Bang On Target at SharpShirter.com

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Dan Lachman, the guy behind the awesome t-shirt company SharpShirter.com is a bona fide genius, he’s not an artistic genius, although he certainly has an eye for great artistic talent, he’s a genius at organisation, persistence and at applying his unique and rather surreal world view on the urban fashion market. As Dan has admitted himself he can only manage to scrawl the occasional stick figure design, but unlike lesser mortal souls out there he didn’t let that rather massive obstacle stumble him towards his vision of conquering the arty end of the t-shirt market. He might not quite be there just yet, but this is definitely a man to keep an eye on, his label Sharp Shirter is guaranteed to raise a few eyebrows, the beauty of the label’s designs, their strangely evocative logic and marvellously illustrative quality have to be seen to be believed. Dan has poached some of the finest artists and t-shirt designers from Threadless.com and provided them with a warm and safe (virtual) home where they can subsist on coffee, beer, cookies, praise and cash plus the knowledge that they will receive the respect they deserve without a hoard of lesser talents having a dig at them every five minutes.

Dan the man shoots high, and from what I’ve seen he’s bang on target. Sharp Shirter isn’t ever going to be a bland mainstream label, you can tell that straight away, but as far as cult followings go this humble t-shirt label is rapidly going from strength to strength selling in 60 stores worldwide with over 100 products including t-shirts, hoodies, pullovers, dresses, and even laptop and phone skins! I can’t really describe this art collective’s designs en masse, each created by one of a small army of highly talented artists under the banner of Sharpshirter, the styles are eclectic, and vary wildly from the beautiful to the hilarious to the stunning and shocking. However, to make my life easier I too can use the power of image to explain exactly what the hell I’m harping on about here.

Working alongside Dan are the venerable ‘El Perro‘ his fab website designer and his roomate and best bud Andrew Kneynsberg, as soon as Dan graduates from Wesleyan University the three of them plan to take the label to a whole new level, if you want to watch the rise of an art fashion collective that’s guaranteed to expand in leaps and bounds, then Sharp Shirter is definitely a fine example of the American Dream at work. Well I’m not American but I’m guessing it looks something like this. The fact is weird is good, art as fine as this can’t be beaten, and t-shirts are the coolest way to show the world just how savvy your eye for fashion retailing really is – with all that under your collective belts you can’t go far wrong in my eyes!

Look up, up there, it’s the Sharp Shirter, he’s aiming at you, but as long as you have great taste in highly evocative and artistic urban wear it shouldn’t be too painful

Banana Split Tee

Okay first off, the Banana Split Tee is an amazing design, I mean beautifully drawn, it’s straight out of a Victorian engraving or something along those lines. I’m showing you the men’s ($22 S-XL) version because I think it works so much better against this colour, the women’s ($23 S-L) version is in sunshine yellow, which probably appeals to many women but I don’t think it does the design justice. Personally I wouldn’t wear it, I’m not sure how well it sells as a man’s tee, but in this colour for women would most likely rocket their sales, then again what do I know? Still one hell of a design, it’s quirky, it’s sweet without being sickly, and yet so subtly brutal – I honestly think it would stand up well as a large poster print if Sharp Shirter ever felt like venturing that way. It’s a little frustrating not knowing who drew what, perhaps a smidgeon of a link to the artist would be nice, although I do like the “no description” approach to the store. It’s nice to have a breather from people like me who just write on and on and on and…

Rhino Hunter Tee

Dan particularly wanted this t-shirt featured, nicely drawn and both funny and insightful as a design, Rhino Hunter is the fourth installment of the “When Animals Attack” series. There are quite a few animal tees at Sharp Shirter, it’s nice to know they have their priorities right, if you check out the Sharp Shirter Blog you’ll see some photos of Dan’s hedgehog family, I’ve never seen them so close up, the baby ones are cute, I don’t ‘do’ cute, but I couldn’t help it, I guarantee at least one “ahh” from each of you no matter however tough you may think you are. The sad thing about this t-shirt for me is that in truth very few animals (if any) out there stand a chance against humans, guns or no guns. Whenever I see a news story about angry local residents complaining that they’re being overrun by wildlife I always side with the animals. They’re only rummaging in the bins because there’s nowhere else for them to go. As a kid I remember strolling around zoos and museums filled with dead stuffed animals and thinking how much longer before that’s all we’ll have? Okay political nearly broadcast over, I’d just say two more on the subject “Soylent Green“. Lol. Anyway you can buy Rhino Hunter for $22 here.

Well of Tears Tee

This is as good as it gets for me, I love perspective drawings, moody designs, a sense of expectation can go a long way. Well of Tears is a perfectly illustrated t-shirt available for both men ($22) and women ($23) in navy blue. Minimalist yet power packed with subjective line and expression, it’s a beauty. Fantastic shading on the bricks and such a delicate line of sight between the rope and the shaft of light casting down from above. What can I say – superb.

Mushroom Princess Top

The Mushroom Princess Top – another one for the girls, although I can see this as part of a series, how about a mushroom giant or mushroom god? To be honest it looks like the designer may have has some special mushroom tea to get inspiration for this one. The mushrooms look a little like Fly Agaric to me, blowing on the wind, transforming into some kind of breed of flying jellyfish. Yes I’ve been there and it’s nothing like the movie ‘Shrooms’ which wholeheartedly sucks. A few waves of light, a few giggles and a nice warm feeling as long as you wash the dirt off. (Disclaimer: this blog doesn’t condone anything nawty). Anyway I know a few women who’d love this design, I’m sure it sells very well. A great illustration, subtle, a tad hippie but it definitely does what it says on the label. Have a nice trip Available for $23 here.

SharpShirter.com is so worth checking out, if you love your t-shirts illustrated with aplomb, if you want to wow your arty friends with your incredible taste in attire, you know where to go now Keep sharp, keep shooting – cheers to Dan for the heads up.

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