Tee Hunter - Tshirt Fashion and Culture

Tee Hunter Interviews Submit and Remix Curator Dan Mumford

Posted on 22. Feb, 2010 by The Hunter.

Submit and Remix is a new artist focused clothing brand aimed at giving exposure to exciting designers and illustrators from around the world. It has been created by the people involved with Atticus, Lowlife and Wornby Clothing, and has the well known artist Dan Mumford looking after it’s creative direction. “The aim is to create something that is a labour of love and fun, but is overall driven by a desire to help support young artists” says Dan.

Submit & Remix

The brand will release series in drops of four tees. Each series will see two artists selected to design a tee, and they will then “remix” the other artists design, giving us 4 unique designs. Over time, the brand will be introducing new themes and ideas into the series to further expand on the depth of project and buck the trends and status quo of the current fashion world.

The first series features tees designed by Keaton Henson (who recently designed a range for Topshop as well as Urban Outfitters) and US designer Horsebites from the Black Axe (who has worked with bands such as Fall Out Boy and The Sex Pistols, as well as brands such as Pyknic and Rockett). Future artists lined up to be involved will include the (quite frankly) awesome Greg Abbot, amazingly dark Godmachine, Chrissie Abbot and Dan Mumford himself.

Tee Hunter spoke to Dan about his new brand to find out a little more about the concept and the future of Submit and Remix!

Horsebites' Design

TH: Please tell us your background and how it led you to where you are now?
DM: I am a Illustrator working freelance amongst the music industry mainly, i went to University in Brighton and now live in London.

TH: What inspired the idea and formation of S&R?
DM: It was born from a love of all the different artists work that are found on bands tee-shirts or cds, and wanting to give them the recognition they dont always get.

Keaton's Design

TH: What did you hope to bring to the table that was fresh and new?
DM: More than anything S&R is about the artists and their work, that and the fact we are getting them to work with each other with the remix aspect, in a way its getting the artists to look at work in another way.

TH: How often will you be releasing remixes and can you give us an idea of some possible future artists you will be involving?
DM: We aim to release every couple of months with 4 tee’s, for the first few series at least. After that we may make it more tees per series or more frequent, at this point we are just working that out. Future artists are looking very exciting, but we would like to keep them under wraps for now!

Keaton's remix of Horsebites' design

TH: Can artists approach you to contribute or will it be invite only?
DM: Artists are more than welcome to send their portfolios over for us to have a look at, we are always looking for new artists.

TH: Will you be releasing your remixes in lines or will it be regular individual releases?
DM: Each series has 2 artists, with 4 tees in total at the moment, we dont plan to release anything individually at the moment!

Horsebites' remix of Keaton's design

TH: Which is your favourite of the current tshirts and why?
DM: It has to be Keatons remix tee (pictured above), all that bright pink blows my mind, and the print came out spectacular, so thats probably my favourite at the moment!

TH: What are your hopes for this new brand in 2010?
DM: For it to continue doing well and get a lot more amazing tee’s out there.

Head over to www.submitandremix.com for more info and to buy these tshirts! Each is priced at £24.99 each.

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Tee Hunter Interviews SwishSwosh Tshirt Brand!

Posted on 10. Feb, 2010 by The Hunter.

Tee Hunter got to speak with SwishSwosh recently. They are a new british tshirt brand focussing on limited edition tshirts created via an ongoing design competition. I was keen to hear more about their operation, what they offer designers and what they are bringing to the already fairly busy ongoing tshirt design contest market. Please read below to find all about SwishSwosh and their tshirts!

TH: What is your background and how did it lead you to start swishswosh.com?
SS: We are in fact nightclub promoters, based in Manchester. We have been in the trade around 7 years, and have 5 very successful weekly nights. However it was doing a job like this that brought our attention to the amount of “clones” we saw entering the venues. Too many people were out making the ultimate fashion faux pas, been seen in the same outfit as someone else… We wanted to breach the original fashion market, and create a new range of limited edition apparel at affordable prices.

SwishSwosh

TH: What inspired the style and format of the online business?
SS: We wanted to bring something new to the table, not just be an online retailer, but to be a community for fashionistas, designers, and creative minds alike. The design aspect of the site gives depth to SwishSwosh; we are essentially doing 2 things at once. We are selling limited edition apparel as well as providing an outlet for designers to showcase their work.

TH: What made you choose an ongoing design contest, employing voting to assertain the submissions worth printing?
SS: In the USA it’s a tried and tested formula. We already have a huge community, and all we have had is positive feedback. People love the voting aspect, it gives them a chance to showcase their work, and get analysis from likeminded people, and on top of that, who doesn’t want to be £1,100 richer!?

TH: There are a few of these in existence already, what do you feel you bring to the table - that is fresh and new?
SS: We have a new system, currently been finalised, which allows through a new application to reach out to millions who use social networking sites. We also have a two tier voting section, not only do you vote for which t-shirts you want to see put into production, but you vote with your wallet too, as the t-shirt with the most sales is the one which is crowned our overall “Grand-Prize” winner.

SwishSwosh

TH: How limited are your limited edition t-shirts and what prompted you to not mass produce designs?
SS: We only make 50 T-shirts in each size, which is pretty limited wouldn’t you say? Our original aim from the outset was to eliminate the high street clone, so if we ourselves started to mass produce our Tee’s, we’d be turning back on what we set out to do…

TH: What has been your personal favourite design and why? (image please 540px min - width)
SS: I personally loved “colour works”, not for any particular reason other than the fact I think the design looks great on a T-shirt. I like to wear loud clothes, but I’m sometimes too shy to dare, the whole “peacocking” thing is something I’d love to do, but struggle to find the bottle! This T-Shirt allows you to wear loud colours, but its very understated…

TH: What has been your personal favourite design NOT to be printed (perhaps not enough votes) and why? (image please 540px min - width)
SS: Summer Skull (pictured below) – I REALLY love it! In the first month it just missed the cut, and now the votes have stopped coming in for it… Very gutted, that would have been a favourite in my wardrobe!

SwishSwosh

TH: How do you engage with your customers?
SS: Mainly through the website blogs and the Facebook Fan Page. We do competitions, giveaways and post pictures and videos quite regularly, so we always have a pretty good interaction with our customers. SwishSwosh <3’s it’s FB Fans! J

TH: What do you offer designers who enter your contest?
SS: The prize structure is pretty simple - £100 if your in the top 10, an extra £1,000 if you’re the best seller of that range, and 50p commission on every T-Shirt sold.

TH: Where do you see the business/brand going in the next year?
SS: Well hopefully we will have expanded into other apparel markets, namely hoodies, I suppose that’ll be our next step. But for the time being we are just concentrating on keeping, maintaining and expanding our designer pool. By the end of 2010 we will have a huge range of different designs on the site, so as long as the quality of those tee’s matches up to the quality of the launch range, you can expect great things!

Big thank you to the SwishSwosh team for their time and help with this interview!

You can submit your design or purchase their tshirts now!

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Made With Awesome “Adopt A Pinata” Tshirt & Valentines Sale!

Posted on 08. Feb, 2010 by The Hunter.

Roni & Evan are having a Valentines inspired sale over at www.madewithawesome.com where you can get the awesome tshirt below and numerous other classics, including this teehunter.com favourite we featured previously.

Made With Awesome!

The “Sweetheart Sale” runs until Feb 12th (8pm EST). Tees $16 - Posters $10 - Hoodies - $40 - Totes $5.

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Tee Hunter Interviews Brandon Grbach, Creative Director of Dead Bury Dead Clothing!

Posted on 19. Jan, 2010 by The Hunter.

Whilst Tee Hunter has covered this brand before, I would love to formally introduce Dead Bury Dead (DBD), an awesome state-side clothing brand with fresh, clean designs that are bold yet never over the top. These awesome designs can be attributed to Brandon Grbach, the DBD creative director! His company has a wonderful staffing set up that consists of either close friends or family where everyone brings an awesome talent to the table. I predict really big things for this brand in the next year or so and after reading this interview I conducted with Brandon recently - so will you!

Dead Bury Dead Clothing

Tee Hunter: Brandon, please explain your background and how it lead you to Dead Bury Dead?
Brandon: Well, I never imagined I’d be the creative director for Dead Bury Dead. I was finishing up my senior year of college and I realized that my entire life after I graduate would be pretty predictable. So I dropped out one class shy of my Bachelors degree and decided to start my own business and live my life. So here I am almost five years later and I’m having the time of my life.

Tee Hunter: How many people are behind the brand and what are your roles?
Brandon: As of right now there are five main people behind Dead Bury Dead (pictured below). I am the Creative Director its my job to oversee everything that we produce. I personally create and design everything. My wife, Carolyn is our finance manager. My brother, Austin handles direct sales and all of our wholesale accounts. Daniel is our production manager and screenprinter. His brother, Joseph heads up our interactive department which takes care of our website and internet presence.

The Dead Bury Dead Family!

Tee Hunter: What inspired you to start a clothing brand?
Brandon: I was working at a skate shop and we sold a lot of the big name brands in skate and streetwear. The more I sold their merchandise the more I felt it didn’t have any heart. It seemed like they put very little consideration into the art and the garment itself. I thought we could do better.

Tee Hunter: What do you think you DBD brings to the table that isn’t already available?
Brandon: I think Dead Bury Dead brings back the old school business model that a family runs a business together and produces a unique good. We don’t hire out anyone to design our products; we don’t hire anyone to print them, therefore you’re getting our product that we made personally. I think it’s something that has been lost and been overlooked in this industry.

"Kill Your Idols" Tshirt

Tee Hunter: How do you get inspired to design your clothing?
Brandon: I really just pull from what’s going on in my life and what I want to say at that moment. Music, skateboarding, film, and my family all play a huge role in how I process things and in turn it’s evident in our designs.

Tee Hunter: What are your designer’s tools of the trade?
Brandon: I pretty much use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop for 99% of everything we do.

Tee Hunter: What have your found to be the best way of reaching and interacting with your customers?
Brandon: I love going to shows and meeting people at our merch table. It’s nice to meet our customers face to face and have them see our products and feel the fabric and ask questions on what the ideas are behind the designs.

"China White" Hoodie

Tee Hunter: Please tell me your coolest moment with DBD and also your lowest and bleakest moment - and what you learned from them?
Brandon: My coolest moment with Dead Bury Dead is when we had our first big release party. I was so nervous because we had it during Halloween weekend and it was so cold. We had a great venue, a DJ and tons of food and drinks and two bands performing that night. So needless to say there had been tons of time and money spent on this release. But, it turned out to be one of the coldest nights and I started to fear that no one would come because of the terrible weather. It was about 20 minutes until we opened and there were only a handful of people in line. But when the time came to open the doors, the line was long and the place was packed out and we sold almost every tee for the release. It was so gratifying to know that kids were willing to come out and stand in the cold and support my brand. It was amazing.

"'87" Tshirt

Tee Hunter: Can you tell me your favorite DBD t-shirt and why?
Brandon: I really love our 87 t-shirt (pictured above). It was our first big hit and has become somewhat of an iconic design. It seems that the 87 is what everyone associates us with, because its certainty our best selling tee still.

Tee Hunter: What are your plans for the future of the brand?
Brandon: In March, we are launching our new “Never Die Easy” campaign. It will feature four new tees and a film to coincide with the launch. There is already a ton of buzz around the launch, so I can promise that 2010 will be epic.

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Tee Hunter Interviews “Most Improved Brand 2009″ Seventh.Ink

Posted on 07. Jan, 2010 by The Hunter.

Tee Hunter recently spoke with Matthew Johnson of Seventh.Ink for two reasons! First: he is one of the nicest guys making tshirts right now! Second: Matthew has used the latter half of 2009 to make Seventh.Ink the most improved independent tshirt brand of the year! It was cool before and headed up by a passionate dude, but now the shirts coming out of this brand are totally sick! Tee Hunter wanted to find out just what happened!

Seventh.Ink

TH: Your brand has come a long way in 2009! What led to such a profound increase in design quality not only aesthetically but creatively too?
MJ: Thanks, I appreciate that comment! 2009 was a great year for the Seventh.Ink brand because I took it a step or two further with more involved designs. This led to a strong response from a lot of people, and it only fueled the fire and pushed me further along.

The shirt that really helped my brand break through was the Night of the Living Bread design, which came out at the end of September. I really loved the idea, and I put it up as a pre-sale on my site. Within a week the pre-sale had already sold out and I had to reorder! I realized then that a strong combination of wit and tasty illustration was what really made this shirt stand out from the rest of my catalog. I then took that combination and applied it to my Tyrannosaurus Rockstar and Last One Standing designs, which have done really well.

Night Of The Living Bread

TH: What inspired the latest run of tshirt designs?
MJ: The Night of the Living Bread design was something I actually thought of just after Halloween in 2008, so it was tough to wait the entire year for Halloween to come around again. After that shirt was so successful, I starting thinking outside the box a bit more and came up with Tyrannosaurus Rockstar as a fun play on words. I’ve always loved dinosaurs (who doesn’t?), so I had spent a bit of time trying to come up with a nifty design to pay tribute to our fossilized friends. It seemed that music and dinosaurs should mix, and the design “evolved” from that. Get it?

The Last One Standing actually came about from a dream I had one night about snowman having an epic snowball fight atop a mountain. I woke up the next day, left the computer off for about 4 hours, and put my dream into the illustration that eventually became the final design. The best thing about The Last One Standing is all of the fan photos that I’ve been getting in the Seventh.Ink Flickr group. It’s fun to see how people are enjoying the design, that’s what it’s all about for me.

Last Man Standing

TH: Have you begun to use different techniques and tools to create your designs?
MJ: I’ve been playing with digital inking lately, but I still find that I prefer penciling and inking my designs by hand. I’m toying with the idea of printing with different types of inks (metallic, perhaps), so that could be an addition to my design/technique arsenal.

TH: What are your greatest sources of inspiration - other designers? Artists or something else?
MJ: I’m inspired by just about everything out there. I spend a great deal of time following a variety of clothing and illustration artists, but I can’t say that they alone influence my designs. I’m constantly jotting down mental notes of ideas that I think would make great shirt designs. I have more ideas than time, so right now I’m focusing on choosing the very best to push to print. The biggest question I’m constantly asking myself is would other people wear this design? It’s a bit tricky sometimes to guess which types of designs will sell, so I really have to get feedback from friends and family before printing anything. Otherwise, I could end up with a closet full of the same shirts, similar to Nickelodeon’s Doug! In this respect, you could say that my friends and family provide some inspiration as well.

Tyrannosaurus Rockstar

TH: Where do you see your brand going in 2010 - do you have any specific goals/hopes or plans?
MJ: I’m very happy with the success that my brand had in 2009, and I’m hoping that 2010 will be even more successful. With this week’s launch of the Seventh.Ink Blog, I feel that I’m already starting the year off on the right foot. The blog will be a great way for fans of the brand to read up on news and upcoming products, as well as contests and sales. Beyond that, I’m hoping that by the end of 2010 I will have successfully launched Version 3 of the Seventh.Ink website, launched at least two solid lines of great designs, and will also have more than just t-shirts in my catalog. I have quite a few ideas in the works, so I’m really looking forward to a lot of great possibilities with the Seventh.Ink brand.

Here’s to another great year, cheers!

Big thank you to Matthew for his time and be sure to check out the continued awesomeness of Seventh.Ink

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Tee Hunter Interviews SUTSU Brand Founder

Posted on 11. Nov, 2009 by The Hunter.

I would like to introduce the hottest up and coming surf/skate/snow brand to hit the market in years: SUTSU. The brand is environmentally conscious, uber ethical and boasts awesome graphic and logo tees that have already begun to carve out an individual visual niche for SUTSU. I was lucky enough to speak to the founder and owner Jon Wallhouse recently and the following in-depth and rather fascinating interview is the result. Enjoy!

SUTSU

TH: What is your background and how did it lead you to founding and designing for SUTSU?
JW: My working life has been fairly varied. I was a windsurf instructor & a kayak instructor for a couple of years both in Europe and the Caribbean. After that I ran a couple of bars in London as well as working for a Fashion House and being an in house music engineer (Not all at the same time obviously). After the last stint at running a bar I found myself at a turning point in my career. I had always been frustrated with the lack of good British boardwear brands and I thought it was about time I took the risk I had always talked about.

TH: Was there anything in particular that inspired you to start the surf brand?
JW: Ever since I was at school I wanted to set up a Surf Brand. I did my first screen print when I was 15. I even came up with the brand name Scarecrow Surfwear, don’t ask me why but aged 15 it sounded good… I sold a couple of T-shirts to my mates but then got involved in a rock band and Scarecrow was permanently shelved. Although growing up I was landlocked I always had an obsession with the sea and being on it or in it and so I guess my want to create a brand around that seemed a natural progression.

TH: How did you approach starting a surf / lifestyle brand and what did you want to do differently when compared to brands before you and your competitors? (Especially baring in mind this is a big industry with some major players already established)
JW: As with any business you need to find your USP (Unique Selling Point) and for me it became apparent that there was an opportunity to provide a design led boardwear brand that was environmentally & ethically conscious from the ground root up. Many of the larger brands are either producing Eco lines or having to work hard to go down this route but for a small brand it is much easier to implement.  The bigger US & Australian brands dominate the UK market so it is nice to get in amongst the mix. My friends & family have always said that if there is a hard road to take I would be first in line to have a go…

Rain Burst Tee

TH: Your company is Carbon Neutral and has some really strong eco ethics, do you feel this is something all companies have to do these days or is this an issue that is particularly important to you and why is that?
JW: Much of what we do to be environmentally conscious has been fairly easy to implement. Changing the power supplies to sustainable resources was just one phone call. Packaging for the product was fairly easy to source, (it’s now 100% biodegradable) and we are lucky enough to have a factory, that does 90% of our production, being actively concerned about their impact as well. They have Wind Turbines and renewable resources to help run the factory. Being conscious of the impact we are having on the earth is fundamentally important to our way of life. We are all directly accountable for the damage we are doing to the earth and I think it is the responsibility of all business’ to implement change. It’s not difficult to do, even small changes will help along the way.

TH: You are aiming to provide all of your garments as either organic cotton or bamboo by the end of this year what are the difficulties in achieving this?
JW: In respect of our T-shirts it has been a fairly painless process. As awareness in Organic alternatives is written about in the press so industry / factories produce. It is much easier now to source Organic Cotton than it was, say 3 years ago. Bamboo as a product is amazing; we use it as worktops, flooring not to mention clothes & soon to be skateboards as well. Currently the difficulty is getting Bamboo to the same style and weight of fit as Cotton. As a brand we are expanding the collection and so in respect of Hoodies and Hats we are back about a year from getting them to fully organic status but our T-shirts are now 100% Organic Cotton.

TH: How did you approach the marketing and promotion of your brand, did you think outside the box, advertise, go for buzz or sponsor individuals that reflected the lifestyle you are catering for?
JW: A bit of both really. We are lucky to have a very good PR agency (Worn-Out) who have done a great job with the press in the UK and that has been a progressive position in such that as the brand has grown so has the exposure increased. We have also been lucky enough to be approached by some great riders who we are happy to have on our team. Other than that it has come down to writing lots of emails to various sources from magazines to online blogs trying to the word out and hoping some will catch…

Logo Tee

TH: Can you tell us a little about your Projekts and what you hope to achieve with them - perhaps giving us some insight into your most recent one BMX recycle?
JW: Projekts was a Sunday afternoon idea… I was keen to rebuild a BMX but put an environmental twist on it(reminiscing over a lost youth) and the Re-Cycle idea just popped into my head. Really was one of those too good to be true moments… It kind of gave a reason to build the BMX and so the 1st BMX Re-Cycle was born. We needed a way to categorize the concepts so therefore the Projekts name was born. We currently have another BMX in the pipeline along with a wake skate and some Bamboo skateboards as well…

TH: What are your tools of the trade when it comes to designing?
JW: Pentax V-Ball 0.5 pen & A5 drawing book to pen the ideas. Then they get transferred over to the MAC where Adobe Illustrator and the Wacom Tablet take most of the punishment.

TH: What inspires your designs?
JW: It can be anything really, but much of it comes from nature (not a hippy promise). I always find it difficult to start the process, it seems to be this internal battle and probably the 1st 3rd of the designs are deleted straight away. But in terms of inspiration it can be as simple as seeing something in a magazine or sometimes capturing something when I am out and about as the next question shows…

TH: Can you explain the design process of one of your tshirts to us in detail?
JW: The winter 09 collection is just in production so I will pick one of those designs. As with anything it starts with an idea, this specific design started from a comment made by one of our retailers who said he was in need of T-Shirts that had multiple colours on it. This conversation had happened just before I was due to go on holiday. We were boarding the plane and it was chucking down with rain. I was daydreaming out the plane window and saw the mix of fuel and water on the ground had made a rainbow effect with the drops of water, which gave inspiration to two designs the Rain Drops (pictured below) and Rain Burst designs. Then it was simply relating that into a contemporary design. I had the colours and the concept and it was simply a case of bashing it out in Illustrator. The most difficult part was creating a nice shaped rain drop… seems simple but I reckon I went through 20 different shapes before the final one was designed…

Rain Drops

TH: What is your personal favourite design, from your current collection?
JW: Probably Rain Drops… I am a sucker for symmetry and I love the simplicity of the design and the colour combinations…

TH: What are your favourite clothing brands and why?
JW: Fred Perry – Classic Styling, Iconic Logo, remained sought after for 80 years!
Insight – Great Designs, love the individualism of the brand
Hurley – Love the Logo and the board shorts
Analog – Something a bit different
DC Shoes – The Logo Tee – Priceless
Lyle & Scott – Same as Fred Perry really, great icon!
Sutsu – Have to say that don’t I ?

TH: Can you describe a regular/normal working day (if there is such a thing!) at the office for us?
JW: I get up round 530/6 am (been a crap sleeper for years) walk the dog for an hour or so, catch up with the girls, then head to the office and turn the computer on around 8. From then on, unless meetings are organised, I am a slave to the Wacom tablet / Mac and will be there till 6 most days.

TH: What are your main ambitions and where would you like to see SUTSU in 1 year?
JW: Looking forward to growing the brand & collection. Especially looking forward to releasing our Recycled Board Shorts. Along side this we are keen to grow the wholesale business nationally and internationally…

SUTSU Hoodie (They have a GREAT range of hoodies too)

TH: …and in 5 years?
JW: To have a well-loved Boardwear brand respected for the designs and work done with the environment… Oh and to be financially secure! I would like to be able to use it as a platform to look at ways to make sure the sports we love continue to be sustainable. Making skate parks from Bamboo might be a start…

TH: What have been the highest and lowest points for you so far since founding SUTSU?
JW: I think the high is still yet to come really, you always get a buzz from having your clothes well received but there is so much to do daily that I think the big high will be when I can concentrate solely on design and environmental work and let employee someone to run the day to day business. As for lows there have been a few but the biggest would be when a factory we were using closed it’s doors with our samples in and we were left high and dry with no collection and so we missed a season… but it had a silver lining as it made us look at the way we run the business and so we implemented some changes to make sure it wouldn’t happen again.

TH: What has been the biggest challenge you have faced so far with the brand and how did you overcome it?
JW: The biggest challenge is getting the brand into the market place. There are a lot of brands fighting for position and for a small brand with no marketing budget to shout about it is difficult to get attention from retailers but for us it has been about dogged determination and not taking no for an answer. This is something that is still going on but we are seeing the fruit of our labours and retailers are seeing that we can mix it up with the big boys of the business and are impressed with our sale throughs…

Massive thanks go to Jon for his time and interesting and revealing answers! This will be a great interview for aspiring brand owners to read as Jon is living proof you can launch a new brand successfully, even into an established and ultra tough market like the surfing/skating one.

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Tee Hunter Interviews Ugmonk Founder/Designer Jeff Sheldon!

Posted on 11. Oct, 2009 by The Hunter.

The awesome Ugmonk brand recently turned 1! So to mark the anniversary (in addition to our post on the limited edition anniversary shirt) I felt it only fitting to have a chat with Jeff Sheldon, founder and designer and find out a little more about what makes this brand tick. The best thing about Ugmonk, for me, is that not only is it a cool, clean brand in terms of design but it’s consistency gives it a very original and recognisable style.

Ugmonk.com

TH: It is your first anniversary! How does it feel to have reached this point?
Jeff: It’s crazy to think it’s been a whole year since I started Ugmonk. Starting out, I wasn’t sure if I would ever sell my first batch of shirts or if Ugmonk would be a success, but I was overwhelmed by the response and it grew faster than I ever expected. It’s awesome to know that Ugmonk has reached the one year mark and is here to stay!

TH: What is your background and how did it lead to you founding Ugmonk?
Jeff: I grew up doing all types of traditional art (painting, sketching, sculpting) and it wasn’t until a few years ago when I started college that I transitioned into graphic design. After studying design, I realized that typography was such the key element for almost all design. I soon developed a passion for type and began experimenting with using type as a design element for shirts rather than using it just to write out a slogan or brand name. The more I played with the letter forms, the more I realized the potential to base a clothing line around type. Mixing typography and t-shirts has been done before, but my goal was to find new ways to merge the two and bring something fresh to the apparel world.

Ugmonk.com

TH: What is the biggest lesson you have learned so far?
Jeff: Finding the right screen printer is definitely important. I had a little slip-up in the beginning but now have found a great printer to work with. It is not only important to find screen printer who can do high-quality work, but also easy willing to experiment for you.

TH: If you had to pick a favourite Ugmonk design, which would it be and why?
Jeff: My favorite shirt is the “And Then I Woke Up” gray shirt. I am a big fan of ampersands and the tri-blend shirt is definitely the most comfortable shirt I have ever worn.

Jeff's Favourite Ugmonk Shirt

TH: Do you do all of your designing in house or do you outsource and what are the benefits of your method?
Jeff: I currently do all of the design for Ugmonk and plan to keep it that way for as long as possible. Design is definitely my favorite part of running Ugmonk. Doing all of the design myself allows me to control the look and feel of Ugmonk and keep a consistent brand image. I think consistency is key for any brand to be successful.

TH: What one piece of advice do you wish you had been given before starting Ugmonk?
Jeff: Not sure if this is really advice, but just understanding the amount of time that running a brand requires. Be prepared to spend way more time than you initially plan. There are so many little details and tasks that go into making a successful brand (financials, customer service, order fulfillment, etc).

TH: What can we all expect next from Ugmonk?
Jeff: New tshirt designs are in the works and will be released in the coming weeks. We also hope to expand to other products in the future.
Thanks for the interview!

Big thanks to Jeff for his time and now all I can say is head over to Ugmonk and see the awesome and extremely original threads they have on sale!

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Tee Hunter Interviews Founder of Political Tshirt Brand “Retro Campaigns”

Posted on 18. Sep, 2009 by The Hunter.

Tee Hunter recently spoke to Christine over at Retro Campaigns - a retro/political tshirt brand. Christine is the founder and they have an excellent range of tshirts covering a lot of different American presidential and political campaigns.

www.retrocampaigns.com

TH: What inspired the Retro Campaigns brand?
Christine: It began about 4 years ago when one day I decided I wanted to own a t-shirt from Robert Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign (I’ve always been an admirer of his). I’m such a t-shirt junkie and they’re so prevalent now that I just assumed there would be either an original t-shirt floating around on an Internet auction site, or someone would be selling reproductions.
But I couldn’t find anything. Lots of original and reproduction buttons and posters, but no t-shirts. So I thought I’d just make one for myself. It turned out okay so I made some more, like for George McGovern and Jimmy Carter. My friends liked them and encouraged me to think about selling to other people who might be looking for the same thing.

TH: How did you approach this brand at the start and who helped you get it off the ground?
Christine: I was fortunate to know a great graphic designer who also liked the idea and came up with our logo and Web site design, which helped create the look-and-feel of the company. He also recreates and designs the graphics we use on the t-shirts. They’re all carefully distressed to give them their “aged” appearance.
My goal was to create a brand that blends history and popular fashion. I make a point to only use high-quality shirts; the thin, cotton/poly vintage-style ringers make the graphics look especially good. It all started pretty simply but it really took off.

Retro Campaigns' Tshirts

TH: This is certainly a different and unique approach to the usual internet tshirt company, do you think it was a brave and worthwhile move trying something different and has it paid off?
Christine: Well, I don’t know how brave it was but I definitely feel it was worthwhile. I’ve learned a lot about owning and running a company for one, which I had no experience in at all. It was a little scary to launch a completely new line of shirts, because for all I knew I was the only person in the world who actually wanted a vintage-style campaign t-shirt! Fortunately, that turned out not to be the case.

TH: What have been the highest and lowest points so far and why?
Christine: There are lots of little things that can make my day, like when someone e-mails just to say that they like the shirts or to suggest a new shirt idea. There really haven’t been too many lows that I can think of, although sometimes it feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done.

TH: What is your personal favourite tshirt you sell?
Christine: I’ll always have a soft spot for the Eugene McCarthy “Get Clean for Gene” t-shirt. My background is in politics, and I was a college volunteer during the 1992 presidential primary in New Hampshire (the shirt references the NH primary from 1968), so I can imagine what it must have been like for those young people trudging along in the snow for their candidate.

Retro Campaigns' Tshirts - Product/Model Shots

TH: Who is your favourite US president and why?
Christine: I don’t know if I have a favorite. They’re all a part of American history.

TH: What is it about your brand and clothing that your customers like the most?
Christine: I think what people like is that they can celebrate American politics in a positive way. There are plenty of places where you can buy derogatory shirts, some of which are funny and some I would say are just offensive. But I think there’s also a market for optimism right now.
That’s probably why I find myself drawn to campaigns for inspiration rather than actual administrations: it’s just the reality of our political system that the campaign season is full of promise and hope for the future, while the sitting presidential administration is almost immediately scrutinized and the president usually finds himself in reactive rather than proactive mode.

Retro Campaigns' Tshirts - More Examples!

TH: How old does a presidential campaign have to be before it can be considered for your brand?
Christine: There really aren’t any set rules; it’s just whatever we come up with that we like.

TH: What inspires your designs, are they all recreations of campaign imagery or are some of them unique to you?
Christine: Some are reproductions of campaign graphics (usually with some modification, like adding a date for example), others are a mix of existing imagery and slogans, like the Adlai Stevenson “Hole in the Shoe” design, or the Eugene McCarthy “Get Clean For Gene” tee, which is based on a slogan that existed at the time but to my knowledge was never featured on any campaign item and never had a graphic associated with it.

TH: What one piece of advice do you wish someone had given you when you started?
Christine: I would say be prepared to always be working on some aspect of the company!

Big thank you to the lovely Christine for her time! Be sure to head over to Retro Campaigns and check out their massive and ultra-political-chic-retro selection of tshirts!

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Tee Hunter Interviews Shred Clothing Founder Jonathan Kruse

Posted on 16. Aug, 2009 by The Hunter.

Tee Hunter recently got the chance to speak with Jonathan Kruse founder of the new and rather awesome Shred Clothing. With great quality, exceptional attention to detail and a dark side that should appeal across the board – Shred products are well worth covering your naked body with. I know this first hand and am a proud owner of this particular Shred shirt.

Shred Clothing

TH: What is your background and how did it lead you to where you are now?
JK: I graduated college and majored in graphic design. I had a job in entertainment advertising for 2 weeks before I got laid off. This economy sucks for having a graphic design job. Then I joined emptees and decided to take the plunge and be self employed. I started my first clothing company Mediocore over a year ago which does pop culture shirts that have a big idea behind them. A couple months ago I launched Shred and we are just trying to hit the ground running. We started a sister site called shrednews.com and that has a bunch of interviews and reviews of bands.

What inspired you to start Shred?
JK: I looked at Rocket, DCMA, Dekay, Electric Zombie, Zombie Liquorice, and of Rome and said I can do that and I can do it better. All the art we’ve done for shred has really blown me away, I’m happy with everything and the future is limitless.

TH: What do you think your experience and your time with your “How to start a clothing company” blog has allowed you to bring to the tshirt brands table with Shred?
JK: I would have done all the same things with or without my How to start a clothing company blog. Now other people can learn from my knowledge with the site.

Shred Clothing

Which designers are you yet to work with but really want to and why?
JK: Dan Mumford tears it up but he is a little pricey for us right now. I’m not saying he isn’t worth the money, just that I don’t have that money to give him right now.
Also Nicolo Nimor does really amazing work I just felt like he is still growing right now as a designer. I’ll get him to do a design soon.

TH: What is your vision for Shred long-term?
JK: Grow Shred News. Go to all the big music festivals. Get into some big stores. Sponsor bands I love.

Shred Clothing

TH: How do you aim to achieve that vision?
JK: We are already on our way to getting all of those done. Making all of these kick ass t-shirts has gotten us noticed by a lot of people. We are sponsoring Protest the Hero, Vanna, Conditions, and there are a couple others we’ve been talking to. I am going to be at warped tour next week to scope everything out and plan for next year. I am going to meet up with some stores on my next trip to SF. Also Shred news is growing every day.

TH: What tips would you give to aspiring designers and wannabe brand owners?
JK: Sometimes it’s not what your selling or how your selling you just need to get traffic to your site. The first shirt I put up on my Mediocore Clothing line was my Missing Turtle shirt and I didn’t get a sale for a month. It didn’t have anything to do with the design I just didn’t have anyone seeing my site. Now it’s one of my best sellers. I took it to a craft show and sold out of all my stock.

Shred Clothing

TH: What is your personal favorite Shred design (so far) and why?
JK: I’m really liking the new mummy design (pictured above). It was up for voting at DBH and never got picked up so I worked with the artist to do some text and add on more stuff. I think the new design is way hotter than the old one.

Shred Clothing

TH: What other brands do you follow closely and why?
JK: I’m always following Electric Zombie, Pyknic, Glamour Kills, Linty Fresh, and Seibei. These guys know how to connect with their fans and there’s a lot I can learn from all of them.

TH: What can we expect next from Shred?
JK: More shirts, new website, more sponsored bands. I got a lot of stuff in my head waiting to come out

Big thank you to Jon Kruse for his time! Be sure to check out Shred Clothing.

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Tee Hunter Interviews Designer Inkemplete

Posted on 14. Aug, 2009 by The Hunter.

Just like many 16 year olds Sirb K, a designer from Ontario, Canada, likes; metal, art, comic books, videogames, zombies, clothes and photography. However, what makes this 16 year old different is that when he assumes his alter-ego ‘Inkemplete’ he is a fast rising, talented designer! He has already designed for major touring bands such as A New Found Glory, Silverstein and A Day To Remember. So why ‘Inkemplete’? “What do i feel about my art?” says Sirb, “it’s never complete because I am never satisfied.” I had the opportunity to interview Sirb about his work and his goals. He is a really cool, humble guy with a bright future ahead of him! This interview is the result! Enjoy.

Inkemplete/Sirb's Work

TH: What is your background and how did you end up doing what you do?
Sirb K: I guess I have been and art-head since I was a kid, because I really enjoyed any art form, music and cartoons especially. Even in class, I used to draw any chance I got, I still do that haha. I just really love to create, and I applied my creativity to everything. At home I would just draw up comic books, cartoons, trading cards, and sometimes make sculptures out of household items. When I entered high school, my school didn’t really have any good art programs or anything, and I move around a lot so it’s tough to keep track. So instead, I just focused on improving and learning a bunch of new things, which is my favorite part. I just want to keep learning new things, new techniques, and stuff like that. Graffiti, cartoons, comic books, movies, and music are my greatest influences. I ended up designing merchandise only in April, which was when I sold my first piece to A Day to Remember. It just took off from there, and has been a thrill so far!

TH: Was there a defining moment where you realized your true calling?
Sirb K: Since I love music and art, I understood that I needed to find a fusion of the two. Like, I tried music alone, and I tried art alone but it felt like there was still something missing. Together they form a symbiotic relationship for me. So I entered the wondrous world of graphic design and print media, and started to teach myself how to draw better and better, and learn how to use design programs, but I will always have room to learn. Right now my aim is to use the least amount of resources as possible in terms of developing my style, and learning certain things like anatomy, it’s nice to say that you are pretty much self-taught, but I am open to formal education.

Inkemplete/Sirb's Work

TH: What is the most difficult thing about being a graphic designer?
Sirb K: For me it would probably be the sketching stage. Since I haven’t had any education in arts, I really have trouble getting great ideas onto the old 8×11. There are just too many mental barriers that disallow me from starting, because I don’t know where exactly to start. I tend to start something, get really frustrated and I literally tear the sheet up, and this goes on for days sometimes. The problem isn’t inspiration, I am almost always inspired. I just need to figure out how I want to start. Whatever, it comes to me eventually! Although I would love to get some education in arts to really improve the whole process, and some better equipment is also on my wish-list. It may sound lame, but with the increase in technology not having proper materials can leave you behind.

Inkemplete/Sirb's Work

TH: What has been your highest and lowest point with designing and why?
Sirb K: I’m sixteen and haven’t been doing merch for very long, but in terms of actually designing my highest point would probably be the clients I get. I was surprised to design for bands that I never dreamed of even talking to. Above all, the best part is sharing my work with others. This interview is also an honor for me, and it could be something great to look back at after a few years. Improvements in my artwork skill are also my eternal goal, and I kinda like it that way, it let’s me enjoy my work forever. Other than that, I am looking forward to who I will have the opportunity to work with, and the improvements that I can achieve with every piece.

Inkemplete/Sirb's Work

TH: What is your all time favourite design (by yourself) and why?
Sirb K: So far, a piece I created for a Silverstein’s Canadian tour. There are some minor details that I could have done better, but I really love the overall composition. The shape and the colors just look great. Also, a piece I did for New Found Glory was received really well which definitely motivated me to work harder and receive an even better response. When I read some comments about it, I was all happy for the rest of the week, haha. I absolutely love it when something I work hard on gets what I think it deserves.

TH: Who has been your favourite client to work with and why?
Sirb K: So far I must say, Paul Koehler from Silverstein. Not only has he been consistent with e-mail responses, but he has provided me with constant work. It’s great, and I think he is making a good investment in my artwork. I can only improve from here yeah? Truly though, I love all my clients, because they love my work.

Inkemplete/Sirb's Work

TH: What one nugget of wisdom would you offer up and coming designers just starting out?
Sirb K: Nugget, haha. I still have a lot to learn myself, but what I would offer as some advice would be to be innovative. Inspiration is great in itself, but straight up biting someone’s style is not good for you, the “bitee”, or your client in some ways. Additionally, working for yourself is an investment on its own, because you practice different ways to do different things. There’s not downside to it at all, you can only improve.
Oh and don’t just design for the money, c’mon haha!

TH: What is your creative next step, where do you want your style and repertoire to go next?
Sirb K: Next step, let’s see; Developing my style, working and working until I produce something distinguishable, unique, and long lasting. I really would hate for my art to be part of a fad or passing trend or something. Problem is, I really like to change things up so it’s quite difficult for me to stick to one thing. We shall see. My aim is really to keep improving, and letting people know about my artwork, and how I do things.

A big thank you to Sirb for his time! You can see more of Sirb’s work here and contact him here: webreathefire@rocketmail.com about work, hiring him or just to send praise!

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Tee Hunter Interviews Kyle Crawford of Electric Zombie Clothing

Posted on 16. Jul, 2009 by The Hunter.

I had the pleasure of being able to interview Kyle Crawford (portfolio here), who is not only an absolutely awesome designer but is the proud owner of one of the raddest brands around: Electric Zombie. A brand inspired by the kind of cult art and pop-culture that makes the children of the 80’s tingle all over! Kyle has worked for some amazing clients over the years, including some of the biggest names in music, clothing and independent fashion. He uses a combination of his own skills and those of other talented designers to create amazing, highly visual lines for Electric Zombie. Kyle now works as both a freelance designer and head of Electric Zombie and is doing extremely well in both areas, producing some amazing work. He has learned a lot over the years and has been kind enough to share a bunch of his experiences in this interview.

TH: What prompted the formation and launch of Electric Zombie?
Kyle Crawford: I had just got a new job and I was making all kinds of money. Freelance was good. I had just got out of a situation with Rockett Clothing and decided to start my own line. I just figured well, if you aren’t going to listen to my ideas, I’m going to do things myself.

Some of Kyle Crawford's Freelance Work

TH: You also do a lot of amazing freelance graphic design for all kinds of clients, does this balance well with running your clothing brand?
Kyle Crawford: To be honest, the only time it becomes a conflict is when I make a shirt and go, “Dammit! this would have been an awesome EZ shirt”
but as far as time and everything. EZ only really takes up a tiny bit of time. If I hire out, I ask for stuff a month before it goes to print. Then I usually take that month to make my own ideas. Then that parts over. Then it goes to print, which takes about 3 weeks to complete from start to finish. Then I arrange a photo shoot. It’s then pretty much getting the look books and everything ready. I think if you cram all of the time spent into it from my side of things. It takes about 3 weeks to get everything done. Ideas, line sheets, ordering, photo shoots, designing the myspace, the look books and making sure all the stuff comes together from my awesome designer friends, and spreading the word during launch week. It doesn’t really reflect or hurt my freelance time at all. Using my brain for EZ instead of freelance sometimes can be a conflict, ha!

TH: At what stage after launching did you become profitable, what this in line with your expectations?
Kyle Crawford: I’m honestly not too sure. Every dollar I make gets put back in. I have high expectations in a certain aspect. I’m pretty bi-polar when it comes to my stuff. One second I talk it up, the next, I’m worried it’s going to do awful. But I think with everyone’s stuff you like it at first glance but the more you look at it, you start to hate it. But with the whole profit thing. I don’t think I’ve reached that point yet. Custom Hoodies and socks cost a pretty penny to make.

EZ: "Shread Head"

TH: Did you set out with a style in mind or did it evolve and how?
Kyle Crawford: At first I set out to make something like the Rockett stuff I did. Then it became more fun and in your face. I tend to switch it up. I have so many ideas it’s ridiculous and most of those ideas are just that.
There’s a certain look I want it to have. But 90% of th time, everything just seems to flow together. It’s one of those lick your finger and stick it in the air and just go with the flow and it’s worked out pretty well.

TH: What is the most important lesson you have learned from running Electric Zombie?
Kyle Crawford: That no matter what you say, what you do. Someone is going to be unhappy. From things being too bright, or not enough bright shirts, to discontinuing this and that. Not printing on 2X. That and running a line is harder than you think, if you’re doing it right. There’s too many kids who think they can make a quick buck. But they might as well just save their money for something more worth while. It can get pretty grueling.

EZ: Static Custom Reversible

TH: What was your biggest low point since starting?
Kyle Crawford: Starting out is always the worst. But I have to say, the lowest of the low was this year’s Bamboozle Festival. It was beyondddddd terrible. I took my time with everything. Last year I did so well and I was a new kid on the block. So I thought this year I’d go in their huge. It flopped big time. The first day I didn’t even make 1/4 of what I did last year. It was a huge disappointment. I know that a lot of brandsjust bring in their extra stock. But I print shirt FOR the fest. I feel it’s better to have too much than too little and I came back with way too much. HA!

TH: What has been the biggest high point since starting?
Kyle Crawford: I’d have to say 3 things have been awesome.
One thing being the Christmas shirts. I had no idea they would sell out. Like I said, I’m so hot and cold with my stuff. I just couldn’t believe how well they did. The Second being the holiday season. That was pretty awesome, for obvious reasons. The new line that just came out has done well. As far as the hype, the compliments and the amount of kids going crazy. I hope I can do it again and consistantly keep that an ongoing cycle

TH: Do you work offline to promote and sell EZ and what are your top tips for getting a brand out there in the real world?
Kyle Crawford: This is going to be the most boring answer ever.
I spend about 1 week promoting EZ. I think it’s pretty contradicting on my end because I talk about how hard I work, but promoting is definitely not one of them. I’m one of those “word of mouth” companies.

EZ: "Shock Wave"

TH: What has been the most popular design so far and what do you think it is about it that gets people excited?
Kyle Crawford: That’s a tough one. I think the all time best sellers are. Dome Splitter, Sarcophagross and Live Wire. But the Philopsophy shirt is the ALL time best seller. It’s been around the longest and consistantly sells

TH: How do you tell a truly great, bound to sell design from one that should be sent back to the drawing board?
Kyle Crawford: I don’t think I’ve ever had that problem. Although there are times when I’m setting up the line sheets where I look at it and go, this and this are going to do really bad. Every time I’m right. I should really go with those instincts, cuz those shirts are still sitting on the shelf

EZ: "Tomb Stone"

TH: Designing: Is it better to outsource, design in house of combine the two and why?
Kyle Crawford: I generally only hire out for stuff I know I can’t handle. Or I come up with specific ideas for certain people. I think it’s definitely a good idea to do a bit of both. Get some new blood in there. Mix it up. Plus it only makes it easier for myself. Less work for me! But I don’t know too many companies that actually design the stuff themselves. Glamour Kills is actually the only one I’m aware of.

EZ: "Livewire" Skate Deck

TH: You work with a lot of talented designers, how do you go about choosing who to work with?
Kyle Crawford: I have a lot of “Online Acquientences” and friends. I generally don’t go out searching for anyone anymore. I like who I worked/work with. I usually write about 4 ideas a day in my book of ideas and I generally know who I’m going to go to. I just have an eye for what aesthetically works. I don’t really go for who’s “Hot at the Moment”. I go to the person I know is going to do the best job. When you know a persons strengths it definitely helps. People go to a Steakhouse to get a Steak they know they’re going to get cooked the way they like it. Not for the salad. God I hope that anaolgy makes sense! probably not!

TH: How do you attract and retain happy customers?
Kyle Crawford: As dumb as it sounds. I kind of just do what I want. I think to myself “If I were an Electric Zombie Customer, what would I want and appreciate?” or any business for that matter? When I open up that package, what sorts of surprises would make me smile, or say “That’s awesome” to myself? How much do I want to pay for a shirt? What hasn’t been done? There’s also a ton of people who like particular movies and characters and won’t wear or buy them because they are too corporate or too brandish. If you want an Undertaker on Ultimate Warrior shirt, you cant get one without a MASSIVE “WWE OR WWF” logo. Or if you wanted a TMNT shirt, you must certainly aren’t going to get one where their skateboarding and killing their nemesis without it saying some horribly written quote by some 30-40 something year old who’s still trying to be hip. Think of yourself as the customer. What do you want from a T-shirt Brand? Act on your answer.

EZ: "Toxic" Hoodie

TH: What is the one piece of advice you wish someone had given you before you started?
Kyle Crawford: I don’t think I regret how I’ve done things or the way things have turned out. I’m an over thinker and haven’t stewed on any bad mistakes. I knew what I was getting into before I started. But, I will give out a piece of advice out to everyone else who might be reading this interview. If you’re thinking of starting a line. Don’t just do it to do it. Or because you want some girl to like you. Or to get closer to bands (That actually was asked of me last week in an email). I did this because I was tired of being pushed around and not getting credit and not taking my ideas into consideration. Because I wanted to be known for the dude who took risks and made outrageous shirts.

EZ: "Philosophy"

If you’re doing this because you hate your job and because you think that because so and so is doing it and you see how people react and you want that attention. You will ultimately fail. If it’s something you aren’t truly passionate about or have a desire to do. You’re in the wrong business. Go start a band or something. Because the cruel reality is this business is a hard, dirty and competitive one. If this is something you’re not 110% invested in, don’t bother trying. Critics, potential customers, and other companies will eat you alive.

TH: What are your plans for the future of EZ?
Kyle Crawford: The fall/winter line is going to be very different. It’s going to be more simple, mature, fashiony and still solid and memorable. My intentions are to slim down my lines into 2 lines a year instead of 4. I feel that what will be best for my company and for my brain. I’m hoping to do another Christmas tee run. Lots of surprises and most likely some disappointments. You’ll just have to wait and fine out!

Great big thank you to Kyle for his insightful, well thought out responses. I wish him every success and cannot wait to see what Electric Zombie puts out next!

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Tee Hunter Interviews Designer Kevin Hartranft

Posted on 04. Jul, 2009 by The Hunter.

I was delighted to be able to pick the brains of another awesome up-and-coming designer recently. Kevin Hartranft is super talented and works brilliantly accross a veriety of media whether he is creating an eye-wateringly cool tshirt, skate deck, poster or even brand identity. He is a great all-round graphic designer and illustrator. You can check out his portfolio and hire him here.

Kevin Hartranft

TH: What is your background and how did it lead you into design?
Kevin Hartranft: It definitely started way back when I was around eight or nine years old growing up in the middle of nowhere, Hamlin, Pennsylvania. Raised by a mother who worked three jobs I was left home alone a lot with my imagination to run wild. My mother would rent ten or so movies at a time keeping me occupied and influencing my imagination. Horror, sci-fi and adventure movies were all I watched, such as The Goonies, The Gate, Beetlejuice, The Lost Boys, Big Trouble in Little China and others that have become movies I love
and still watch til this day.

Burden of a Day - Shark Attack

Around sixteen when I was able to drive I got heavily in to graffiti. Actually when I think about it, at that time it was kind of a way of life for me. I was part of a little crew of friends
who did it, walking around with our black sketch books doing pieces, characters and bombs in each others. Then after school planning out whole walls on “not so legal” locations in
Scranton, Pennsylvania to display our art on.

Kevin Hartranft's Work

After that I got a computer and started messing around with Adobe Photoshop 4.0. Around the same time I also started playing guitar in a couple different bands and soon realized I
could do my own album artwork, tee designs and flyers on the computer. That was the start of it and since then have been doing graphic design self taught for around twelve years. I’ve worked for a few design firms and learned things like interacting with clients, the business end and a few things I didn’t quite understand about the print process.

For the past three years or so I’ve really taken it back to the old days of drawing when I was a kid and my graffiti years. Appling what I’ve learned from them to illustration and realizing the love I had for drawing. Along with some online sites such as emptees.com with many really great artists on there that have pushed and inspired me to do what I love.

Kevin Hartranft's Work

TH: What do you enjoy most about designing and why?
Kevin Hartranft: I would say for me its two things one the fact of creating something from nothing. That blank canvas that you fill with your vision. The ideas, experimenting and the fact that its totally your creation that will symbolize or represent something or someone. Second I would say is the satisfaction of finishing and the reward of a client that loves what you’ve created for them and appreciates your hard work.

TH: What are your tools of the trade?
Kevin Hartranft: I’m a die hard Apple fan. I use Painter X and the Adobe Suite for pretty much everything. I Also use a Wacom Intous3 6×8 tablet which I couldn’t live without. As far as traditional medium, I use Strathmore Bristol Smooth, Faber Castell brush pens (when I decide to ink traditionally, a kneaded eraser, sometimes Prismacolor Non photo blue pencils and good old Dixon Ticonderoga #2 pencils (same as I’ve always used since I was young).

Kevin Hartranft's Work

TH: Why do you think tshirts make such a great medium for designers and artists?
Kevin Hartranft: It really is a phenomenon, haha. I think its the fact of being able to wear yours or someone else’s art. Also in a way its kind of self expression like most fashion. I know many designers don’t wear their own or other artist tees, but personally for me I do. I can’t help it I love them, I mean seriously that is kind of like a farmer that doesn’t eat his own crops after working so hard to grow them.

TH: What is your personal favourite tshirt design you have created and why?
Kevin Hartranft: People ask me this all the time and to be honest, its usually the most recent one I’ve done, haha. I know this is over used but Leonardo da Vinci said “Art is never finished, only abandoned”. For me this is true in the fact that when I finish I’m already thinking and on to the next idea. I can’t help it I’m a scatterbrain thinking about a thousand things at once.

Kevin Hartranft's Work

TH: Who, of anyone in the world, would you like to design a tshirt for?
Kevin Hartranft: Well as far as brands I’ve always wanted to do something for Paint the Stars, Pyknic and Fright Rags. They are my favorite brands. I always wanted to work with film companies making tee designs too. Promoting the movies.

TH: What have been the highest and lowest points of being a working designer?
Kevin Hartranft: The high points simply would be doing what I truly love to do for a living. As a freelancer I’ve come to really love being my own boss. Making my own hours (which actually is 24/7 most of the time, haha.), designing in my pj’s and the freedom to work with clients I choose. No more ads with enormous “50% OFF” sunbursts on them! The lowest is definitely the struggle with budgeting and paying the bills on time. One thing with being freelance is that you might have periods of a ton of work and then slim to none the next. So you have to really learn to conserve and budget. But for me its worth it, a small price to pay to get to say I do what I love.

I would like to express a massive thank you to Kevin for his time and inspiring words. Check out his website here!

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In-Depth Designer Interview W/ Matthew Skiff

Posted on 29. Jun, 2009 by The Hunter.

Matthew Skiff is one of the best up and coming designers out there right now. He has worked with some amazing clients including: Paramore, Panic At The Disco, 410 BC, Vagrant Records, Fueled By Ramen, Family Force 5 and many more! He has already produced a handful of really excellent designs and his career is only just beginning. He was kind enough to give us an in-depth interview, his first ever in fact and as you can see by the responses; he is just as good at offering up insightful answers as he is consistently amazing artwork.

"Viking" By Matthew Skiff

Tee Hunter: What is your background and how did it lead you into design?
Matthew Skiff: From the time I was a little kid, I would sit in front of the TV and just draw. I would be watching the 90’s Batman and X-Men cartoons are try to mimic what I saw on the TV. From then on I knew that I wanted to draw for the rest of my life. I got big into comic books and through that I would try and go that route with my life. In middle school we had some form of a design class that taught me how to use Photoshop that I really enjoyed, but once I got into high school I went back into traditional pencil and paper art. I got to college I still had the idea that I wanted to work in comics. I took a lot of drawing classes, but then the realization set in that it is pretty hard to get a career in the comic book industry unless you are really good.

I decided to look at my other options and took some graphic design classes and really enjoyed them. It let me use my love for illustration and apply it something more practical. When I graduated from college I tried to get a job at some local design firms. I would call or e-mail any design firm I could find but never really got any results. In the downtime of looking for a job, I worked on personal Illustrations. I submitted some to contest sites and even started e-mailing bands and clothing companies to see if they needed and designs. At the beginning it was very slow and somewhat discouraging. Eventually I started hearing back from these bands and clothing companies and pretty much dropped the idea of working at a design firm. Looking back on it now, I’m glad I didn’t get a job a design firm, I don’t think I could do the whole “9 to 5″ thing and get up and actually commute to a job. I enjoy being able to wake up when I want to, walk over to my computer and work whenever I feel like it.

Family Force 5 Tshirt by Matthew Skiff

Tee Hunter: What do you enjoy most about designing and why?
Matthew Skiff: The best part about designing is that it’s different every day. One day I can be drawing some crazy design dealing with blood and guts, and the next day I could be drawing a Unicorn or some kind of movie parody. I get to use a lot of stuff from my background, what I enjoyed growing up with and what I enjoy now into each design. It’s great and really lets me get creative with how I approach things, and it rarely gets boring. It’s also helped me make a lot of new friends and contacts. There are some people and bands that I would have never of thought of meeting, let alone work with. Even with all the competition in the field, the design community has been really helpful and friendly and I’m very thankful for all the people that I have met and helped me out along the way.

Tee Hunter: What are your tools of the trade?
Matthew Skiff: I’m going strictly the digital route. I work in Adobe Illustrator and use a Wacom Intuos3 6X11 drawing tablet. I’d like to get back into more traditional pencil and paper work, but my schedule now doesn’t really leave any room for exploration.

Tee Hunter: What is it about tshirts as a medium that both designers & consumers love so much?
Matthew Skiff: I’d have to say that, at least with me, I feel like it’s wearable art. Clothes really do say something about you, and t-shirts are the most expressive with that. As a consumer you can really tell people what kind of person you are by what is on your shirt. As a designer I think it’s awesome to know that there are people out there that picked out your shirt and are wearing it because it spoke to them on some kind of level.

Matthew Skiff's "Medusa" Design

Tee Hunter: What is your personal favourite tshirt design (done by you) and why?
Matthew Skiff: Out of the shirts that have been released, I would have to say that it would be a tie between Medusa for 410 BC (pictured above) or the Teen Wolf shirt I did for Farewell (pictured below). The Medusa shirt took me absolutely forever, drawing every single scale, it was a nightmare working on it, but I am happy with the results. I really like doing designs for 410 BC because it’s sort of different than anything else I do, much more serious and clean. The Teen Wolf shirt is just a great idea, and I have to give it up to the boys of Farewell for coming up with the idea. Teen Wolf is one of my all time favorite movies, so it was a joy to be able to do a design based off of that.

Tee Hunter: You do a lot of design for music, what is it about tshirt design and music that creates such a bond?
Matthew Skiff: I think that music and art in general have always had a strong bond. Sometimes you buy a CD because you like the band and the music, and sometimes you buy a CD because you like the art on it. I think right now, band merch is so huge because it’s a great way for bands to make money. Music sales are declining, so the only real way for bands and record labels to make money is off of the merchandise. I have also found out that a lot of people in these bands are very big into art and design and have really great ideas. And, I don’t know about anyone else, but when I’m working, I have to have music playing in the background. I’ve tried having the TV on while working and it just isn’t the same, music gets me into a certain groove that makes designing much more enjoyable.

Matthew Skiff's "Teen Wolf" Design

Tee Hunter: Who was your favourite band to design for?
Matthew Skiff: Picking out favorites is always hard for me. The first band that I ever designed for was iwrestledabearonce. They will always be one of my favorite bands and clients to work with. They have great ideas and they really trust me and let me go crazy on designs, plus they let me do art for their CD art (pictured below) and that was pretty exciting for me. Farewell is another band that I like doing designs for, they have some pretty crazy ideas for their designs. They are around the same age as me and like a lot of the same things I do, so they give me a lot of design ideas that I can really relate to.

Tee Hunter: Who, of anyone in the world, would you like to design a tshirt for?
Matthew Skiff: Volcom, I have always wanted to do something for them. I was all about Volcom as a brand when I was in middle school or high school. They have such creative art direction in all of their designs, they have have simple vector based designs and then flip it and have some of the craziest illustrative designs. Rockett is another company that I would love to do work for, I love their designs and their designers are some of the people I look up to most in the design world.

iwrestledabearonce CD Artwork by Matthew Skiff

Tee Hunter: What have been the highest and lowest points of being a professional designer?
Matthew Skiff: One of the highest points in my career was when I got a design picked up by 410 BC. Back when I was starting out I e-mailed them to see if they needed any designs because I really liked their shirts. I got the standard “we aren’t looking for any designs right now” answer. But then months later I made a werewolf design and then got an e-mail from 410 BC saying that they wanted it. I was pretty excited, and from then on, me and 410 BC have had a pretty solid relationship!

One of my lowest points would have to be when I started letting other people’s work effect my own. I would brows places like emptees and other t-shirt sites all day long, and then other peoples styles and ideas started to get into my work. At that point I had to take a break from designing, I stopped making art completely for a long period of time and stopped looking at other people’s art all together. After a very long break I gradually started back into designing, changed up my style and technique and bit and started fresh.

Tee Hunter: At what point did you realise you could make a living from designing & how did it feel?
Matthew Skiff: When I started out, I would do a design a week. When it grew from a design a week to 5 designs a week or more consistently, that’s when I knew that I could make a living off of it. It felt great, but it was also a little bit overwhelming. There were times when I didn’t think I’d be able to keep up with the workflow. I eventually got over that and thought to myself, I would rather be doing this then going back to my old job of working in the customer service department at Best Buy. Just thinking about going back to that job gives me the shivers.

Matthew's "Wolf" Design for 410 BC

Tee Hunter: What one tip would you give aspiring designers?
Matthew Skiff: Don’t expect anything to happen over night. I know a lot of people and have a lot of friends that are trying to get into design and are finding a lot of trouble with it. Competition is strong right now because everyone is trying to get into this field, and everyone has the tools to be able to do it. The best thing I can say is to practice and draw your butt off every single day. The more you practice the better you will get. Oh, and learn how to spell too, I really stink at it but have found out that it is very important.

A big thank you to Matthew! You can check out his portfolio and hire him via his website: www.ithew.com

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Glamour Kills Interview W/ Owner & Art Director Mark Capicotto!

Posted on 24. Jun, 2009 by The Hunter.

I was very pleased to be able to interview the seriously cool and visionary dude behind Glamour Kills,  Mark Capicotto. He has done amazing things with his brand and the success he is now enjoying should ignite the spirit and desire in all fledgling tshirt designers and fashion entrepreneurs! It can be achieved! Glamour Kills have just put out their summer line and it is immense! So enjoy the interview below and have a look at just a very select cross-s3ection of the new threads available!

GK Summer Line 2009!

TH: There are a lot of bold tshirt brands out there now, treading a similar line to you, how do you keep innovating, competing and leading the way?
Mark Capicotto: I always try to keep glamour kills doing something different, thats why i started the company. and with our popularity its spawns alot of companies trying to do the same thing and now we have to set the new trend. Right now im changing our style up drastically without losing the glamour kills feel. we want to appeal to more than just one type of person.

TH: What inspired the new summer line?
Mark Capicotto: Music, i mean music and design are my two passions and they go hand and hand for me. It sounds cliche but i draw all my inspritaion from there….well maybe a little from perez hilton.

GK Bikinis

TH: I see you are broadening your line more and more, the addition of boardshorts/bikinis is really cool, did you ever imagine going beyond printing just tshirts when you first started and how does it feel to be producing nearly everything a human can wear?
Mark Capicotto: It’s surreal when I first started I wanted to do all of these things but didnt know how, just t-shirts. as the company grew and the knowledge of the business grew it became easier. Im still wanting to do more (be on the look out for shoes backpacks hats soon but its really surreal to see people wearing the stuff i still get all giddy when i see someone in the mall wearing something.

GK Board Shorts

TH: What is your favourite designs from the summer line and why? (did you design it and if not who did?)
Mark Capicotto: Well the summer line is the first line where i didnt design 100% of everything myself. As the company has grown it is difficult for me to do everything. But i work with a select few designers who help take our vision to life. Id have to say my favorite tee of the summer line is the space odyssey shirt (pictured below!) i dont know what it is, i wear that thing everywhere.

GK Space Odyssey Tshirt

TH: How far ahead do you work on your seasonal lines and what is good and bad about this approach?
Mark Capicotto: We are just wrapping up our fall line now its good to be prepared and have plenty of time before the release but its hard to design for that far in advance its summer right now so i wanna make summer shirts but i cant cause its for the fall haha. But we are hoping to get cracking on the winter stuff soon so its done before summer is over.

TH: When you launched, did you know where you wanted to position yourselves as a brand and how did you go about making it happen?
Mark Capicotto: I really didnt when i started I just wanted people to wear my stuff i didnt care who. The music industry was something i knew pretty well so going that route for the brand made sence for me. But the music skate scene is where we fit best and i love being here.

GK Rad Tshirt

TH: What have been your biggest high points and lowest lows since starting the brand?
Mark Capicotto: Some high points were being picked up nationally by a major retailer as well as overseas.
As well as seeing my stuff everywhere its a great felling. I wouldnt say ive had any lows, everything is great.

TH: What is the next big move for Glamour Kills?
Mark Capicotto: We are opening up some stores across the country early next year as well as a tonne of other stuff that i cant disclose just yet. but soon!

A HUGE thank you to Mark for his time and great responses! The Glamour Kills summer line is out now and available to view and buy on www.glamourkills.com

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410 BC Summer Line & Co-Founder Interview

Posted on 16. Jun, 2009 by The Hunter.

Tee Hunter recently interviewed Nicole, the co-founder of the fabulous 410 BC brand! Read below for some insight into the brand and one of its co-founders as well as some great example images of their new summer line for men and women! It really is stunning. The good people behind 410 are doing brilliant work and it is fast becoming a brand of great strength and style.

TH: What was the main approach to the new collection and how do you feel about the results?
Nicole: We tried to keep it simple and classic, in some ways we were going back to our roots using vintage graphics and only a few colors per print.
We’re really excited about this collection and think it’s one of the strongest we’ve made.

"Tele"

TH: How do you see your brand evolving over the next few months?
Nicole: We want to start doing more jewelry and cut and sew items. We also want to get into denim. We have a book of 410 BC art coming out in August 2009 to commemorate our two year anniversary. Our fall line will also be released around then and has a lot of new stuff, including custom jackets. We’re also having a 410 BC meet up in New York this summer that should be a lot of fun and we’re working to plan a two year anniversary party with live bands and a fashion show that will be open to the public. We’re going to make tickets around $5 or $10 each and donate all of the proceeds to non-for-profit organizations.

"Sherbert"

TH: What inspires the personality and values behind your brand?
Nicole: We’re very dedicated to creating clothing that sends a message both through its production and the content of the designs. We care about where our products come from. We only use sweatshop free tees and organic cotton and print all our shirts in the U.S. We make an effort to support causes we feel strongly about by donating a portion of our profits to different organizations from social justice orgs to animal rights groups.

"Luna"

TH: What is your personal favorite design from the new collection and why?
Nicole: “Luna” definitely, I love the simplicity of the design and the oversized print. That design was created by artist Herman Lee.

"Horse God"

TH: How much designing is done in-house and how much is by commissioned freelancers and why is this?
Nicole: It really varies depending upon the collection. We love supporting artists so we try to do that as much as possible by working with a lot of different artists.
If someone can design something in a way that we feel works better we’ll commission it. Our new fall collection is being designed primarily in-house.
As of the fall we’ll have two full time artists working exclusively for 410 BC.

TH: What is your favorite summer garment currently in your wardrobe?
Nicole: I just bought some navy t-strap sandals that I can’t stop wearing. Also a Betsey Johnson dress.

Be sure to visit www.410bc.com to check out their collection and grab some stylish new threads!

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RIPT Apparel Launches Offering Exclusive, Limited Edition Tshirts

Posted on 08. Jun, 2009 by The Hunter.

Hey Tee Hunters! Here is the latest buzz on a rad new company just launching! A new t-shirt webstore www.RIPTApparel.com was launched today and it poses a real competitive threat to the established teefury.com! Definately some exciting stuff going on! Especially seeing as their launch design “More Trees For Birds” is so damn awesome.

RIPT Just Launched!

RIPT Apparel promotes artists and designers by selling a new shirt every day for an undeniably affordable price of $10 per tee. Featuring shirts designed by new and established artists, each design is only available for only 24 hours. The shirts are made to order and the design will move to the site’s t-shirt graveyard where it will ‘rest in peace’ after its limited lifespan. A spokesman for the company said, “The online t-shirt community has exploded and now graphic tees aren’t just found at indie rock shows and Hot Topic, they are everywhere that there is a creative thought. We want to foster this community by giving a new outlet for up-and-coming designers and artists and allowing them the opportunity to get their shirts created without the risk of making a large run.”

RIPT’s aesthetic is focusing on the visual appeal of their contributing artists, while staying away from the common clichés of ‘type tees’ and the like. A company representative said, “We are trying to stay away from t-shirts that are essentially just words used in a clever way. There has to be an illustrative quality to the work. The ‘type tee’ has its place, but it is not with RIPT.” The company also prides itself on being completely artist-friendly. A RIPT representative continued to say, “We let the artists express themselves anyway they like. We don’t have themes or restrictions. We want to harbor a community where artists can showcase their work and collect constructive feedback. We really love seeing all the unique art that is out there and giving it a chance to find a home in someone’s wardrobe.” Some designers that will have shirts available via RIPT include Ryan Clark (Ryanvsclark.com), Nick Beery (Beerymethod.com), and international artists like Melostar from Indonesia, Maxime Francout from Canada, and Matt Lyon from the U.K. with more artists to be announced soon.

RIPT Future Design Examples

RIPT was born between three close friends Paul, TJ, and Matt who knew each other since childhood and through their graduation from Iowa State University.  One of RIPT’s founders, Matt, said, “Starting a business is such an exciting time. Taking a risk and devoting our time and money to RIPT Apparel is one of the most satisfying things that I have ever done. I’m confident in what we are doing, and feel that we can showcase new and upcoming artists that haven’t had a chance to make a big splash yet.”

Some benefits RIPT are going to provide for their artists:
* 1 free shirt (any size), shipped to you priority mail.
* For each shirt we sell the artist gets $1
* We don’t obtain ownership to any rights of any artwork
* Great exposure to the RIPT community.
* Artist Bio featured on homepage the day the artist’s shirt is for sale and on it’s own page in the RIPT graveyard (archive).
* List of email addresses from customers that buy their shirt for them to market to.
* Featured in the Artist Archive section of the website where the communication continues and lives forever.
* RIPT Apparel will utilize its knowledge of social media to promote the artist and their design (ie: widgets, twitter posts, newsletters, advertisements, etc).

To celebrate the launching of RIPT Apparel’s new website, the company will be giving away a free shirt to a randomly selected new community member as they sign up for the newsletter. Head over to www.RIPTApparel.com now for more information

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Introducing The Revolutionary “teepay.com” & Founder Interview W/ David Hieatt

Posted on 05. Jun, 2009 by The Hunter.

teepay.com

Let me introduce teepay.com (brought to you by the people behind howies). They are offering a cool spin on the ongoing design contest theme which is not only a great idea but keeps things fresh for both designers and tshirt lovers! I was able to ask David Hieatt, founder of teepay a few questions on his latest exciting project (the answers to which you can check out below!) But first…What is teepay all about?

The official descriptions is: “teepay is a place where you can buy, design and make money from T-shirts. We set it up because, like you, we love T-shirts.” So basically anyone in the world can submit a T-shirt design. The teepay “communitee” then browse through the submissions and place an order for their favourite designs. If within 14 days a design gets over green print quantity (a certain number of definate orders), it gets printed and sold in teepay’s online store. The designer is then entitled to a percentage of the money from sales of his or her design. All designs are printed on 100% organic cotton T-shirts and cost £25 for mens and £20 for womens. The tshirts they use are some of the best out there, I can personally guarantee.

Please find Tee Hunter’s mini-interview with David Hieatt, founder of teepay below.

teepay winners!

TH: What is the story behind the launch of teepay?
DH: The world has changed. The internet has leveled the playing fields, the customers run things now. The customer participates, the customer drives. We get that. That’s why we have built a platform for them to profit as well as us.

TH: What inspired the way in which teepay operates, in terms of how a design is supported by consumers and once it reaches a certain number, will be produced?
DH: I like the fact we don’t know exactly how teepay will work right now. Will it be used by un-signed bands to do their t-shirts?, will it be used by students to pay their way through uni?, will it be used to fund a good cause?, Or will it just be used by designers who have a bloody good t-shirt idea? time will tell. The important thing is to get great t-shirts up because we can sell them.

Rad quote from Billy

TH: What are your long-term hopes for teepay?
DH: My long-term aim for teepay is that it becomes an amazing way to raise money for your cause, your charity, for yourself, for your band. That it becomes a new kind of business model. A new kind of bank. And the nice part is the better the t-shirt design, the more it sells. It’s a meritocracy too.

TH: Is the association with the main howies brand going to be loose or will there be crossovers and collaborations?
DH: The aim for teepay is to have a broader stance than howies. howies is about sport, and making people think. howies will focus on that. Teepay can have a bit more fun. But yeah lots of collabs.

Big thank you to David for his time and best of luck to teepay in it’s first few months of operation. I foresee big things! You can buy and vote shirts on teepay.com and purchase staff picks over at howies.co.uk

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Designer Interview: Tee Hunter Interviews Pete Davies, Senior Designer At howies

Posted on 30. May, 2009 by The Hunter.

Howies Online

I was really pleased, not only with getting the opportunity for this interview but also the way it turned out! Last week I was lucky enough to get some brain-picking time with Pete Davies, the senior designer for howies, one of the coolest, most genuine, lifestyle brands out there. He gave some great, insightful responses to a series of questions and provided me with a new favourite quote (”It’s no good just being ‘middle of the road’. Cos ‘middle of the road’ is where you tend to get run over.”) so without further ado, give the results a read below and remember to enter our current Howies contest!

TH: What led you into designing for Howies?
Pete Davies: I skateboard, so was aware of the brand through that. Then just contacted the founders one day on the off chance that they needed some graphic work done. David, Clare and I met up and we got on, so I came in to help them handle some stuff. That was 7 years ago now. Man, time flies.

TH: Did you have an educational background in design or did you learn on the job?
Pete Davies: Yeah I went and did the whole art college thing, then worked a few jobs that paid the bills but didn’t really excite me, then I got with howies and it was a whole different ballgame. David (the bossman) is an ex-award-winning ad guy and he’s worked at some of the best agencies. They kind of shaped his creativity and work ethic, so he’s passed that onto me I suppose. So I feel pretty lucky to have learned from the best… In a kind of hand-me-down way.

Howies Girls Tshirts

TH: How do you think this has helped shape you as lead designer for a well respected brand?
Pete Davies: I can’t say college helped me. I messed around a lot, skateboarding and whatnot. In fact, the day I got my student loan I spent it all on a trip to Europe, so I’d say I landed on my feet and I’ve more or less learned on the job. But I wouldn’t recommend that sort of behaviour to the youth of today… Stay in school kids!

TH: howies has a very specific aesthetic that more than anything conveys a message and shares your brand’s ethos with every design. How do you go about creating an aesthetically pleasing design that also means something and tells a story?
Pete Davies: T-shirts are tricky and nobody here has written a formula. But they do need impact and relevance. They need to be instant – if the viewer doesn’t get it within 3 seconds then it’s too involved. So it’s about keeping things simple. If it doesn’t need to be there, or if it’s not helping the story, I tend to get rid of it.

"Leave No Trace" Pete's Favourite Tshirt Design

TH: What is your personal favorite tshirt design out of all that howies have released?
Pete Davies: I’ve got so many… But if I had to pick one it would be the Leave No Trace pencil guy (pictured above) that Geoff McFetridge did for us a while back. It’s just design perfection. Geoff is so good, he makes me feel not-very-good-at-all.

TH: What inspires you to keep creating innovative, unique designs?
Pete Davies: Pretty much just this mad, fucked up planet we live on. I’ve always seen howies as kind of like the Bill Hicks of the t-shirt world, haha. Someone who perhaps looks at the world a little differently and sees things others may miss. Then we take what we see, put our typically British irreverent spin on it and present it to the audience in a non-preachy way, where they hopefully learn something, but weren’t actually aware that they just learned something. Also, the fact that there’s so much great design out there. Stuff that just makes you nod your head and go “damn, I wish I’d thought of that”. As a designer you can’t help but want that from your own work too. It’s no good just being ‘middle of the road’. Cos ‘middle of the road’ is where you tend to get run over.

TH: How do you work creatively to strict deadlines, for example the Tee of the Week, must be quite demanding on you and your designers?
Pete Davies: It gets pretty crazy from time to time. But a deadline is a deadline and we have to hit it. So it’s a case of clubbing together and getting it done, no matter what. Thankfully, I’ve got a good team. And caffeine helps…

Howies Guys Tshirts

TH: What do you personally like most about being a designer at howies?
Pete Davies: Being able to live in a great part of the world with amazing beaches and mountains and do work that I’m proud of, with some supremely talented folk. Also the challenge of it all. I’m aware of that big old weight on my shoulders. But carrying big weights makes you stronger doesn’t it?

TH: What do you think it is that your customers enjoy most about your designs?
Pete Davies: Hopefully, the ideas are our point of difference. For the customer, there’s a lot of choice out there when it comes to t-shirts, there are some great-looking designs on the shop shelves. But to me a lot of them just don’t seem to be saying much. Hopefully we stand out from them, perhaps by being political, topical, funny, or even just plain dumb.

TH: What is next for howies?
Pete Davies: In the grand scheme of things, this brand of ours is still tiny, but it’s got a far wider appeal and the potential is pretty huge (if not a bit scary), we just need to take it to the people. We are busy trying to do that - we just launched our new do-it-yourself t-shirt site teepay.com and we’ve also got the Do Lectures coming up. Both of which have a lot of interest in them. And both of which keep me awake at night.

A massive thank you to Pete Davies for his time and his excellent and interesting responses! Be sure to look out for a feature on howies new tshirt based project teepay.com in the next few days!

Now go and feast your eyes on the awesomeness that is howies.

(Sign up for a howies catalog too, they are immense)

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Tee Hunter Interviews Bill Kingston, Purveyor of Classic Pop Culture, Vintage & Slogan Tshirts

Posted on 29. May, 2009 by The Hunter.

Running Tee Hunter means I am exposed to a LOT of tshirts of all styles and types and one area which can be awesome or horrendous is funny/retro/slogun tshirts. So when I had the opportunity to interview Bill Kingston, owner of Crazy Dog Tshirts and chance to find out exactly what it takes to be a real player in this sub-genre of t-shirts, I was ampt to speak with him.

Crazy Dog Tshirts

Crazy Dog says:

“With a classic collection from the most popular movies, television shows and music of the eighties and nineties, our vintage t-shirts bring back fond memories of horrible movies, television shows and music. Our eclectic blend of t-shirt designs keeps you outfitted in the best, and sometimes worst, of popular culture.”

I cannot agree more, there really is a massive collection of all kinds of tshirts referencing movies, popular culture and everything in between. Awesome. Now! On with the interview…

TH: What is your background and how did it lead you into designing and selling your own tshirts?
BK: Crazy Dog T-shirts all started as a project back in College.  I graduated in 2005 From Ithaca College with a degree in business administration with a minor in marketing and ecommerece.  Crazy Dog was created by myself as an end of the year project.  Having only one parameter you needed to create a site that sells something.  Starting with only 6 designs Crazy Dog T-shirts was born.

TH: What has been the highest and lowest point of running your company? One time when you were high on life and success and the other where you maybe felt like throwing in the towel…?
BK: The highest points for me in the business was watching my company grow from my basement to our 3rd location in a retail and commercial location in Rochester, NY.  Now we have 4 employees and are still in our major growth stage.  It was really exciting watching our keywords on google creep up there on to the front page.  As orders were steadily growing.  It is a great feeling to see what you created grow as well as being your own boss.  I really feel that I am doing exactly what I want to do and couldn’t imagine doing anything else.  Christmas time is the most exciting times with orders 5-8 times of what occurs regularly.  18 hour days aren’t unusual but I couldn’t do it if I did not love it.

TH: …and the lows?
BK: There have been several low points.  I didn’t have a framework to follow when I started this so lots of decisions I had to make without being informed.  In particular advertising options.  I have spent lots of money on certain areas which did not pay off at all.  All of it was a learning experience.  One of the worst experiences was becoming involved with a blogging and SEO building company.  Not being in a formal contract I had continued with them for several months.  Without seeing improvement I told them I was discontinuing their service.  Upon mentioning this I was told lawyers would get involved unless I paid them an additional months fees.  Not a fun situation at all.  However, we were able to resolve it.  Another major hard time was when we restructured the website.  Several rankings on google dropped as did sales.  It was right during the January-February months of the recession.  Sales were poor and times were tough.  It was a struggle to keep everything running.  However, we were able to turn it around with lots of hard work.  There have been several people which I trusted that did not pan out.  However, in the end it allows me to judge people better and feel out with who I really want to work with.

Crazy Dog Tshirts

TH: It is not easy to make a decent funny/slogan tshirt. Really hard in fact! What do you think the key to a successful tshirt design of this style is? Is there a formula?
BK: We are asked a lot how do you come up with your funny ideas.  Sometimes we will brain storm and our entire crew will throw out ideas every month.  However, in general our best ideas come from watching tv or surfing the net.  Then just randomly a funny t-shirt idea will pop into your head.  Several ideas come from our customers.  We offer a t-shirt design contest from time to time.  Our current contest offers the winner $500 and free t-shirts with smaller prizes for second, third and forth.  We get several great ideas from our customers which we can incorporate into the site.

TH: What inspires your designs and slogans?
BK: Some of the best designs I come up with are after 1AM.  I have some great ideas late at night.  Don’t know if it is the lack of sleep or if it is my creativity suddenly sparks real late.  I just get in a creative mode that allows me to think of several funny ideas. For a design to be successful you really have to get lucky.  Some shirts take off and others just fizzle out.  Sometimes we think designs are going to blow up and are really funny to us.  Then when we put them on the site they don’t sell well.  So we end up discounting those and selling them off.  However, every once in awhile a new idea you have really takes off.  That is a great feeling when you find that hilarious tee that the public loves!

TH: Where do you think other brands and individuals go wrong when designing these type of tshirts?
BK: Other companies when they design their tees they can lack originality and especially quality.  We silk screen our shirts on super soft tees.  Other companies offer heat pressed tees which ends up wasting a customers money.  We want you to be happy with your shirt and keep coming back for more.  Sometimes people have a great design idea then without the proper graphic artist it just isn’t appealing.  You have to find that exact image that is in your head that works best with the color shirt.

Lots of our designs are inspired by movies, friends and jokes we’ve heard. Will Ferrel is the walking talking t-shirt man.  Everything he says is funny and gets put on a t-shirt. We like more obscure references as well. From movies like Aliens to Starship Troopers.

TH: What is your personal favourite tshirt you have designed and why?
BK: My favorite t-shirt is our Amish Gone Wild tshirt.  I love the concept and we had a hilarious video created which tells a story and incorporates the tee in the end.  We have a few other tees I love which we’ve been incorporating youtube videos with but this one takes the cake in my mind.

TH: What is your personal favourite slogan, ever to be seen on a shirt and why?
BK: My favorite slogan I’ve seen on a t-shirt is our I love to read t-shirt. The idea came to me of all places on the John.  You can see why when you see the t-shirt!  I wasn’t sure how it would do but thought we’d offer it up.  Right away it started selling quickly.  I guess there are a lot of bath room readers out there!

TH: Why do you think, whilst graphic tshirts look cool, that people still have such a love of funny/slogan tshirts?
BK: Funny slogans let you express yourself and give people a smile.  Graphic t-shirts look great but can’t tell a story or give you a smile.  Our tees are made to give you a laugh and make you look good while doing it!

Visit Crazy Dog Tshirts now!

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Tee Hunter Interviews Southern Brand Founder

Posted on 07. May, 2009 by The Hunter.

Southern Brand Spring 2009 Collection!

Tee Hunter spoke to Chris Romero, Co-Founder (with Josh Oberhausen) of Southern Brand, a great new Southern themed tshirt brand that has recently sprung out of the moist, nutritious soil of an Advertising / Branding agency called Southern Brand Collective. They’re located in Miami, Florida One account they work on is the Miami “Heat” basketball team. I really dig their simple, evocative designs that ooze, albeit occasionally tongue in cheek Southern charm. Their special vintage finish that makes Southern Brand tshirts some of the best fitting, softest, most awesome tshirts I have ever had the pleasure of wearing. This is what Chris had to say…

TH: What inspired the launch of Southern Brand?
Chris: We launched Southern Brand as a creative outlet for our affinity for all things southern: music, design, food, literature and general southern culture.

TH: What is your background and how did it help in getting yourself into the tshirt business?
Chris: Our day job is branding. We run a marketing and branding firm and we’ve been building brands for others for a lot of years. We decided to launch our own brand based on what we dig.

TH: What is your personal favourite Southern Brand design?
Chris: I like Riff-Raff and Born To Break Even and the Red Rooster is one of his favorites as well. Josh likes The Smoker since he’s the chef around here.

TH: What do you think it is about Southern or even Western style that is so timeless, rugged and plain cool?
Chris: Well I’m drawn to the Southern aesthetic because it’s got integrity and truth in it. It’s not flashy or trendy, just straight forward and hard-workin’. And I think it’s reflective of it’s surroundings. Simple. Clever. Blue Collar. It’s American.

TH: What can tshirt lovers expect from Southern Brand in the coming year?
Chris: We’re collaborating with the North Mississippi Allstars on some Limited Edition designs and we’ll be releasing some new Southern Brand designs as well.

Big thank you to Chris and also the lovely Tara from Southern Brand for their time and help with this feature!

Check out the entire collection right here and be sure to enter “VIXEN” in the discount code field to get 10% discount!

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100th Post! & A Massive Thank You!

Posted on 20. Apr, 2009 by The Hunter.

The Site in this picture exists because of you! Thank You Readers!

Hey Readers! Really pleased to announce that this is Tee Hunter’s 100th post, since launching in February! I wanted to personally thank each and every one of you for checking out the site, hopefully visiting most days and spreading the word! It really makes Tee Hunter not only possible but also a hugely fun and rewarding experience!

Please follow Tee Hunter on Twitter, and Subscribe to our RSS or E-mail Feed so you never miss a post again! It could be your next favourite Tshirt we are posting about and you will never know if you don’t see it!

Thank you!
Liam (The Hunter)

p.s. Remember to enter our current T-shirt Give-Away and if you are lucky grab yourself some free threads for summer!

p.p.s Please PLEASE tell your friends about Tee Hunter, because the site exists on the fact that people just like you spread the good word to likeminded individuals!

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Tee Hunter Interviews Kill Brand Founder & Designer Jonny Smith

Posted on 16. Apr, 2009 by The Hunter.

Kill Brand Interview W/ Tee Hunter

Kill Brand apparel is a really cool, friendly, unified brand built sspecifically for the passionate, creative youth of today. It is truly clothing made by the very people that are going to be wearing it and that is why I dig Kill Brand so much. Whether you are a graffiti artists, in a band, skater, surfer, whatever…Kill Brand answers your call and pushes the limits of expression, unifying the realms of art, music, and beyond.

In 2001, Kill Brand was created by musician, Jonathan Smith. While on tour in the band Tokyo Rose (SideCho Records), Jonny ran into a problem — no clean t-shirts. With a hot pink T-shirt and black spray paint in hand, Jonny randomly graffitied K-I-L-L across the front of the T, and took the stage. This fresh trend took punk rock fans by storm. Before long, Jonny was designing, spray-painting, and selling his T’s out of the back of the tour van. As demand grew, Jonny invested in a screen printing machine to keep up with supply. Jonny personally screen-printed every item by hand with his signature, KILL. Kill Brand’s notoriety grew as Jonny left Tokyo Rose and pursued promoting the apparel at music festivals across the U.S.

Killbrand.com

Kill Brand designs are requested by stylists from GQ Magazine, featured in Alternative Press and Wonka Vision Magazine, and worn by celebrities. Seth Green, Pete Wentz, Patrick Stump and more all wear Kill Brand. Bands like Fall Out Boy, The Used, My Chemical Romance, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, and countless others all are fans.

I spoke to the awesome Jonny about the clothing line he has put so much passion and energy into! The following words, my loyal readers, are the result…

TH: What is your background and how did it lead you into starting Kill Brand?
Jonathan (Kill Brand): I come from a music background so I like to think that creation has always been in my blood. I have been living the “Do It Yourself” lifestyle for as long as I remember. I have always been into “fashion” and it was only a matter of time before I got bored with the clothing that I saw on a daily basis in stores around New Jersey. That is when I decided to take matters into my own hands and create my own clothing in 2003 and named it Kill Brand Apparel.

Jonny's Favourite Shirt Of All Time!

TH: What is your favourite tshirt of all time (that you own) and why? (Picture at least 540 px wide would be awesome)
Jonathan (Kill Brand): I love this shirt by OBEY (pictured above); This limited edition cotton tee (above) is the result of a partnership between OBEY mastermind Shepard Fairey and the Global Grassroots HOPE (Helping Other People Everywhere) campaign, which works to empower people, encouraging involvement with humanitarian issues through music, art and action. Featuring artwork by Fairey and based on the Brian Steidle photograph “Girl and Brother,” this garment is designed to raise both money and awareness in an effort to stop genocide in Darfur.

TH: What have been the highest and lowest points on the road to Kill Brand circa 2009?
Jonathan (Kill Brand): Lowest and highest points go hand in hand, they both really exist as one. I remember a few years back when I was on the Vans Warp Tour, we had a tent and would sell our shirts in the scorching summer heat. One morning, as I was pulling dozens of brand new shirts on a dolly to try to get to our tent, the dolly broke and every single shirts fell into the biggest mud pile imaginable. That was a low point because we obviously could not sell those shirts but it was also a high point because I look back at times like that and I cannot help but laugh. I learned to invest in a more dependable dolly, we live and learn, that is all we can do.

TH: What is the best selling Kill Brand design to date and why do you think that is? (again a picture pls)
Jonathan (Kill Brand): Our “Kiss of Death” logo is, to date, our best selling design.

Best Selling Kill Brand Tee "Kiss of Death"

Not only is it our most popular, but it is also my favorite. I think it is because of it simplicity, it really says a lot without really spelling out too much. It is really in your face, and at the same time, extremely quite.

TH: If you had to tell us one stand out interesting story/anecdote about Kill Brand, what would it be?
Jonathan (Kill Brand): This one time, I got an email from a 4th grader (I think it was a 4th grader) and he sent me a picture of him wearing a Kill Brand shirt in his school class picture. It was so awesome to see such a young kiddo enjoying a Kill Brand tee. Here is the picture Jonny is speaking about:

4th Grader in Kill Brand Tshirt

TH: What are you currently listening to music-wise?
Jonathan (Kill Brand):
Runner Runner
Minus the Bear
Between the Buried and Me
Does it Offend You Yeah
and Data Select Party
All those bands are awesome, please search for them on Google.

TH: Do you sponsor bands and what do you like about this avenue of promotion?
Jonathan (Kill Brand): We don’t sponsor bands, per-se, but we do have friends who are in bands that choose to wear our clothing out while they are on tour. So it is a win/win situation for them and us; they get clean shirts and we get some promotion. Pretty cool!

TH: What can we expect from Kill Brand this year, in other words; what are you most excited about for the future?
Jonathan (Kill Brand): We have so much planned right now for the summer time. Awesome contests, great giveaways, etc. For all things Kill Brand related, please continue to check out www.killbrand.com

Kill Brand is currently also available in Tilly’s, Hot Topic, Zumiez, and over 200 retail stores worldwide.

Psssst! Want to win some Kill Brand gear?

Tee Hunter's Kill Brand Competition! (click to enter)

Click here for competition details!

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Tee Hunter Interviews The Awesome Shirtfight.com Founders

Posted on 15. Apr, 2009 by The Hunter.

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!

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Designer Interview W/ Threadless Winning Alex Solis!

Posted on 10. Mar, 2009 by The Hunter.

Tee Hunter is always excited to feature up and coming designers and show all your Tee Hunters out there the latest and greatest talent! Therefore it seemed only right that we speak with Alex Solis, a multiple Threadless winner! He is a great designer with an eye for detail and works happily across a variety of media. The following interview says it all!

By Alex Solis

TH: What is your background and how did you get into designing shirts?
Alex: My background i would say is in illustration, ever since I could a pencil Ive been drawing. I found Threadless and decided to submit some of my artwork, at first it didn’t do so good, but then I started working more and more on better ideas and executions that would fit the shirt templates more, then after a while the hard work paid off I still do a ton of other stuff not only shirts, pretty much everything you can think of.

TH: What inspires your work?
Alex: I’m really inspired by my daughter, and usually come up with ideas from watching movies with her, or cartoons etc. Also inspired by a ton of artists way too many to mention. I’m most inspired by Low Brow style type artwork.

By Alex Solis

TH: What are your ‘tools of the trade’ when designing?
Alex: I tried to use mostly traditional tools like paper, pencil and eraser, but coloring digitally is essential when it comes to shirt designs, to be able to get all the color separations, and artwork in print ready format. I recently won a wacom drawing tablet which also works wonders when fixing some of my mistakes, that would be really hard to fix without it.

TH: What brands, designers etc inspire you?
Alex: Like I mention before most LOW BROW artists and a lot of designers I blog with on Threadless which are always coming up with great designs. Everyday I see a great piece of work that inspires me to work harder and try to make my next design better than the last.

By Alex Solis

TH: What is your advice for budding shirt designers out there?
Alex: Practice makes perfect , I feel my techniques have grown a ton and hopefully will continue to do with with each design create, don’t settle with one technique try everything, you never know how something will help you, and don’t be afraid to ask other fellow designers as well.
In December I set a goal for myself to create 20 designs in one month it was a ton of work, but I feel it helped me grow a bit as far as ideas go and some techniques and styles as well.

TH: What is the key, in your opinion to winning a Threadless or similar shirt competition?
Alex: Idea, Execution, Presentation, Originality - Don’t rush your work, try your best in the end even if you don’t win if you’re happy and learn something from the design, you probably won something even better, and ideas start coming to you easier.

By Alex Solis

TH:  Is designing your career and if not, what is?
Alex: I work as a graphic Designer / Online Editor at Time Warner Cable and I do stuff from billboards, to web design, to graphics for TV spots etc etc.  Artwork and Designs for shirts is something I do on the side more as a hobby, hoping to one day make it a professional and start my own business. But I’ll be working twice as hard on every design I make, so expect to see a lot from me in the future.

Massive thanks to Alex for his time and good luck to him for all future tshirt designs, I know they will be blinding!

See alex’s Work here and his Threadless page here

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New Tshirt Community Called Teextile Launches! Interview W/ Founder!

Posted on 03. Mar, 2009 by The Hunter.

Tee Hunter is a big fan of the community driven commerce that is “ongoing tshirt design contests” and regularly checks out the winning designs from the handful of companies currently using this innovative approach. So when we heard about a brand new tshirt community called “Teextile” launching and found that it has the feel of Design By Humans but the 1 day ethos of Tee Fury we were excited to speak with it’s creator Franco Galvez! Despite being brand new it already has some great tshirts on it, particularly Lick The Neck and I Want To Dance Too. Please read on for the interview!

Teextile.com

TH: Another tshirt community, what freshness are you bringing to the table?
FG: We never really went into this thinking we were being innovative, actually it was kind of the opposite. our slogan use to be “just another tshirt community”… but we got some complaints and took it down. at least there aren’t that many 1 tee a day companies just yet, maybe it will be the next big trend. who knows… all we can do is let our designs speak for themselves, and so far, weve gotten a whole lot of great designers submitting entries, so we should be good as far as that goes.

TH: What made you decide to launch another tshirt competition/store community?
FG: It just seemed like a good idea at the time, we had the resources to do it, so we though “why not?”. cant say we knew what we were getting ourselves into. When we started developing the site, we only knew about the big sites like DBH or Threadless….before we heard about Teefury, the site wasn’t even going to follow the whole 1 shirt a day idea.

"Lick The Neck" Tshirt

TH: What did you learn from established ones and what approaches did you take to carve yourself a niche?
FG: I don’t think we have carved out a niche just yet. that will probably happen once we actually start selling shirts and seeing what direction the community follows…. it will basically all depend on the designs.

TH: Do you think there is room for communities like Teextile or are the main market players still going to dominate?
FG: The main guys are always going to be up top, they’ve already established themselves so their not going anywhere. All we can hope to do is reach half the recognition they’ve got… but there is always room for another tshirt community, because no matter how many exist, there will always be even more designers trying to get this shirts printed, and Threadless can only print so many tees a week.

TH: What do you offer your entrants who submit winning designs?
FG: We are splitting our profits with the designers, paying 4 dollars for every shirt sold. We might offer a minimum price in the future, something like 200 bucks if your design doesn’t sell at all, but for now, we just want to see how things go in the first weeks of sale.

"I Want To Dance Too" Tshirt

TH: What three things are most important to you in how you run your company?
FG: Hmm, I just realized I have never actually put any thought into this… I guess keeping things personal is up there. I try to answer every email I get and give a well thought out response to any question. Not really a fan of huge companies that send out automated responses which are about as useful as talking to a parrot. Hopefully ill be able to find time to keep doing this once Teextile grows. Second would have to be listening to your customer. I’m not going to say the customer is always right, but if someone makes a valid suggestion, we’ll probably follow it…we’re still a pretty small website, so we can easily mould it according to the feedback we get. lastly, have fun with it, because if your not having fun, why are you doing it in the first place? (I think I heard the dudes from Threadless say this once)

TH: What is your personal favorite tshirt brand and designer?
FG: I’ve never really been one for brands, but ill wear anything as long as its comfortable (except for Abercrombie). as for favourite designers, i’m a fan of rob dobi, collision theory, aled lewis, brunomota, draco, and a bunch of others.

Massive thank you to Franco Galvez from Teextile we are sure there will be plenty of Teextile wares appearing on Tee Hunter in the near future!

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Rich Kidz Clothing Interview

Posted on 22. Feb, 2009 by The Hunter.

Rich Kidz

Tee Hunter is really excited about the fresh new brand launching this year called “Rich Kidz.” It is colourful, larger than life and just plain awesome. The Hunter recently featured one of the sick, eye catching designs from Rich Kidz and decided to pick the brains of founder Tyrell Brown about his new company and clothing line.

TH: What inspired you to start your brand?
TB: What inspired me to start my brand was my drive to become an innovator and bring something different to the fashion world whilst still being able to fulfil my dream of being a successful entrepreneur.

TH: What are your hopes and goals for your brand?
TB: My hopes and goals for rich kidz would be that we can create a whole new market of consumers and to become the number one independent clothing line in the world.

TH: Who do you think will be into your designs?
TB: I think skateboarders, backpackers, hip hop celebs…I feel a wide range of people will be into my designs. Not just one particular group or market.

Rich Kidz "Rich Grillz"

TH: What has been the biggest positive event and biggest negative event on the road to getting your brand up and running so far?
TB: The biggest positive event would be the day god blessed me with the name Rich Kidz for my clothing company! The biggest negative event would be while creating Rich Kidz Clothing I was on house arrest so I had to do everything at home from my basement I could not go out and make connections promote I had to figure out a way to get everything done from my computer

TH: How do you hope to stand out amongst the plethora of other tshirt brands?
TB: I plan to stand out from other brands by always staying fresh and bringing new designs. Also you will always receive gift with every shirt purchase! A toy, cd, coupons, dvd etc. Rich Kidz is for the individuals who want to become the leaders the elite and consumers will feel that lifestyle once they put a Rich Kidz Piece of Clothing on!

Thank you to Tyrell Brown for his time and best of luck with the launch! Visit Rich Kidz now!

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In Depth Interview W/ Regal Clothing’s Owner & Designer

Posted on 18. Feb, 2009 by The Hunter.

It is no secret that Tee hunter has the hots for Darren and the awesome UK brand Regal Clothing! So The Hunter thought it would be a bloody good idea to have a chat with Darren about his designs, his brand and all manner of other Teeliscious facts! Enjoy the interview below!

TH: So Regal was established in 2008, how did this come about, was this a dream of yours or did something inspire you to start a clothing brand?
Darren: I’ve always been interested in design and have been creating my own tees for years I have 100s, I figure why pay for something that you could make that little bit better? I like being unique and slightly odd ball and try to express that in my design. I’m a Self employed graphic designer, mostly corporate stuff.. Stationery, promotional print and design so i guess this t-shirt sideline is just a hobby? A hobby that is starting to take over my life… In a good way!

TH: Regal has a particular style, bold colours, prints and typography, what influenced this memorable, clean style of design?
Darren: You’ve already mentioned the reasoning behind it… “Memorable” & “Clean” design is important to me not necessarily illustration, This is different for everybody but the reactions i’ve had from my gowning portfolio has been amazing in just 5 months… The fact that my style is particular to my brand is important…

Regal Clothing

TH: What is your background, is it in design or is this a new undertaking for you, in other words: what led you to where you are now?
Darren: I started out as a Marketing Manager for a nightclub in Edinburgh. It was during this time i started to dabble in Graphic Design. I set-up www.THISISDESIGNUK.com and ran that at the evenings and weekends… business has been steadily growing over the years, but designing and printing t-shirts is a good way for me to let my hair down (if i had any) be a little more creative.

TH: What is your favourite Regal design and why?
Darren: Ohh, Well i really like the Tyrannocat tee. It kinda sums up how i think! I’ll let you make your own judgements about that though.

TH: What has been your most popular design to date?
Darren: Most popular design has to be the “Sex Drugs & Sausage Rolls” controversially though as I’ve had a lot of intellectual right grief from it.. But we won’t go into that!!

TH: Is Regal your full time occupation yet and if not do you hope it will be one day in the future?
Darren: No no, I can’t yet support myself on it but i’m looking to start selling wholesale to distributors and possibly pay my bills that way!

Regal Clothing

TH: What steps do you take to ensure Regal stands out amongst the countless tshirt brands out there?
Darren: Do i stand out?! I’d like to think so… I like my clean image, I don’t hide behind fancy graphics or anything I still use bigcartel I’m always on-line and contactable (www.twitter.com/regalclothing) and best of all I’m a true t-shirt lover so I produce everything with quality in mind!

TH: What is it like running a UK based tshirt brand with so much American competition?
Darren: It’s hard, although more and more indie clothing brands are popping up in the UK all the time which is good! The exchange rate is going to help me out a lot as the Pound weakens i’m seeing more international customers… So that’s fantastic!

TH: What pluses and minuses are there to running a tshirt brand online and using the internet to attract customers?
Darren: There are endless pros and cons, getting people to know your brand can be the hardest. Social networking and advertising help this! Attracting new customers is also tricky, Word of Mouth is a powerful medium but can;pt always be relied on. it;s a really hard question to answer, I take each day as it comes and hope that each day i could tell at least 1 person about what I’m doing.

TH: What main advice would you give to aspiring designers and those wishing to start a tshirt brand?
Darren: Do it! Don’t be shy… Do your research and make sure you’re unique! If you can’t manage the logistics of printing and shipping there are plenty of solutions out there!

Regal Clothing

TH: Do you think the internet has changed how brands can respond to trends? It seems faster and more targeted, for example your Twitter tshirt did just that recently and even brands like Tshirt Hell have been quick to respond to topical & cultural happenings, not to mention Obama tshirts etc -
Darren: I Heart the Internet! Being able to keep a breast of current affairs in real time is essential to creating up front and topical designs. I’m not really one for political shirts, always try to stay away but everything else is fair game. Without the internet Id have no business. With the advances in searching and the like you’re new designs can be indexed and available next day more often than not!

TH: Do you think this is a sign of the future of consumerism?
Darren: E-commerce is the future you only have to look at the state of the high streets these days to realise that! On-line you can view 1000s of products in minutes and have it delivered within a few days… I’m a strong believer in internet shopping for example i can browse the websites of store you can only find the USA and vice-versa Anyone in the world can pop into my North East Scotland webstore!

TH: What can tshirt lovers expect from Regal in 2009? Anything tantalising and exciting, new designs, expansions?
Darren: You can always expect new designs, I come up with loads more than i actually display so yeah.. I’ve been in talks with a few wholesalers and distributors about selling my stuff on a larger scale, so getting into retail stores and other on-line stores might be happening real soon! As far as expansion is concerned, I’m sure i could devote just a little more of my living area to a stack more t-shirts… I’m a one man band though, and i think i will be for a while yet!

Massive thank you to the awesome Darren for his time! Now get yourselves over to www.regalclothing.co.uk and get yourself looking stunning. They are rocking the international delivery hard too, so no matter where you reside, you can look sharp!

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Exclusive! Full Bleed Series 8 Full Preview & Interview W/ Rob Dobi

Posted on 15. Feb, 2009 by The Hunter.

Tee Hunter is a long time fan of Full Bleed, the man behind it Rob Dobi and his work! So with his 8th series officially launching tomorrow (Feb 16th 2009) it felt only right that we drop him a line and do an interview and swag a bunch of awesome images of his amazing new line!

I was at a show in Florida last year and I look over and someone had THREE tattoos on their arm based off of my designs. I couldn’t believe it, I have a hard enough of a time committing to getting them printed! - Rob Dobi

From L to R: "Paper Trail", "Bird's Eye View", "Inked", "Fenced In"

From L To Right: "Rainbow Road", "Right As Rain", "We All Fall Down", "Staying Afloat"

So read below to get a lot of insight into Rob’s world, check out series 8’s tshirt designs and enjoy an exclusive preview design or two as well!

TH: What prompted you to release your lines in a series?
RD: I figured it’d be a bit easier to work a few months on a bunch of designs and release em all together at once, take some rest, then do it again in a few months. I once tried doing a t-shirt of the month kinda thing and 4 months in kinda gave up.

TH: Are you excited about the launch on 16th February? do you have any hopes and expectations this time around?
RD: I’m always stoked, the worst part is just the work leading up to it. The t-shirt designs themselves have been done for awhile, but updating the website / store / myspace / facebook / flickr / photos / etc. is such a chore! I’m just ready to get it over with already and I’m already prepping for new stuff. I feel like I’ve been looking at the current line for a year!

TH: How does it feel to have reached your 8th series?
RD: Great! I had no idea when I started this almost 5 years ago how far i’d take it but things have been going really well.

TH: What have been the main highlights on the road to your 8th series?
RD: The biggest milestone would probably have to be a pro wrestler wearing one of my tees. either that or the normal sized kid on “little people big world” rocking one. All joking aside, some of the stuff has been absurd. every couple weeks someone sends me an image of a tattoo they have gotten based off of one of my designs. I was at a show in Florida last year and I look over and someone had THREE tattoos on their arm based off of my designs. I couldn’t believe it, I have a hard enough of a time committing to getting them printed! One of the best feelings is when my mom tells me someone at her school was wearing one of my tees, then she tells them she is my mom and their mind is blown.

TH: What was the inspiration behind this series, is there a main theme running through it or is it a collection of different fragments and why?
RD: I never really have a running theme, I’ve thought about doing that in the past, I had one idea to do an entire line based around various syndromes but that never came through. Another based off of an album, but then I gave up on that as well. If anything my ideas are just really concept based and just revolve around taking an idea and twisting it until it is something completely different but still makes sense.

TH: What do you think it is about your designs that allow them to transfer so well between tshirt and poster formats?
RD: I like big, bold, iconic, colorful images so I think they read well in print. I try to draw a line between my illustration work which is really detailed and heavily linework / shading based vs. My tees which are essentially silhouettes and flat colors.

TH: Will series 8 feature posters as well as tshirts?
RD: Yep! I’m having 2 older designs and 2 newer ones silkscreened by Andy @ www.dieselfuelprints.com

TH: Please can you tell me in your own words a little about some of the designs in series 8 and what they mean to you or are about?
RD: My designs never really have much “meaning” to me, I’ve never really done anything political or religious, I just like to make images that look cool, that being said, there isn’t much to be said!

• “Inked” is just a bunch of dudes having a raging time doing some sick cannonballs into an inkwell!
• “Rainbow road” it wouldn’t be a fullbleed line without someone painting to alter their environment.
• “Paper Trail” I never thought I’d print a tee with a skull but this idea came to me and I had to print it.
• “Right As Rain” was actually inspired by a necklace I saw at the MOMA store, I immediately pulled out a notepad and doodled it.
• “We All Fall Down” I was itching to make another design with a WW2 era type bomb but couldn’t figure out where to place it. I went to my local library and there was a sculpture outside of some kids playing ring around the rosie. Success!

TH: Can it be difficult to stand out in what is essentially a saturated market of tee shirt brands large and small, especially given the global reach of the internet, and how do you respond to this challenge?
RD: Sure it is difficult to stand out, but I’ve been doing the same thing for almost five years now so i now what works for my brand and what doesn’t. I never really give into any trends because i don’t want to release something that looks totally passée within a year. there won’t be any tees w/ gold foil 300 pt impact txt with words being chopped up to fit on a tee. there won’t be any drawings of hamburgers bungee jumping while wearing shutter shades and drinking slurpees.

TH: At what series did you begin to make a living from Full Bleed, or is this still a goal for you?
RD: It started to be the focus of my “living” about 3 years ago, it is still an ongoing goal to make it bigger and better with every release.

TH: What is the ONE piece of advice you would give new and budding tshirt brands?
RD: Don’t jump in head first and throw shit at the wall just to see what sticks. Do some research, figure out what you want your brand to represent and how you can represent it without looking like everybody else.

• Glamour Kills does 80’s inspired text based tees.
• Electric Zombie does zombies / horror.
• Pyknic does food.

So now that those three things are covered, don’t bother trying to imitate them, they are done! find your own niche and make it work for god’s sake.

TH: What is your favourite design from the new collection?
RD: Probably the “inked” design. I’ve had that idea in my head for awhile and i think kids will dig it because it is a massive print and (sorta?) clever.

TH: What tshirt brand or designer inspired this new series the most?
RD: I’m not really inspired by other t-shirt brands. sorry! i’m really more inspired by illustrators like Guy Billout, Dan Page, Josh Krause and design studios like the small stakes, heads of state, etc…

TH: What tshirt brand do you personally wear the most (other than your own)?
RD: Either American apparel or Gap, surprisingly enough I really don’t buy graphic tees all that often. I think I bought two in the past year, one I never wore.

Big thank you to the talented Rob Dobi for his time and help in making this article happen! Why not buy his stuff and read his blog!

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