Gateway T-Shirt by Rob Dobi

Badgirl    T-Shirt Designers, T-Shirt Reviews, T-Shirts     Design By Humans, art shirts, full bleed, rob dobi

It’s been a good few years since we featured Rob Dobi’s work, perhaps one of the greatest artists in the t-shirt industry right now, he’s gone from strength to strength in style and ability, and his choice of subject matter has leant more and more towards the surreal. For those not familiar with his work read ‘Full Bleed Ahead‘ for the full low-down. If you want to see what’s he’s been up to then check out his site at FullBleed.org, however I have to feature one of his most recent creations which has just won it’s rightful place amongst the hallowed halls of Design By Humans. It’s called the Gateway T-Shirt, and speaking personally it’s absolutely beautiful!

An absolutely incredible design oozing sci-fi and fantasy all over the place. I love the extremely delicate use of halftones in this piece, deceptively simple and filled to the brim with a sense of wonder. I think this must be Dobi’s best work yet. It’s available for both men and women for $19 however they’ve sold out of small size tees for women :/  Still you can get yours at http://www.designbyhumans.com/shop/detail/6190.

Whilst I’m at it here are three classic designs redesigned or as he describes it ‘reset’ available at Rob Dobi’s own store FullBleed.org.

Forever Longing T-Shirt available here.

Paint It Red T-Shirt available here.

Work Is For The Birds T-Shirt available here.

Rob Dobi’s client list has exploded over the past few years, just before I scarper check out these big names…

Amazing!

The Sun Always Shines on LadyUmbrella

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     LadyUmbrella, art shirts, girl's t-shirts, girls tees, womens t-shirts, womens tees

For those of the female persuasion we have a real treat for you, a feature on LadyUmbrella, an art t-shirt company based in Ireland, and fuelled by the creative powerhouse that is the Spanish designer Elena Montes Casado. In fact it was her experience of arriving in rainy Dublin directly from the hot and spicy climate of her home in Madrid that prompted her to think of the name. “I saw lots of people with umbrellas and couldn’t really see peoples faces and from that I got the idea…”. Casado’s love of animals also shows through in a lot of her work, birds and beasts of all kinds appear in her art, in her own words “I can’t imagine her talking to human beings so instead she has lots of feathered friends (for now).”

LadyUmbrella is an immediately recognisable character for one very obvious reason, she has an umbrella for a head, don’t laugh, it’s poetic or symbolic or something…

I love the style, it reminds me of animation I used to watch growing up as a kid in Britain, it was so gentle and delicate then, a world away from the slick CGI of nowadays. Dreamy, that’s the word, something along the lines of Crystal Tipps meets the original Moomins.

LU launched their online t-shirt store on the 20th of January 2010 and have created a lovely site and store, and of course collection. The whole feel of the brand is light, slightly dreamy and very delicate, something rare in the world of t-shirt art. So… if you’re ready to meet LadyUmbrella read on! read more

Sale @ Concrete Hermit

admin    T-Shirt News     Concrete Hermit, art, art shirts, t-shirt sale

Here’s a New Year quickie, all tees are on sale at Concrete Hermit right now at 40% off! If you’ve read my review of their shirts and want to grab a bargain now is the time to do it. If you’re into the art there, they also have a sale on all art books too.

Here’s my fave t-shirt there at the moment – Dancer by Mark Taplin – now only £15.

Check the sale out today!

The Tee Tao of Hizoku

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     art shirts, artists, graphic t-shirts, graphic tees, hizoku, hizoku.com, illustrators

Hizoku have lofty ideals, that’s for sure. Their aim to collectively cultivate human creativity is borne out in their high concept, intricately illustrated tees for the t-shirt connoisseur, there’s no doubting that. The supreme message might not be to everyone’s taste, such as the t-shirt blog Hide Your Arms, but it doesn’t take long to realise that once you’ve arrived at Hikozu’s store the results speak for themselves. I don’t really mind what the ultimate aim is for this brand, I just know good t-shirts when I see them, and this label supplies them thick and fast. With a superb team of professional artists and graphic designers working behind the scenes to advance the art of the t-shirt, rest assured Hizoku deliver what they promise.

Names such as Facundo Diaz a prestigious Argentinian graphic/web designer and 3D illustrator, Tony Ariawan an Indonesian designer and 3D illustrator with an incredible eye for light and all its manifest effects, and A. J Dimarucot whose elemental blending of the extremes of traditional art and graphic design all reside in this particular slice of higher consciousness known as Hizoku. For those with their feet firmly planted in the ground, the fact that Dimarucot is a former art director for OgilvyOne be a simpler clue to the extreme high standard of illustration at this beguilingly graphic t-shirt company. Here’s another even bigger sign that Hizoku are probably as hot as an indie t-shirt brand can get, Dimarucot is currently in the top ten designers at Design By Humans, if he’s voted the overall best he’ll be awarded a massive $10,000 – so if you do love his work go and vote for him here.

Hizoku have yet more strings to their proverbial bow, they’re business savvy to the extreme, with freebies pouring out left, right and centre, here’s what you can expect for being a customer at their store.

*Free shipping on all orders over $75 in the USA.
*Customer perks including: Buy 1 item and receive a free sticker pack. Buy 2 for free stickers and a wristband. Buy 3 items for free stickers, a wristband and free shipping. Buy 4 for all of the above plus a free randomly chosen t-shirt!
*Buy 5 shirts or posters for a 12% discount. Buy 10 for a 20% discount. Yep they print posters too at just $10 each!
*Join their Street Team and earn a free shirt for every 5 you sell.

Phew… let’s take a look at our top picks:- read more

Two Tees From Infinite Now

admin    T-Shirt News     The Infinite Now, art shirts, art t-shirts, art tees, designer tees, infinite now, infinite-now-com

The Infinite Now are a brand new t-shirt label, they’ve only two t-shirts on offer right now, which as far as I can recall isn’t exactly infinite, although I have an inkling the reference is more to do with image and design, repetition, the abstract and perhaps even potential. Sean of I-N seems a friendly guy, he’s keen, he’s motivated and he’s already built himself a rather smart site.

I’m always receiving emails from new t-shirt designers asking for my critique regarding everything from website design to t-shirt ideas. When it comes to presentation www.Infinite-Now.com go a long way to offering a perfect example of content over concept, a concept is great, branding is essential, but great products tied with great presentation go far further. If you’re proud of your designs you’ll offer up large and clear photos of your products, Sean’s site does just that.

What’s more I-N are bang on when it comes to quality, with some extremely subtle imagery, good quality printing and a nice line in unique printed labels, this is certainly a brand to watch for the future. Hook up with The Infinite Now at Facebook to learn more about I-N. read more

Simplified Sale!

admin    T-Shirt News     Simplified Clothing, airplane t-shirt, airplane tee, art shirts, art t-shirts, discount tees, simplifiedclothingdesign, t-shirt sale

Here’s a quickie to let you know that SimplifiedClothingDesign.com are running a weekend sale starting lasting until Sunday night at midnight. All of our t-shirts are now $10+ off including free domestic shipping (USA). If you don’t remember our review of Simplified Clothing’s cool tees click here

Here’s my personal fave at SCD’s store right now:-

Airplane Tee

Just $15 for the weekend sale so get down there and grab this classic (and others) dirt cheap! To stay updated on future sales hook up with SC at Facebook and Twitter.

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Always Read The FinePrint!

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     Chicago t-shirts, Chicago tees, Obama, The Fineprint, art, art shirts, art t-shirts, basketball, charity, fine print, limited edition t-shirts

…And Wear It Too. Don’t worry, I’m not about to start dishing out legal advice, The Fineprint are a Chicago-based design company featuring limited- edition apparel and original artwork. Offering a fine line between fashion and art, The FP offer a wider range of highly unique, generously proportioned designs for artistic lovers of limited edition tees. They offer a creative bridge for Chicago artists to reach a wider fan base of customers looking for something a little different for the wardrobe. Selling both apparel and art online they aim to showcase local talent in the Chicago area, providing an arts hub for customers worldwide, Fineprint aim to open the eyes of the art market to the hidden talents of the windy city. The Fineprint prints all of their tees and art in Chicago, using water-based, non-toxic inks that are safe for the consumer, the environment, and their employees.

The FP offer a strong commitment to their local community, and have hooked up with DonorsChoose.org in order to support public school teachers requiring funding for independent projects. The Fineprint have already provided funding for a project that will give young men and women from the Hyde Park Academy High School access to “the Art of Airbrushing”. They aim to fund many more projects for the future with your support.

Artistically The FP’s aspirations are just as lofty with a strong collection of cultural and political tees and prints that reflect Chicago, America and global ideologies in equal measure. Ranging from urban culture to city scapes, the famous and infamous, our relationship with nature and both historical and contemporary art and literature, The Fineprint offer a unique yet eclectic broad brush of ideologies rarely seen as subject matter for the humble tee. Their handmade product range are of a high quality, all hand printed and highly desirable for those seeking alternatives to the mainstream fashion scene. read more

My Designs For Antiphrase

admin    T-Shirt News     Body Electric, Paul Baines, Viral Society, art shirts, graffiti, new tees, t-shirt design, t-shirt designs

In case you’re interested in what I do asides blog my heart out then check out these two designs I have completed for Antiphrase, a French art shirt label with a fair share of artistic credence when it comes to the European graffiti scene. I’m supposed to create 3 designs for them (at the very least), they’ll be setting up my own sub-store on completion of the 3rd and will also begin selling my work via their retail boutique in France, which will be opening in September.

As you might expect, my designs aren’t going to be your run-of-the-mill t-shirts, I am after all an all out weirdo, artistically I probably hark from another dimension, still they seem to think there will be a market for my work. Still here’s a preview of what’s to come at Antiphrase.fr in the near future! read more

Prestigious Tees – An Esteemed Reputation

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     This Is Prestigious, art, art shirts, ethical clothing, illustrated tees, sweatshop free, this is prestigious t-shirts, thisisprestigious.org

The name says it all ThisIsPrestigious.org focus on the heights of perfection whether it be their fine art tees, their dedication to the environment and fair trade, their production process, or their gracious attitude to customer service, be under no illusion that this label means business in a new and forward thinking manner that matches up to expectations of their name. In the t-shirt industry, as with all commercial sectors, and to some degree in life, reputation is everything. If someone makes a promise they cannot keep there are those who are willing to forgive, but for the majority their reputation is tarnished by a lack of providence, no matter the reason or excuse. This Is Prestigious are well aware of the fact that to be a success in this cut-throat market one must make a lasting first impression, and continue to do so whatever trials and tribulations may cross their path.

TIP offer a refreshingly open and welcoming way of doing business, providing a straightforward store in a straightforward manner, holding their heads high in everything they do, in order to satisfy both their own personal needs as creative people and in offering an incomparable service that they themselves would expect to receive no matter what the sector. William Matte, Jr. along with a hand-picked group of select artists aim to raise the expectations of almost every aspect of the t-shirt market, carefully designing and producing products they know both they and their customers will be proud of, dealing with those who buy their tees as people rather than numbers, and making sure that their impact on the ecology is kept to an absolute minimum whilst in their own small way bringing attention to the plight of those less fortunate and the exploitative working conditions in many countries today.

Their t-shirts equate to an expressive collection of vibrant colour and sumptuous illustration that one would normally expect from the fine arts market, stretching the boundaries of what is considered the norm in urban fashion design and forever heading onwards to a broader horizon of historical and abstract influences in their exploration of perfect design. Their choice of colours, tones and hues reflect a love and longing for the glorious diorama of the American landscape, from the sun-kissed beaches to the busy metropoli to the Shamanic desert skyscapes beyond. Never obvious in their interpretations TIP have managed to walk a fine line between pure art and pure design. invoking more emotional than intellectual response in their loyal following and beyond.

This Is Prestigious – an apt description for a label with the highest of artistic and business sensibilities. read more

Get Your Teeth In To FreeGums

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     Freegums, T-Shirts, art shirts, com, funny tees, graphic t-shirts

So who, what, why where? Well it all began (for us here) when Rohan from Fabnob.com.au (a fashion writer and devoted fan of Buy Tees) told us about their latest interview with Alvaro Ilizarbe aka Freegums – we were pretty impressed with the interview and not being au fait with FG we decided to investigate further. Alvaro is what you might call a Renaissance Man, no I don’t mean he wears a doublet and stockings and a feather in a velvet cap quoting Shakespeare at any opportune moment, well maybe he does but he obviously keeps that aspect of his life close to his heart, no I mean the guy is multi-talented and happy with almost any creative medium. By the way in case you’re wondering the name ‘Freegums’ was originally the name of Alvaro’s party nights, don’t ask me why, I’ve no idea.

He used to run house parties, he once drove an ice-cream van full of art around South Florida promoting and selling new contemporary art, oh and as you might have guessed he makes great t-shirts. If you want the full low-down on what makes Alvaro check out this great interview at Fabnob otherwise stick around and check out what all the fuss is about! read more