T-shirt Island

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Shot Dead in the Head's Banksy Publicity Stunt
2009-01-26 18:48:00
Shot Dead in the Head is a purveyor of mainly English joke shirts, poking fun at pop culture and the sort of folks who pass as celebrities over there (I'm somewhat kidding. Somewhat). So you can imagine that they're probably having a bit of a hard time competing in such a crowded market, where sites like Snorg and Busted sell similar products at lower prices.And so they've decided to print some of Banksy 's iconic work on t-shirts and sell them. It's really a brilliant plan in some ways. They've recognized that anything involved with Banksy is sure to bring publicity. And since his work isn't sold, there's a huge market for it. Best of all, since he is a mysterious figure, he's incredibly unlikely to sue for his share of the merchandise profits.To me, therein lies the problem. It's incredibly unfair to the artist to sell his work without his permission. And Shot Dead in the Head has decided on their own what the royalties are, rather than entering into negotiation to determ...
More About: Publicity , Shot , Stunt

Not a Bird, Not a Plane: Flying Mouse Clothing
2009-01-26 04:18:00
If you follow the t-shirt design circuit even casually, you probably recognize the name Flying Mouse . He's a multiply-printed Threadless juggernaut who was named 2007's Most Printed Designer and Newcomer of the Year on their site.And of course, like all flying creatures, this mouse is spreading his wings and traveling through some new territory, in the form of his own line, Flying Mouse Clothing . In it, you'll see some of the same sorts of mind-bending concepts that impressed the Threadless masses- like the gold foil print of a lone archer facing off against a massive, fire-y bird in Phoenix Fighter. Another stand-out is We Love Bow, which uses two penguins to form the titular bow (the penguins are printed in flock ink, which is a great touch).Something I really appreciate is the collaboration tee being organized at the site. Not only is it a great way to make this shop stand out in the crowd, it's a cool way to get people interested and invested in the site. Plus, who wouldn't...
More About: Plane , Bird

‘80s-throwback Takes on Surfwear, It's the New Insight Tees
2009-01-24 00:38:00
New graphic tees of collaboration between Australian surf, brand Insight (started by Something’s Natalie Wood and Ksubi’s George Gorrow) and German art-rock favorites Chicks on Speed was born -- inspired by we call an ‘80s-throwback takes on surfwear. Sensing humor in fashion while not getting out-fashioned is definitely one of the tips. These are some tees that go beyond graphic prints put on front show, but combining all of those with chic cut and sew. Pretty sexy, to sum them up -- and hey, I don't mind they're made in China.Images via tobi ( you can buy online here too!). Alternative shops on Karmaloop and Azalea Boutique
More About: Tees , Throwback

J!NX Winter '09 T-shirts: Geek and Gamers are the new Rock Stars
2009-01-22 19:15:00
The J!NX Winter '09 collection seems to be a moment of departure of geeks and gamers from shy, unfashionable, anti-social personalities to the new sexy people who proud of themselves. For a while -- on its latest collection, you can forget about deadly unattractive, black color slogan T-shirts saying LMAO, ROFL or "Noob" or jokes only geeks can understand. On its latest collection, J!NX wants to show that geeks and gamers can be fashionista too -- with V-neck tee, for example.Check out the whole Winter '09 Line of J!NX -- for all new T-shirts and hoodies! Indeed you, shy geeks, can still have your old-school slogan T-shirts from J!NX previous collection
More About: Stars , Rock , Shirts , Geek

There are lots of Officially Licensed Twilight Movies Tees from Hot Topic
2009-01-22 05:05:00
ads sessionIf you're a serious vintage tee fans, you probably don't miss regular T-shirt clearance on 80sTees .com. With T-shirt prices started from just $9.99 and other items discount as much as 50% -- you know it's hard to resist. 80sTees.com is one of the biggest officially licensed movies and band merchandise online retailers; and popular vintage brand, Junk Food clothing.Yesstyle, my favorite Asian-style fashion shop, introduces the new Korean brand: Dodostyle. Dodostyle is right on the pulse of today's Asian fashion scene with its eclectic but modern fusion of frilled, feminine styles and edgy, urban-themed layered looks. Cute tees it offers like "Smile" A-Line Long tee and Applique-Lettering Dotted Tee-Shirt.Here's special offer for Twilight fans out there. Hot Topic has stocked in lots lots official merchandises, including T-shirts and hoodies, from the famous Vampire movie. Some T-shirts are rare finds I've never seen on other merchandise shops. So, if you're looking...
More About: Movies

Sight-seeing during Obama Inauguration: Yetibama
2009-01-21 08:09:00
Never have enough all-bama things from Obama niacs? Needless to answer but to congrats America for scoring a new president. To commemorate President Obama's historic inauguration into the White House, Go-Bama (a.k.a GAMA-Go) re-releases its popular Yetibama tee shirt. Limited quantities are available now in black and gold -- 100% cotton and 100% audacious.
More About: Sight

Ryan D. Seaman Presents Hung Out To Dry, the Limited Edition T-shirts
2009-01-20 17:18:00
Having worked with several "names" in streetwear apparel industries like Pacific Sunwear, Common Threadz, Von Zipper and won highly competitive T-shirt design contenst Design by Humans -- Ryan D. Seaman couldn't stop himself to start his own clothing label under catchy-name: Hung Out To Dry (a Cottonable's sponsor as I wrote this)HOTD spells everything that inspired Ryan as a graphic artist: from typography, patterns, apparel, fabric to anything that's aged or worn, old books, paint and hand made. Not to mention continuous experiment he made with combination of hand drawn elements, multiple textures and other odd materials on every artwork.The first edition of HOTD sold on limited run for no more than $20 bucks -- with designs printed on custom tags American Apparel tees and silkscreened imprints inside. If grunge, punk themes are into your style. You don't want to miss this new label.
More About: Presents , Shirts , T-Shirts , T shirts

Twisted Pop Culture from Chunk
2009-01-19 05:48:00
Pop culture is what unites us- almost everywhere on earth, certain characters are recognized. So by humorously playing with concepts that those characters stand for, you can create a hilarious scene that makes a statement anyone can understand and respond to.That's what Chunk does with their designs. Whether they're putting Darth Vader's evil ways into perspective by showing his mugshot or contrasting Snow White's innocence by arming her, you've never seen your childhood favorites in quite this light before. Other highlights that will leave you laughing include a Ninja Turtles rendition of Reservoir Dogs and Mickey Mouse trapped in a war zone.
More About: Culture , Pop Culture

Passarella, Black and White Sexiness from Tokyo to London
2009-01-17 23:59:00
Passarella Death Squad is brainchild of Danny Broddle and Emilie Albisser, the label started in 2004. The latest T-shirt collection using imported fabric from Tokyo , Japan while manufacturing process of the garments happens in London , England.T shirt design-wise, you will see that any Pasarella Death Squad has put much love into combination of photography and sketch art -- putting women at the front as main theme. Black -and-white is another keyword, it' s how Passarella simplifying the sense of elegance with two-color fashion. At least that's what I see on their latest collection. Some of you may found the Passarella tees a little bit vulgar, but can also be spelled sexiness by others.
More About: White , Black and White

What's Your Demographic?
2008-12-08 19:26:00
The central premise of Demographic is that the shirts you wear say something about who you are as a person. Their clean infographic style is both classy and expressive, displaying designs built around concrete ideas like allergies, but also more abstract thoughts like creativity.Something I appreciate about the line is the way they aren't constricting themselves to chest prints. The heart-on-my-sleeve design for the word Passionate is all the more clear and meaningful for it's unconventional placement. Similarly, the fact that the graph on Concerned (a design for those who worry about carbon dioxide levels) begins low on the shirt makes the height that it ultimately reaches all the more frightening.This concept has a lot of room to grow, and I could easily see tons of demographics being targeted next. The site even takes suggestions, offering $200 in product if the idea is used.

Class Attire Showcases Your Chalk Doodles
2008-12-08 02:34:00
When I think classrooms, the first thing that comes to mind is chalkboards- they're the major focal point of the room, conveying the teacher's knowledge and the furtive doodles of other classmates. So it makes perfect sense that a company named Class Attire would hone in on the chalkboard tee concept for their line.The chalkboards take the shape of butterflies, apples, landmarks and more, letting the wearer decorate it a different way each time they wear. Thanks to the handy chalk pocket, you can even make a new design on the fly. It stays put until dabbed off with a wet cloth, so unlike a real chalkboard your messages will remain as long as you want them to.For a look at how it works, check out their video.
More About: Doodles , Chalk

Hannari Tofu, Your Funny Japanese Friend on Your T-shirt
2008-12-03 14:30:00
Just looking at Fuji Friend s's Hannari Tofu tees has already brightened my day. Although these are not kind of tee shirt I wouldn't wear outside my house, even if I'm in Japan, I still think these are really nice pieces for those Japanese -anime art lovers. The details are great and the bouncy emotions are there. Hannari Tofu tees can be found sold by Fuji Friends for $20 (Flickr gallery)
More About: Funny , Shirt

A good question about funny T-shirt You might Want to Ask Yourself
2008-12-02 15:50:00
"Where would the world be without funny T-shirt?" This question was posted on Flickr by Missi Bellande, along with this picture (few funny designs you might be familiar with)   A good question actually. If this question is being asked to you, how'd you answer that?
More About: Funny , Question , Shirt , Good , T-Shirt

Zip Up Hoodies and Tees: Perfect Matches for a Warmer Winter
2008-12-01 18:37:00
Winter is a favorite season of mine because of how gorgeous the world looks under a layer of snow and icicles, but it definitely has some draw backs. Chief among those is that it's often too cold to wear my favorite article of clothing, the t-shirt.Sweaters might be warm and cozy, but those knitted graphics just can't compare to the sheer cool factor of a great screenprint. So instead of jettisoning your tee collection for the season, invest in some cool zip up hoodies and continue displaying your great taste in shirts.Enclothe recently released Marioflauge, which I think is the most impressive gaming-themed hoodie the world has ever known. The all-over print is attractive, colorful and instantly recognizable, and the construction is full of great little extras (I especially dig the thumb holes and the interior iPod pocket). Paired with Threadless's classic This Is Not a Pipe, it lets the world know that you're just as knowledgeable about art and style as you are about video gam...
More About: Winter , Hoodies , Matches , Tees , Perfect

Japanese Folding Technique Inspires Ucon's New Tee Shirt
2008-12-01 03:24:00
  Japanese way of folding T-shirts video was quite a hit sometime back, lots of folks (including me) have tried it out. Although I've never really applied the technique in daily life but it's still quite a magic trick worth to learn -- for me. Ucon's Folding T-shirt represent a respect to the renowned technique. Pictogram design on the shirt leave you an easy guide through the folding process and different colors of the tees to show how it should be folded. Seriously, I just never thought before that someone will come out with design based on this technique. The shirts itself is a part of Ucon 2009 collection. More of Ucon collection on its online catalog and its online shop.
More About: Technique , Shirt , Tee Shirt

The Cool Kids x Karmaloop: $10,000 T-shirt Design Contest
2008-11-30 15:00:00
Okay, this is huge: a $10,000 (not typo!) grand prize for a T-shirt design contest. Karmaloop teams up with of The Cool Kids and come up with Cool Kids Cool Cash contest in search of "illest t-shirt design that exemplifies the style, creativity, originality, and straight up dopeness of the Cool Kids" Ten grands is not a small sum indeed, especially in this bad economy time. So, if you do graphics work -- fire up you Photoshops and send them some really "dopes" designs. Winner will be chosen on or before January, 31 2009. More info of the contest here and feel like browsing? Check out the submissions as well. Good luck :)
More About: Contest , Design , Shirt

Addict Celebrates 10 Years Streetwear Cultures... with Star Wars?
2008-11-29 16:44:00
Here's the story of Addict's new series, as quoted on FUSShop website: ...Over ten years ago we were sat around reading a magazine article about the birth of ‘streetwear’ in the USA. The story documented the significance and importance of Sean Stussy and three other Californian based brands who all played their part in defining the genre we live and work in today, namely Freshjive, X-Large and Fuct..." While some tees are brilliantly produced in collaboration with those established street brands, tees that stand out are actually those which feature Star Wars troopers. If these are what you call street culture (or maybe pop culture?), well I won't complain -- I mean this tees are really good despite the "premium" price -- at £35. anyway, these are more tees in collaboration with others brands via iloveyourtshirt
More About: Years , Cultures

Are you in Tee Shopping Mode? My Huge List Holiday Sale
2008-11-29 05:13:00
Ads Session I got busy recently and have little time to check my email inbox. When I opened it up, whoozzaa! Lots of promotion newsletter from shops for the Holiday s sale -- we should share the same experience. So, I'll just drop my list here. Some, not all, of promos I mention also come from advertisers, street team and affiliate (and so, I label this post as "ads session").  Whether you're still in Black Friday mood or start feeling the heat to grab Christmas shopping bargain, this is the list (in no particular order) T-shirtHumor.com -- Buy Any 2 Items & Get FREE US Shipping. 15% off any order with coupon code: FUNNY ShopEcko -- Free shipping on orders over $100 (unlimited time) and Buy One Get One 50% off -- Offer ends  Dec,1st 2008 at Midnight DeezTeez -- flat rate shipping of $5.75 for US orders, no matter how many tees you buy (limited period) UrbanRetro UK -- Special 3 Day Offer - 25 % off everything. Use the coupon code: XMAS25. Offer...
More About: Shopping , Mode , Sale , List

Obey the Online Store, Where's My Obama Tee?
2008-11-29 03:15:00
Despite the huge list of stockiest and retailers carry its line around the world, nothing stop Obey to have its own online store. As reported by URB Magazine, OBEY clothing -- a brainchild of iconic artist Shepard Fairey -- has just launched an online store, a new website and blog (blog active since September this year) which goes along with Holiday '08 collection. Pricing wise, I don't see that purchasing directly from Obey store will give you better deal, just check out price of 11th Hour T-shirt on Obey Store costs you a $32, while it's only $22 (U.P $28) if you grab it from Karmaloop. Similar to what happen with Obey x Mike Kreshnar, Freedom Cry T-shirt, it's $32 on Obey Store but one buck cheaper on 80spurple.com. Strange, eh? Buying directly from Obey store doesn't equal to better price. And another think that got me thinking is that, the store doesn't even sells the famous Barack Obama - Progress tee (collaboration with Upper Playground). Nevertheless, if you're bi...
More About: Online , Online store

Rhetoric Uses the Whole Tee
2008-11-24 19:48:00
Rhetoric has captured the easiest way to stand out in the t-shirt world: use the shirt differently than the competition. To that end, their collection includes side prints, wraparounds, and even dual-sided tees. As the styles of the artwork span the gamut from sketchy pencils to solid vectors, it's really their unconventional placements that unite the group.Sometimes, as in the case of Melvin, the placement is expressive and artistic. For Slingshot the intent is pure comedy, twisting the concept of a bird shirt by showing the implement of their demise hanging over the back pocket.With a nice range of concepts and styles, not to mention their commitment to using shirt placements that fit the design (instead of just ones that fit their budget), I think it's fair to say that Rhetoric is going places.

Diagramed for Your Enjoyment at Moist Productions
2008-11-24 04:54:00
This is an era when we take our fun pretty darn seriously. Play is a subject studied by serious academics, toys are focus grouped and researched extensively before they even hit the stores, and most people thing nothing of dropping a grand or more on an entertainment system.It's a bit silly, when you get right down to it, and no one exploits the strangeness of our culture's approach to recreation better than Moist Productions. Their designs have all the skill and style of professional anatomy and how-to diagrams, but applied to the toys we all know and love.Shirts like Micro Schematic appeal to the kid in me who just wants to know how things work. Balloon Dog Twister is even useful, giving easy visual directions on how to make your own balloon doggie. It's all pretty hilarious stuff, poking gentle fun at how out of control the world's obsession with play can sometimes be.
More About: Enjoyment

Nice Art Gallery, Decent Printed Tees of Defi the Norm
2008-11-22 14:49:00
Interesting graphic art gallery from  Miami, FL-based Defi the Norm. Seriously, I think these arts should go into printing machine, instead of two decent designs currently up for sale Ghostin' and Continue T-shirts. At least,  stuff the put on the gallery shows some potential this small label has. Don't you agree with me? source: Clothing Wire
More About: Gallery , Tees , Nice , Art Gallery

Free Shipping from Busted Tees, more Obama T's from ChoiceShirts and Design
2008-11-21 16:17:00
Ads Session Busted Tees : From November 21, 2008 and running till November 26 there will be FREE SHIPPING on all orders to the U.S.! Click here to find out more.         Design by Humans starts Holidays sale earlier. Now T-shirts price starts from $15 with 12 reprints of classic tees.  Browse all the tees now, sale ends Nov. 30th, 2008     ChoiceShirts: Get your Obama Shirts For Inauguration Day! Fantastically crafted Tees to mark this great even. Click here to find out more.
More About: Free , Shipping

Single Dominant Color on T-shirt isn't Odd, It's just Oddity
2008-11-19 14:40:00
Sketched-style artworks, with single dominant colors seems works well with  Oddity T-shirts. Regardless how many featured artists contributing to Oddity new collection, there's seems unwritten rule attached that makes the all designs sing the same tune. Meanwhile, everything that's sold by Oddity clothing is printed by hand with, love and soft water-based ink. After hand printed... you know the next words, "limited print". Check out the scoop: Source: Tcritic
More About: Color , Shirt , T-Shirt , Single

Doodles Are Art at Draw Ltd.
2008-11-17 19:53:00
Doodles are universal. From professional artists to kids to accountants, just about everyone makes little sketches in the margins of their notebooks when no one is looking. And too often, no one ever sees them.Draw Ltd. is all about changing that. From their perspective, all drawings are art and thus all of them should get their moment in the sun. It's certainly true that doodles, being less polished than most traditional art, can be incredibly interesting. Because they weren't meant for public viewing, they exhibit a freedom that other art can't match.So far the site's monster-themed collection is proving that doodles can hold their own on a t-shirt. Designs like Monster Clusterf**k and Lenny show that you can get a lot of mileage out of just two colors, and Carrotman indicates a willingness to experiment with shirt placement. It's solid stuff, and has me excited to see what the Handimals set of doodles will contain.
More About: Doodles

Let's get "Back in Black" with Leading T-shirt Graphic Artists and Design b
2008-11-17 18:00:00
I can't give more kudos to duo Hydro 74 (Joshua Smith) and Pale Horse (Chris Parks) for bringing up superb collection, entitled "Back in Black ", by some of the best T-shirt graphic artists I've ever known. If you're regular reader of Cottonable, I'm sure you are not a stranger to names like God Machine (was mentioned here), Jimiyo (mentioned here) or You Work For Them (featured twice!) -- which are participating artist on the list. There will be total 20 participating artists and exhibition to celebrate the launch at Pale Horse Gallery - St. Petersburg, FL. If the place is within your reach, note the date here: November 22nd from 4.PM - 10 PM. During the exhibition you can see (for free) those designs screen printed and displayed on the walls. And purchase the shirts for only $15 bucks.   Won't be there on that date? Me too, but no problem. You can also pre-order the shirts at price of $3 bucks more expensive than if you attend the exhibition (excluding ship...
More About: Design , Artists , Shirt

Ouch, These T-shirts Stabb Me to the Heart
2008-11-16 16:52:00
The two upcoming T-shirt from Ryan a.k.a RustyEight Media will be released on Dec 1st 2008, now available for pre-order via brand Stabb. Judging from the preview design, I can't say more but impressed by design of the shirts. They're bold, attention-grabber and original. And it seems like Emptees folks agree with me too. These tees will be printed on Anvil Fashion Fit and sold for $18 bucks.  More about RustyEight and his on Emptees.
More About: Shirts , Heart , T-Shirts , Ouch , T shirts

Have It Your Way? Custom Made Burger King Apparel
2008-11-16 00:12:00
Ladies and gentlemen, the online t-shirt world has just gotten downright odd. It's seemed for awhile now that just about everyone and their mom had a t-shirt start-up business in the works, and apparently that desire to enter the industry even applies to huge corporations.Because Burger King , Home of the Whopper, has opened Burger King Studio, Home of the Fashion-Fit T-Shirt. At first it feels totally wrong- how could a company that makes bank by adding pounds to the guts of millions possibly expect to succeed by aiming a fashion product squarely at the waifs who worship at the altar of American Apparel ?But really, this initiative is an extension of that long-held BK motto: Have It Your Way. Custom shirts certainly exemplify this- the site includes a build-your-own shirt app that lets the shopper chose which design elements to use and where. Like value meal options in-store, there are also some pre-made options available, ranging from a list of common burger ingredients to colorful...
More About: Made

Collar Free, Quietly Expanding T-shirt Design Competition
2008-11-15 15:14:00
Collar Free might not be T-shirt artists' household brand name. But the ongoing T-shirt design competition which just started in January this year (2008) expanding aggressively by pursuing private equity funding and works with Zazzle - to reach wider audience and have design printed beyond T-shirt but also on the other product like button, mug, poster, etc. Business wise, I'm not sure if this co-branding Collar Free x Zazzle will work well. For one thing, Zazzle site is full of crap, some very good designs, some Walt Disney, Star Wards stuff and so on -- which mean downgrading niche-ness of Collar Free as cutting edge clothing brand supported by indie artists (who enter the competition). An expansion strategy that Threadless always try to avoid. Aside from business issue, I find that Collar Free has its own advantages. First, its battle-like voting (to determine competition winner) is quite fun and very encourage participation to vote. Other advantage that is that the submitted...
More About: Design , Competition , Shirt , T-Shirt

Cottonable is Twittering too
2008-11-14 17:02:00
So, I just started a Twitter account, not very sure how I'm going to use it but since the address is http://twitter.com/cottonable, it should serve cottonable T-shirt blogging purpose. Raise your hand if you disagree :) Promo discount and new T-shirts found, perhaps? What about broader conversation on graphic design, fashion and blogging -- which is also my interest? Please drop me some ideas. Anyway, if you're on Twitter, let me know so I can follow you. Already find people that are no stranger to me like Andy, mel0dy, Rodney B., Hunty, Duncan, Sjors, Patrick and more... Yeah, everyone's on Twitter and it really makes me feel like a laggard.