"That's where our sustainable and ethical clothing came in," Mr van Dartel said.

"We thought anyone could throw a label on a shirt but we thought if we could be different we could catch some attention through that."

The duo spent weeks working out how to create a sustainable clothing label.

"Everyone deserves a good wage and a good quality to work in, that was massive to us. We wanted people wearing our shirts to know they can feel good and they're not made in a sweat shop," Mr van Dartel said.

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After a year of planning, six weeks ago Bandwagon dropped its first collection.

Sales went well and the feedback was positive.

"On our first drop we sold a fair bit, which was weird during COVID because there were a lot of people not working. But it was actually a good time to launch an online business because we had some time," he said.

For most people, the clothing drop was a surprise. They had been quietly working on their plans behind-the-scenes since they moved in together about a year ago.

Mr van Dartel said while he expected it would have been a surprise for those who knew him in Dubbo, at the same time, he had always been into clothing.

"We kept it between ourselves for months and then it dropped and everyone went 'oh right, these boys are doing clothing now."

In addition to being ethical and sustainable, Bandwagon is also donating five per cent of sales to headspace, to help young people battling mental illness. Mr van Dartel said he hoped the partnership would help give at least one person a push in the right direction.

There are also plans for the company to expand their good deeds into the local Newcastle community.

"I'm a barber as well so I'm thinking about diving into the homeless population. If we've got some shirts and things left over it would be good to do some haircuts and pass on some shirts," Mr van Dartel said.

"Everyone goes through a tough time and especially now, it's a good time to reach out. Everyone is doing it tough at the moment so it would be good to help out."

Mr van Dartel admits it's pretty ambitious for a new company.

"We've both got pretty big dreams for this. We're both looking at the bigger picture. We're probably a little bit ambitious but we only want the best for us and our image," he said.

"The only way is to look outside what you already know."

It's already been a learning curve for the business partners with everything from registering the business name to partnering with a charity taking longer than expected.

But Mr van Dartel said it had all worked out for the best because it allowed them to ensure everything was perfect before the first line launched.

The next step for Bandwagon is the launch of the winter clothing.

It's expected to drop within the next month.