The tee shirt craze has definitely fizzled in the past couple of years from whence it reached it’s peak back around 07-08 in my opinion. There are a few brands still holding it down when it comes to graphic tee shirts but fewer are making much of an impression as they enter the overcrowded market. Zatoon is a company that caught my eye as their wares look almost nothing like most of what I’ve seen lately. The artwork for the shirts is wildly detailed and bizarre. The attention to detail is really impressive and I can’t imagine one of their tees not making an impression.
“For our Summer 2012 collection, we worked with British illustrator Adrian Johnson. We met up with Adrian at his studio in Lewes.
Over the years, Liverpool born Adrian Johnson has developed a unique and strongly identifiable body of work. His trademark economical, highly crafted, graphic work is constantly evolving, whilst always maintaining a healthy distance from current trends and passing fashions. Adrian’s work has already led to a prolific working career and a client list which includes Paul Smith, Adidas, Monocle, The New York Times and Unicef. He also has exhibited work in London, New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo. Attention to detail, humor and a simple timeless sophistication mark him out as one of the leading illustrators currently practicing.”
I don’t hide the fact that I am a big big fan of both Adrian Johnson and Stüssy.
The Stussy x Adrian Johnson collection is available now at: stus.se/KTyTLV
Pretty sure I blogged about Tee Shirt makers Any Forty somewhere back in the long mythical history of this here blog of lore. But anyway, I recently surfed my way back and was really impressed by some of the recent tees added to their collection. They are a little on the pricey (UK pound) side but might be worth it for hipness sake.
Kate Bosworth lends her beauty to this allegorical performance in the Vanessa Bruno short film, LØV. Directed by Stephanie Di Giusto. Courtesy Partizan Entertainment.
Homage is a clothing company that specializes in retro sports wear. I know you have probably heard or seen of similar companies but the unique differentiator here is that Homage’s stuff is actually super cool. Most of the tees are very simply designed but absolutely do not stray from the retro aesthetic. I’ll probably spring for the tee above at some point.
Soundscreen Design is a collection of graphic t-shirts anchored by an interesting concept that asks the musicians themselves to create artwork for graphic tees promoting their band or just because. Surprisingly or rather not surprisingly (considering that musicians are artists) there are some pretty damn cool tees in their store. If you like the musicians responsible for their creation it serves as a bit of a double bonus.
Dudes Factory have some absolutely kick ass tees by some of my favorite illustrators like McBess. The only problem is that between the prices and the shipping they have priced their way out of most buyers in the U.S., especially in this economy. If you can swing it, they have a nice catalog of tees for man, woman and child.
‘Dope’ is a word I just don’t use much anymore. Probably because I am too old to use it or using it just makes me feel old or actually using it has fallen out of fashion and I am behind because I am old but I digress. ‘Sick’ is a word I just can’t get behind. It sounds lame. How did ‘sick’ ever become associated with something cool? I mean the word sick just sounds, well kind of gross or you know sick. Anyway, you can take your pick, ‘dope’ or if you have to go there ‘sick’ and either one will work perfectly to describe the shit hot t-shirts that French street boutique brand Be Street has put together. Straight up dope. There I said it. Now I’ll get on with my crusty old ass.
Graphic Designer Jeremy Paul Beasley has launched a side project clothing company called Lincoln Supply Co. that is producing some excellent t-shirts that feature expertly crafted retro-inspired graphics.
Yes the large pocket tee actually exists and you can own one by picking one up here. Just think of how much more stuff you can put in there like both your entire sketchbook and your pencils or even your entire iPod.
French fashionista illustrator Coco has updated her website with more glamorous examples of her unique style. Coco has been at it for a while and has continued to stay at the top of her game with a hand-crafted fashion first positioning that is now often imitated.
“Trinitas is a clothing label that was founded in 2009 by german based design and art collective Nous Sommes Des Soleils. The idea behind the label and why we started it was that we wanted to create something that wasn‘t just a t-shirt, but something of that the future owner would know that it was something unique and special.”
According to the about section at Kharma, they seem to like and be interested in a lot of the things we are. On top of being design geeks, they also like to do good and have the chops to pull together an impressive cast of designers, illustrators and artists to produce some excellent t-shirts. It gets even better though because a significant portion of every purchase goes directly to charity. So you get to support your favorite designer while giving to charity. That’s a pretty good deal.
Claudio Kirac is a ‘modern day renaissance man’ having worked professional artist, photographer, designer and consultant working primarily within the fashion and music industries. He truly is what he proclaims to be with an impressive body of work spanning across all the aforementioned disciplines. He’s a genuine talent.
Mister Mista is a super fun clothing label producing some very well designed tee shirts for your little guys and gals. If your aesthetic leans toward the design side, your babies would look cute in these duds.
By the way, just sneaking this in here, my wife is officially pregnant and I am going to be a Papa in February of next year. So I am busting it hard right now trying to make the studio work so I can take care of my baby. But I am pretty excited to be a Dad especially with a wife that I love more than anything else in the entire world.
T-Post is the world’s first wearable magazine. It’s an interesting idea and there are some excellent shirts as a result available at the T-Post website. Each shirt is created by a different artist around a unique and timely topic. But I will let the video explain the rest.
Burbank, California-based tee shirt shop Milk & Eggs Co. have got fun and quirky dialed when it comes to their gear. It’s clean, simple, graphic, fun and maybe even a little clever. The combination of all of the above make for some excellent expertly-designed wares. I’m gonna party likes it’s 2012 since that’s the year the world explodes or something like that right?
There are some rock solid t-shirts up for sale (and at reasonable prices) from Single Second. I am curious how they manage avoiding any copyright issues but they are kick ass t-shirts regardless and probably worth grabbing up while they still last.
