Solid As A Rock – Concrete Hermit

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     British fashion, Concrete Hermit, UK art, UK t-shirts, art t-shirts, concretehermit.com, illustration tees, urban art

First off if you’ve already discovered the visual exuberance and style of Concrete Hermit then head on over to www.ConcreteHermit.com where they’re offering a 10% discount – just enter HERMITCHRISTMAS at the checkout – it applies to all their products in the run up to Christmas. If not, read on. I’ve only just discovered Concrete Hermit myself after receiving a friendly email from Charlie Hood who works at their East End London shop and gallery regarding the pre-Xmas sale and a forthcoming new season of tees for 2010. However let’s begin at the beginning, CH are all about the art, that’s a fact, if you’re like me and like your art with an urban slant then you’re in luck. CH’s store offers a salubrious feast for the eyes including t-shirts, sweatshirts, screen prints, posters, original art, books and even vinyl toys. There’s also limited edition CDs and postcards on offer, plus regular exhibitions at their gallery in Club Row that have featured such luminaries of the graphic design, illustration, fashion, and urban arts scene as Anthony Burrill, Lazy Oaf, Jeremyville and Eskimopush.

There are t-shirts on offer by many of Concrete Hermit’s past exhibitors as well as their Tate Modern series, and all I can say is expect eclectic, the styles vary from artist to artist, and every one of them shines with that street savvy East End style you’d expect from the British urban arts scene. Time and time again I come across street, graffiti and urban artists and galleries online, people I can visually and creatively connect with on so many levels, and more and more I am convinced I am seriously missing out on what maybe the most exciting explosion in visual arts in London for quite some time now. It’s difficult for me being based way out here on the coast to really keep up with all the goings on there, but thankfully sites like Concrete Hermit keep me up-to-date and I’m grateful for it. Who knows, if my proverbial ticket ever crops up perhaps I can one day afford to relocate to the heart of the street art community, but for now, as I say, it’s good to know that sites like this can provide me and many others in my position with the cultural lifeline we so desperately need!

So, let’s get back to the point of this post, the t-shirts, and here we go with a few of my favourite picks at Concrete Hermit:-

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Wake Up… It’s Lazy Oaf!

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     British fashion, Lazy Oaf, UK fashion, indie scene, lazyoaf.co.uk

If there’s one thing British indie fashion collective Lazy Oaf aren’t, it’s lazy. The highly energetic creative bunch at LazyOaf.co.uk have a wide (and I mean as wide as the Blackwall Tunnel) range of just about everything under the sun that can hold one of their uniquely zany illustrations, produced by one of a small army of artists under their wing.

Lazy Oaf’s big bright pop art tees are a familiar sight around London, delivering a quirky sense of humour and a fresh alternative to many of the major labels, this is a truly emancipated label run by a team of frenetically creative women from their studios in the East End. The Oaf’s are slap bang in the heart of London’s urban art scene, within spitting distance of a wealth of excellent indie galleries and often contribute to print projects, exhibitions and events.

Founded by Gemma Shiel back in 2001, selling hand screen printed tees from a market stall in East London, the Lazy Oaf empire hasn’t looked back since, selling their fabulous wares via a whopping 150 stockists worldwide. In 2004 saw they set up what will most probably be the first of many retail stores, if you’re in Soho it’s well worth a visit, where you can see all their collections and further Oaf oddities sourced from Japan and the US first hand.

If you love the 80′s, pop art and a wacky sense of humour you’ve come to the right place. Here’s a few tasty morsels to whet the appetite:-

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