Win $1250 – Springleap Contest

admin    T-Shirt Contests     crowdsourcing, springleap, t-shirt competition, t-shirt contest

Springleap have hooked up with Vodacom in South Africa to offer a very generous $1250 in their latest contest, yep that’s US dollars and not South African Rand, so if you’ve got some design talent and you’ve never tried your luck there, this would be the time to start! The theme is “connectivity”, essentially it’s all a clever piece of marketing for a phone company who’s marketing department seemed to have got caught up in the whole idea of crowdsourcing, people hooking up with each other, that kind of jazz. Anyway, forget the hype, all you need to know is that:

The deadline for submissions to win $1250 is March 25th 2011.

The theme is “connectivity” and in particular imagining a life without Vodacom, without SMS (without mobile phones beeping incessantly… trains full of business jerks texting Eastern European call girls because their wives are screwing their fitness coaches… interruptions at dinner, or when you’re getting it on with that someone special… a life without mobile phones? Bliss.)

If you’re not a member then sign up at www.springleap.com and get cracking on that vision of a quieter, better dull and boring world without Vodacom!

Are T-Shirt Communities A Rip-Off?

admin    T-Shirt Articles     Design By Humans, T-Shirt Designers, Teextile, Threadless, cafepress, crowdsourcing, spreadshirt, t-shirt communities

I love t-shirts, that should be pretty much apparent to anyone who reads this blog, and I alongside a vast majority of fans of t-shirt arts was excited by the development of Threadless and other t-shirt communities out there across the world. But, and it’s a big but, as with almost all business sectors, there’s good practice, bad practice, and quite a wide range in between. Now, I know how it feels to be ripped off, we have all, in our lives from time to time, experienced a “poor deal” at the very least, and sometimes downright theft. There are charlatans across the globe, pervading all kinds of product and service based industries, who’s sole intention is to grab your money and run. Fortunately the vast majority of companies realise that without long term customer loyalty there’s little chance of them going on a “rip off” rampage and getting away with it, not including those that have almost sole or shared monopoly of a retail sector, banking being a good example of bad practice.

As with the rest of the business world, the t-shirt sector has its “bad apples”, one of the first to come to my attention following an initially positive review here at Buy Tees was Teextile.com. They still remain the worst offenders in poor if not non-existent customer service, sending out t-shirts late, sometimes never at all, and even neglecting to pay their designers. Today I received another comment at my post Teextile – A Rip Off? which highlights all the crimes and misdemeanours of this relatively young venture into the world of t-shirt crowdsourcing. Here’s what the designer Warren Hart had to say on the matter:

“I let them use one of my designs ( SLF ryu shirt ) (http://www.fourninjas.com/shop/product/1006828) to sell in January of 2010. They have yet to pay me a dime for the amount of shirts they sold. In total they owe me about $300. For months I’ve asked and asked for my money and nothing. Just one sob story after another. They were quite rude to me as well. Now they don’t even respond. P.S. Tanga.com have ripped off my design as well.“

A few days ago I also received a comment from a reader complaining about the French t-shirt community site Wordans.com:

“Wordans has very poor business skills! I ordered shirts for a festival I was attending, their web-site claimed it would take 5-10 days and it took my shirts over 16 business days to reach me. When I cancelled my order they said they would not give my money back and I should have put a rush on my order even though I ordered with more than sufficient time!“

Now, despite the awful example of Teextile, perhaps the most crooked and conceited t-shirt community on record (read these comments to see why!), I might be blowing things out of proportion. Although I have a suspicion that most t-shirt buyers experiencing problems with customer service and shipping times may simply be on the receiving end of companies that are a victim of their own success. For every Threadless, Design By Humans, Cafepress and Spreadshirt out there, obversely there are dozens (if not hundreds) of failing t-shirt companies and ‘Print On Demand’ t-shirt sites, and it’s simply a matter of under-manning and underfunding. Without enough staff and a decent contingency fund there’s little most t-shirt companies, or any company for that matter, can do when demand outstrips supply.

Then again, I’d like to see a single instance of say a car designer, a commercial architect, or a governmental advisor in a quango who hasn’t received monies for their services. The truth is that certain t-shirt communities out there are getting a very bad reputation amongst designers, far worse than they will have garnered through a dissatisfied clientèle. Without design, the lifeblood of all t-shirt communities, there is no community, there are no t-shirts, no customers, no profits, absolutely zilch. It seems extremely short-sighted for any company, no matter what they sell, to cheat their own designers, do they think we are all fools?

The time is at hand, I believe, to stand up against the commercial bullies, the cheats, the crooks and the thieves in the t-shirt industry, and the best place to start is with the current worst offenders, Teextile.com.

Above is a button to include on your own blog, site, or social network page if you want to help stop this ever pervading problem. If you wish you can link to this post or http://buy-tees.net/2010/03/teextile-a-rip-off

or not, the choice is yours. I simply think it would be a good idea to make it clear that we’re not going to take this s*** off any t-shirt community again. In the UK we have something called Trading Standards that to a degree can guarantee customer rights, along with our own Statutory rights. In America the best they can offer is the Better Business Bureau which seems to be something of a voluntary organisation with little legal clout and a tendency to ignore those companies that haven’t signed up to their register. Useless.

What we really need is an independent body, funded by all the major t-shirt sites as mentioned before, i.e Threadless, DBH, Cafepress, Spreadshirt etc. This body would essentially provide a seal of approval for new and old t-shirt communities, including a ratings system that is recognised world-wide by the industry and the buying public. The ball is in their court now, who knows, if we all stand together on this it might just happen.

British Tees at MySoti

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     Brit, British, British T-Shirt, MySoti, UK, crowdsourcing

London-based MySoti.com is one of very few British companies online offering a crowdsourcing t-shirt service comparable with the likes of Threadless. Don’t expect any big prizes for designers, they take a more pragmatic approach to pricing allowing their creatives (from around the globe) to add the commission of their choice to their own products. There’s a good selection of talent at the store and plenty more in the wings awaiting your votes. I really liked the look and feel of MySoti and decided to sign up as a designer myself. They don’t just sell t-shirts, they offer art prints and would you believe it lampshades too? That’s a new one on me, but I did have fun designing my own lampshade and have already submitted it along with a couple of tees for voting.

As a matter of interest I’m guessing the site’s name is based on the (slightly more) sophisticated alternative to the awful netspeak for laughter “LOL” meaning laugh out loud. SOTI means “smirking on the inside”. Then again I could be wrong and it could be a reference to sex on the ice, but that’d be a long shot ;) The site is pretty sophisticated too, with an ultra clean design every little interaction seems somehow smoother and quicker than most stores, fans and designers should find it a breeze to shop, vote or upload a submission.

Here’s my latest submission based on a piece of mine called ‘Pearly King’, basically a vision of an alternative reality where Elvis was born within the sound of Bow Bells. Let the Dick Van Dyke impressions commence!

Pearly King T-Shirt

If you’re a member at MySoti I’d appreciate a few votes! Here’s a few more up for the vote that deserve a boost…

Storm In A Teacup T-Shirt

Here’s a great use of the classic Japanese painting The Great Wave by Hokusai. Designed by Ross Robinson who from his profile photo where he’s wearing a Union Jack tee I’m guessing he’s British, then again featuring anything connected with tea in a t-shirt design is another big giveaway. I love this design, it’s deceptively simple yet beautifully drawn. Vote for it or buy it for £21.56 in all sizes and plenty of colours here – only available in a  men’s style?!

Epic Rock Paper Scissors Battle T-Shirt

This is a superb design by YAWN, I really like this designer’s sense of humour, and they have a really great talent for eyecatching illustration. There are a few more by YAWN worth checking out including Ice Is Nice! and Nerd Gets Hurt. If you fancy voting for any of their designs check out YAWN’s profile. Their Epic Rock Paper Scissors Battle T-Shirt is available for Girls, Guys and Kids in plenty of sizes and colours from £15.59 here.

Marilyn Sane T-Shirt

Probably my fave tee at MySoti right now this is the one that got away from Warhol, well if he’d been into early 1970s British Rock. I actually own a copy of the album “Aladdin Sane” by David Bowie, he was going through his Thin White Duke phase when he wrote it, although the make-up is straight from his Ziggy Stardust wardrobe. There are a couple of cool songs on it but try Lodger, Heroes or Low for the real deal. You can’t get more Pop Art than this shirt, a great design by RikkiB available for Kids, Girls, Guys and Onesies from £21.67 in a range of colours, vote for it or buy it here.

Why not vote for a few more, upload your own or even buy a few tees with a more British feel at www.MySoti.com?

Get Ready For A Shirt Fight!

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     T-Shirt Votes, Threadless, crowdfunding, crowdsourcing, shirt fight, shirtfight.com, t-shirt community, t-shirt contest, tee community

Floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee, welcome to Shirtfight.com, the latest addition to the ever expanding crowdfunding t-shirt market that brings designers and fans together for an all out battle of graphic prowess, urban style and community spirit.

We received a request recently (sorry have been on the razzle all weekend) for a review from Miss Etti, one of the crazy people at Shirt Fight and couldn’t resist the chance to open up your eyes to this relatively new t-shirt contest site offering weekly themed design competitions aptly named “Shirt Fights”. They’ve already got a few winners under their belt and have plenty more in the running. The site is slick yet friendly and they go out on a limb to make sure their community gets the full lowdown on each of their winning designers.

Check out their interview with Evanimal – their first winner and their hand picked top 10 heavyweights. SF offer a whopping $500 for a winning design so if you have the talent and are out of pocket it’s well worth knocking out a tee and seeing if it lasts the gruelling rounds. There are plenty of ways of keeping up-to-date with all the latest happenings at SF including Twitter, Facebook, RSS and the blog. However as you may have guessed we’re going to focus on the t-shirts, that is why you’re here after all?

read more

Big Changes At Cameesa.com

admin    T-Shirt News     Cameesa.com, T-Shirts, cameesa, crowdfunding, crowdsourcing, free shipping, t-shirt competition, t-shirt contest, tees, tshirts

If you haven’t heard of Cameesa.com before they’re a crowdfunding/crowdsourcing t-shirt store in the same vein as Threadless, Springleap and others in the market. They help connect artists with fans as many do however they’ve taken this business model a step further encouraging more commitment from t-shirt fans by encouraging them to be sponsors. We have featured Cameesa before at Cameesa.com Crowdfunding Fashion last September and they’re going from strength to strength, building up their fan base and database of top designers.

Here’s the latest news straight from Kamil, one of the team at Cameesa -

* They’ve lowered support amounts from $20 down to $10, so now you can support a tee for just $10 or wait to buy it for $18+
* There’s Free Shipping on everything from March 20th-27th so hurry down there now!

What’s more if your fave tee doesn’t make the grade you can reclaim your sponsorship, in fact you’ll get 110% back just for your trouble!

Whilst I’m at it here’s a few of their latest t-shirts on offer… read more

Word Up To Wordans

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     European tees, French T-Shirts, Wordans, Wordans.com, cafepress, collective, crowdsourcing, designer t-shirts, t-shirt community, zazzle

Antoine the co-founder at Wordans.com t-shirt community gave us a shout at Buy Tees for a review. The site is in many ways a pretty straightforward Zazzle or Cafepress clone, except for a few vital differences. Sure the site design is clearer and friendlier than many of its competitors out there (which there are more than a few now), and yes there’s an English and French speaking version for all the Euro t-shirt fans and designers seeking something just that little bit different than the norm. But what struck me immediately about Wordans is the fact you’ll find no trace of tacky mugs and mouse mats and gawd knows what else their competitors like to dabble in. What’s more they actually have some really decent designers under their wing, and they make sure you know it! read more

Chill out with Threadless in Iceland!

admin    T-Shirt News     Iceland, T-Shirts, Threadless, collective, crowdsourcing, holidays, prizes, t-shirt competition, t-shirt contest, threadless.com, travel

Threadless.com‘s business timing couldn’t be better, sure it may just be the grizzled old cynic in me that can’t resist pointing this one out, but have you heard about the state of Icelandic’s economy these days? On average their prices for everything from hotels to food to shopping and bars are down around 40% compared to last year. So even if you don’t win their latest competition, it shouldn’t break the bank if you fancy popping over there for a while. Still it’s always nice to get a freebie, and with the latest theme of ‘Threadless Loves Travel’ you’ll have a pretty wide remit as far as design briefs go.

I’ve just got back from Morocco so the wild and frenzied culture of North Africa is still spinning through my mind, but to be honest you could choose anywhere and anything, be it the Great Pyramids of Egypt or the Great Wall of China, an Amazonian adventure, a flight into space, I’m not sure if time travel would count (although I’d be game – would be handy for the lottery numbers).

Whatever you fancy creating for the contest make sure you submit your work by their deadline for entries on October 22, 2008. Their contest is sponsored by Icelandair, action sports accessories company Dakine, IES Abroad (Institute for the International Education of Students), and even the band Calexico, are each making it possible for the best design to take to the skies in style. The creator of the winning design will receive a bounty of travel goodies including two round-trip tickets to Iceland on Icelandair, a $1k credit to a travel site of his or her choosing, courtesy of IES, a Dakine Split Roller 90 Travel Bag, and a personalized song, written by Calexico, inspired by the winning design.

Cameesa.com – Crowdfunding Fashion.

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     Cameesa.com, T-Shirt Votes, Threadless, cameesa, crowdfunding, crowdsourcing, dbh, t-shirt voter.t-shirt affiliate, t-shirt voting

Here’s a new crowdsourcing t-shirt site to add to the fold (the more the better) called Cameesa.com – however there seems to be one distinct advantage for Cameesa supporters (aka customers) compared to other grander operations like Threadless and DesignByHumans and that’s the fact that they actually reward them for their efforts.

Essentially for the first time fans and artists can be in business together. Each artist issues 50 ‘parts’ (shares) per design, parts cost $20 each which totals $1000 per t-shirt. Together, the artist’s supporters have to raise $1,000 to get the design of their choice fully supported. Each part earns the supporter 3 cents per sale, and each supporter receives a free limited edition t-shirt as part of the package.

The artist earns $500 for each fully-supported design, plus a free t-shirt and a whopping $2 per sale to top it off. read more

Political T-Shirt Elections at CollarFree.com

admin    T-Shirt News     McCain, Obama, US Elections, collarfree, collarfree.com, crowdsourcing, political t-shirts, us politics, usa

CollarFree.com are on a mission to make politics ‘more friendly’ and I wish them all the luck in the world, but I have a sneaking feeling they will be in a minority. On a commercial level I can completely understand what they’re doing, they don’t want to cut their target audience in half, i.e anyone in the world who both buys t-shirts and has a political opinion, which is quite a few I’d surmise.

However most people with a political opinion don’t particularly like the opposition, I doubt that many Americans out there who’d vote for Obama would have any kind words for McCain and vice-versa. The truth is electoral politics lives and breathes the antagonism of difference, without it the debate becomes stale, although it could be said that parties in power immediately switch to a politics of indifference in an effort to avoid being torn apart by the arguments of an unsatisfied and even angry electorate. I can’t think of a single political campaign that hasn’t sunk to the depths of bickering, sniping, and personal insults that CF obviously want to avoid. read more