Shirtfight.com is one of the new kids on the block and already creating plenty of buzz. This is not only due to their exceptional shirt and print quality, but also to the great customer service and attitude of its founding couple About Marieta (aka Miss Etti) and About Jud (aka El Presidente). Tee Hunter has had a great (and fun!) relationship with this fine pair from their launch and we were keen to “officially” speak to them about their awesome ongoing tshirt contest. These are the results…
Shirtfight.com Main Page
TH: Tell us about Shirt Fight, what inspired you to start it?
SF: T-shirts have always been a major part of our lives. When I was in elementary school, if you had a Bart Simpson shirt you were a king. If you had one that no one else in school had, you were a god. T-shirts are just a great way to express your individuality, both as the wearer *and* the artist who designed the shirt. Pretty much all of my friends were either artists or musicians growing up, and being exposed to their creativity and the talent has been a huge influence. I see ShirtFight as a way to hang out with even more like-minded people, rub elbows with the top artists out there, help up-and-coming artists become household names, and clothe people (including ourselves!) in awesome t-shirts.
TH: What is it about the ongoing tshirt design competition format that you like so much?
SF: There’s actually a lot about the format that I *don’t* like, but I’ll talk about that in a minute. The great part about it really is seeing artists from around the world that submit their designs just for you. I’m shocked at the quality and amount of submissions we’ve received so far…and we see new artists submitting every week. That’s the cool part, watching people vote and comment on these submissions and really being a community. It is a competition, but everyone is extremely supportive of each other.
TH: Anything you would like to change about it or innovate within the format?
SF: There seems to be a detachment on some competition sites between the site and the artist. It’s very much a “submit design, wait 90 days, see if I get paid” scenario for the most part…it just doesn’t feel much like a competition because there’s no real beginning or end, and there’s no real fun involved. We’re attempting to inject the fun and excitement back into the format with our weekly themed contests. It’s fast, furious, and fun! If you wanted to have a food eating competition and you said “OK just start eating some food whenever and we’ll eventually pick a winner”…well that’s not much fun. But if you said “OK it’s a fried Twinkie eating competitions! The person who eats the most fried Twinkies in 15 minutes wins!”. See, that’s much more interesting! That’s how ShirtFight works…we announce a crazy theme, submissions and voting go on for exactly one week, and BAM a winner is announced! Damn, now I’m craving a Twinkie…
Shirtfight.com Design Voting Section!
TH: What is your all time favourite tshirt that you own?
SF: My favorite shirt of all time was a Pee Wee Herman shirt that I had autographed by Beck. Random, I know. I wore the hell out of that thing. Nowadays, I have to say I’m in love with my Black Axe (www.theblackaxe.com). It’s my go-to shirt whenever it’s clean…and sometimes when it’s not J
TH: What do you bring to the table within the ongoing contest format?
SF: Personality, humor, a desire to have close connections with our community, and our charming good looks.
TH: How do you plan to compete with the larger, established companies like Threadless and DBH?
SF: We’re going to compete by going the opposite direction. We’re going to stay small to allow us to keep our close connection with the artists. That’s why we’re only going to sell 21 shirts at any given time…one page of shirts so the public can focus on the talents off the artist, instead of having them get lost in a sea of tees. I think it’s our dedication to the community and our close-knit interactions that’s going to make us successful. And it seems like it’s working so far!
TH: What has been your favourite design so far that won the voting and was produced?
SF: Evanimal’s “You Might Need More Than A Nightlight This Time…” is amazing. The details he put into that shirt just blows my mind. Every time I look at it I notice something different!
TH: What was your favourite design that sadly didnt win the voting and wasn’t produced?
SF: Oh there’s too many, it just breaks our hearts that we can only pick one winner. Last week for instance, TheInfinityLoop did a gorgeous design with a walrus on a bicycle. Man it was so great, we even talked about having two winners that week just so we could print it. Eventually as we grow we’re going to pick multiple winners per contest, but even if we pick 100 winners, there’s always going to be that 101st design that doesn’t make the cut. I guess that’s how a fight goes…someone has to be knocked out, right?
TH: You and your husband started this, what were your working backgrounds before this and was Shirt Fight a big change or an obvious direction for you?
SF: We were circus carnies, working the “shoot the over-inflated basketball into the bent hoop” stall. Starting ShirtFight just felt like a natural progression for us 
Shirtfight.com Previous Winners
TH: Does it ever cause any arguments about what to print etc or do you have very set roles?
SF: I wouldn’t call it arguments, but we do have very length discussions about things LOL. ShirtFight is our baby, so we play equal roles in its growth and development.
TH: What are your hopes and dreams for Shirt Fight?
SF: We see a future of watching up-and-coming artists make a name for themselves, having a closet full of the best shirts ever printed, and going to bed with a smile on our faces every night knowing that we’re doing what we love. Will we become the next Threadless? Who knows! We’ll keep working hard and take it one day at a time.
Visit Shirtfight here and be sure to check out the excellent Shirtfight Blog as well!
Very good read, nice questions and good answers…i enjoyed it!
great interview!
the site is great, Jud and Marieta are awesome human beings!