up organizing a bike ride that stopped at the market.”

Her ties deepened last year when the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council faced a controversy over a high-profile personnel dispute with multiple workers, she said.

“That wasn’t even a year ago,” Allen said. “And now this happened, so I reached out again and asked, ‘What can I do?’”

Designing fresh threads

Allen, who now leads a design team at MissionWired, has built a career in branding and digital design with a strong nonprofit focus. While her full-time role keeps her busy, she still takes on freelance projects for causes she cares about, including the Ivanhoe Farmers Market.

She’s also done volunteer work for Missouri Pit Bull Rescue and a cycling kit for Black-led group the Major Taylor Cycling Club. 

“This design was special. The market team just said, ‘Maybe something that says diversity, equity, and inclusion with vegetables.’ And I started thinking, how do we make that connection? The phrase ‘always in season’ just came to me.”

Proceeds from the shirts will go to support the Ivanhoe Farmers Market and its mission of increasing fresh food access in the community.

“This is one of those moments where supporting locals is critical,” Allen emphasized. “The farmers market is doing such important work in that neighborhood, and with everything happening right now, we don’t know what’s left. It’s going to boil down to community and local support.”