CUC is what I’d call a “real” fashion brand, high quality and confident branding whilst creating a unified style for their collection – which is not an easy thing to do. I’m not so keen on the pocket logo apparel, I remember as a kid everyone buying Lacoste sweaters sporting a tiny crocodile logo. A savvy kid at the school yard asked his dad, who ran an embroidery business, to print up a few hundred tiny crocodile patches. Yes he sold out the first day. I didn’t even buy one of those. Still, even if I am a fashion Marxist I can still appreciate their more creative graphic shirts and the inventive use of their rather groovy logo in their collection. Expect plenty of ice cream themed tees – I’ve even included one in this post. All the tees are unisex and sell for between £20 and £22 (except one on sale for £16) each and are available in a wide range of colours dependent upon the design. Sizes range from XS-L and I’ve noticed a few discontinued t-shirts so watch out – when they’re sold out they’re really sold out.

CU wanted me to mention that their latest collection will be released Wednesday 17th November in celebration of their third anniversary – but as usual I’m featuring my faves across the board.

Tag Foil Tee

Higgledy Tee

Spaceman Tee

Scribbles Tee

All in all there’s some very cool stuff on offer at Cheer Up Clothing, personally speaking I love the Spaceman Tee – but I always like astronaut-themed tees. Maybe it’s something to do with wanting to be a spaceman as a kid and then discovering that I sucked at maths.

Anyhoo, take a look for yourself, it might just put a smile on your face… www.CheerUpClothing.com.

GoApeShirts.com

All of Go Ape’s shirts and hoodies are screen printed by the highly professional Mammoth Printshop of Alabama on American Apparel products, so you’re rest assured everyone of their tees is both sweatshop-free and of the highest quality. Shipping is $4.50 for one shirt and $1.00 more for each additional shirt after that. Orders outside of the USA, Canada, and Mexico are a flat $4.00 extra per order. They also say they accept design submissions, but be warned, Go Ape are highly selective, so all designers out there, prepare for disappointment!

Some of the current designers on their books include Leon Ryan (who also designed their superb logo), Julian Glander, Hong Kong’s Graphic Airlines, Henrique Lima, John Mitchell (whose sketches lie precariously in between Aubrey Beardsley and Ralph Steadman – the illustrator for Hunter S. Thompson‘s Fear and Loathing in  Las Vegas), Olly Moss, UPSO, Cloxboy and far too many more to mention. Still you get the idea, this is a classy operation, as far as the design department goes anyway. So, let’s go ape and check out some of their finest tees on offer at the moment…

Killovision T-shirt

This one’s been around for a few years but due to popular demand the Killovision tee has been reprinted and is available now in all sizes for $18. A truly madly deeply retro spectacular from the twisted visionary mind of Aaron Hogg. He’s designed another great shirt for Go Ape Shirts, check out his reassuringly subversive Face of Capitalism tee.

The Ultimate Cute T-shirt

Although it’s available for men and women, The Ultimate Cute t-shirt by Christian San Jose is most definitely aimed at the latter. As it happens small sizes for women are already sold out, although it’s still available in all other sizes for guys and girls at $18. If you’re up for an overload of cuteness, this tee, which I am sure would be a definite contender for the Japanese flag should they ever want a redesign from their sole red spot. A shirt that is the stuff of nightmares for red-blooded blokes and that of dreams for girls, of course there are always exceptions I am sure :0

I’m Walken on Sunshine T-shirt

I think it’s true to say that when it comes to Lunchbox Brain you either love his style or… well you don’t. Something akin to Beavis and Butthead when it comes to illustration, I’m not saying it’s outsider art, but there’s definitely a strong sense of naïveté in LBB’s crazy scribblings. This is most definitely a LBB classic, the I’m Walken on Sunshine shirt has been around a couple of years now and the fact there are still a few sizes left means Go Ape have either reprinted or… well this particular shirt requires an acquired taste. Still I like it, I’m always up for a good pun ;) Available for $18 in sizes small and large for girls and small and medium for guys.

Hip Hop Hibernation T-shirt

Ed Pincombe has to be one of my all-time personal favourite t-shirt designers, a winner of plenty of contests at Threadless his style exudes woodcut, he’s even featured in a list of 10 Amazing T Shirt Designer Portfolios at Color Overload which is well worth checking out if you’re looking for the best of the best. The detail in his Hip Hop Hibernation shirt is exquisite, love the fur and the bling on this one. Get it in all sizes for $18 here.

Do take a look at the whole collection at www.GoApeShirts.com – there’s definitely no monkeying around when it comes to quality at this label!

I asked Joyce about the name, “it’s simply a happy accident, a random blending of two words to form a new oxymoron.” Much like her t-shirt designs which are for the main part collages/photo montages, peppered with rather funky typographic and abstract experiments. Joyce lists her influences far and wide, being inspired by the fine arts, abstract graphics, nature, music, streetwear, and high fashion, her tastes and style are indeed eclectic.

There are only a few tees on offer at the moment, but rest assured more are to come, still what there is on offer is top quality so… let’s get toasty ;)

Deer T-shirt

Nicely drawn, though I am guessing this a piece of appropriated illustration, most likely a 18th or 19th century engraving. Still it exudes style all the same. Get it for $24 in sizes S to L here.

Meat T-shirt

Love it, hoping it’s bacon as they’d pretty rather stingy steaks, very Warhol in a fashion, and an appropriated image that seem so out of place on a t-shirt, yet still it works. I feel the pinkish hue of the t-shirt truly tops this surprisingly abstract, bold and a brave design. Get the Meat T-shirt for $24 in sizes S to L here.

Music T-shirt

Here’s a gorgeous example of typographic prowess, it makes me feel nostalgic for the 80′s, which if you lived through it know it wasn’t all that. So Joyce has definitely worked the magic on this tee as far as I am concerned. If you’re into retro with a slicker sleeker Euro look, graphically hovering somewhere between iD Magazine and the intro titles for TOTP then this is the one for you. Get the Music T-shirt for $24 in sizes S to L here.

Bike T-shirt

Love it. I have to hand it to Joyce, she really has an eye for simple yet effective design, you can see her art direction background coming through in this collection. The Bike t-shirt is no exception to the rule, a lovely piece of Victorian illustration, Penny Farthings are the bomb. If you’ve never seen the old 1960′s TV weirdness that is The Prisoner, do, it gets silly by the last episode but honestly the trippiest slice of television you’ll see in a long time. Anyway, if you fancy it the Bike T-shirt is available for $24 in sizes S to L here.

Keep an eye out for Delete Toast, I do hope Joyce keeps it simple, love the plain names and weird imagery. Definitely a future contender!

Some seem a little too reminiscent of the Arsenal Vector Collection at GoMedia.us for my liking, who personally I’d say do as much damage as they do good for the t-shirt industry. The reason being that even graphic elements can lose their visual currency over the long term, as they say “familiarity breeds contempt”, although I wouldn’t go that far, I’d always advise t-shirt designers to merely use these vector packs for inspiration and never paste vectors straight from the DVD.

Still judging by their latest release and others of a similar ilk, strong character-based designs with a sideline of puns for good measure, pulling back from the abstracts, and focusing more on artistic / humour shirts which they do so well, I have a feeling in my bones that 7th Ink are on the verge of leaping into the big league …if they keep this up. So here are my top pick of t-shirts at Seventh Ink, and what’s more, some good reasons why:-

Tyrannosaurus Rockstar

This is a beaut, this is exactly the direction that Seventh.Ink should follow, and then some. Their very latest tee entitled Tyrannosaurus Rockstar is available on pre-order right now for guys and girls for a measly $15 in sizes S to XXL (add $1.67 for XXL). It’s funny, it’s concise, it’s original, its’ perfectly executed, a stunning piece of composition, this design does exactly what it says on the label. Love the colour combo, some very subtle shading on the teeth, a great use of a partial silhouette style and what’s more the vector elements of this tee have been kept to a minimum, just a little for the background to draw the viewer’s attention to the central character. I love the spittle detail too. Rest assured if 7th Ink keep going in this direction they will quickly raise their profile to a whole new level!

Liftoff Tee

This is 7th Ink’s best selling t-shirt for the girls, and no wonder, this cheeky chappie is as subtle as they come, designed to literally pull on the heart strings of a throng of female tee fans out there, who I am sure are still queuing up to this day to get a slice of √ºber cuteness. Again, vector elements form the background, this time graphically gesturing at plumes of smoke, forming the stage for another powerfully conceived and memorable character. The Liftoff Tee is available for girls in sizes S to XXL for $17.99 (add $2 for XXL) here.

Night Of The Living Bread Tee

Possibly my favourite at 7th Ink right now, another pun tee, but a great one. I have to admit the state that bread can get in if left neglected in the kitchen for a few days is horrifying. I worked in a vast bakery as a teenager one summer, let’s just say I can tell you a dozen reasons why it gets that way, but I don’t want to put you off your toast :P I love the decayed look to this design, a great composition yet again, far more freehand styling than others in the collection, love the detailed crusts, vacant expressions. Once again a very strong t-shirt that must be high up in 7th Ink’s all-time best-sellers. Get this modern day classic for guys and girls for $17.99 in all sizes (add $2 for XXL) here.

Sound The Forgiveness Tee

The thinking behind Sound The Forgiveness has a personal significance for Matthew, and you can tell, no puns, a subtle message, simple yet uplifting colour scheme of white ink on an aqua tee. In his interview at TMO he describes it as being “about the ebb and flow in relationships, how you need to be able to stop, chill, and listen even when you have a voice inside your head screaming to get out.” It’s a simple design, but effective nonetheless, and may for the future open up a new area of exploration for the label, it maybe the odd one out in my top picks, but strong nevertheless. Get this tee for guys for $17.99 in all sizes (add $2 for XXL).

I may have come down hard on Seventh.Ink at the beginning of this review, but when I see a strong brand with some great designs under its belt being let down by a rather vague back catalogue I need to give them a nudge, it’s the only way to make sure they will stay focused on what makes their particular brand unique, saleable, and hopefully even more popular for the future. If you’d like to keep in contact with Seventh.Ink find them at Twitter, Flickr and Facebook. ere’s hoping we will see a lot more of Seventh.Ink on the t-shirt scene for the future!

Masters of Disaster Tee

As far as I’m aware the Masters of Disaster an American airshow team, but nevertheless if The SickSystems and Beautiful Decay think it’s a superhero who am I to argue? Still a great tee, very nice 3D Tetris-style, arcade game design graphics with some slick bold colours to set it off with a bang. Very cool, leaning on the abstract side, tee for anyone who loves toons, games, and so on – supergeeks from every quarter. Secretly embedded in the core design is the B/D Flag which is a nice subtle touch. Get this building block typography tee in sizes S to XL for $29.95 here.

Sleep When You’re Dead Tee

Loving the sentiment, I have to admit I have trouble sleeping these days, always spinning around the clock. Funny how this illustration makes me sleepy though, very delicate, very cosy, beautiful colours, perhaps even a tad dreamy? Don’t be fooled though, on closer inspection amongst the white lilies you’ll find red grinning skulls and a generally macabre feeling that life isn’t what it used to be. Very subtle tee by Jessica Hische, will definitely sell out fast I am sure, if you’re after one in your size they’re selling for $29.95 in sizes S to XL here.

If you’re not familiar with Ayo Kato check out the news on their latest three releases at Beautiful/Decay here, I’ve featured my (GF’s) fave two which are stunning, as you’d expect from Kato.

Chrysanthemum Tee

The Chrysanthemum tee features an elven goddess with Aya’s signature flower in her hair. As always, a superb Japanese meets Art Nouveau illustration which leaves many designers standing when it comes to skilful t-shirt design. Aya had her first cover feature in Beautiful/Decay, was commissioned to produce window displays for Chubu Electric Power Co., and was involved in the creative design of Tori Amos’s music video, “Sleeping with Butterflies.” Aya will definitely go far! Get this gorgeous tee for $29.95 in sizes S to XL.

Yamato Tee

Perhaps the best of the Fall collection, the Yamato tee depicts an ancient ideology of Japan, depicting something of a cross between a psychedelic Dr. Seuss landscape and 1970s sci-fi paintings, this beautiful design is available for $29.95 in sizes S to XL here.

Check out all the latest tees at BeautifulDecay.com!

Buy Tees are Xenotees firm fans (aren’t we all?). They have a devoted following which we soon found out about when we first reviewed them in The Strangely Exotic Mind Of Xenotees. Their appeal is both quirky and alluring, their approach experimental, and their products top-notch. So of course we delighted to hear from Noelle the creative wizard behind the label who told us she was taking up the gauntlet and extending her range of silhouette shirts with her latest creation entitled ‘Too Much Party’. Not so abstract as her some of previous incarnations but definitely geared to a wider market!

Too Much Party T-Shirt

Guaranteed for a laugh (even if you are suffering the effects of a wild night out), the print features an official vintage Pabst bottle opener with a bunch of newbie bottle caps! Too Much Party is currently available in three colours (Slate, Cranberry Red and ladies versions in Heather Grey and Kelly Green) and plenty of different sizes but as usual stocks are limited so if you’re planning to use and wear one of these tees to full effect, take some Alka-Seltzer and rush on over there before they’re all snapped up!

We’re off to London for the weekend to do much the same thing, get hammered that is, so see you all Monday and have fun!

I usually ‘wing it’ when it comes to t-shirt reviews, preferring not to get to bogged down with subjective ideas from designers and focus on what I see the way I see it, sure it’s not particularly objective but it can be informative for both the label and the general t-shirt fan to see a different point of view to the traditional bog-standard interview format. However I have to admit I cheated a little when it came to the name of this particular brand, Nicole co-founder of 410BC enlightened me to its origin – “410 BC stands for the year Democracy was restored in Athens. The Athenians were at war, but they managed to restore their own institutions by fighting for what they believed in. We chose that name because it resonated with us strongly. Through the company we promote conscious consumerism and fighting for what you believe in. We believe in supporting artists, sending a positive message, only using sweatshop free and organic cotton tees and giving back to our community.” A rather admirable mantra for any fashion brand I am sure you will agree.

The company have definitely stuck to their roots from day one, unlike many brands in the market they like to stay as connected with their audience wherever possible, from their humble beginnings they have certainly picked up plenty of good habits, constantly pushing their positive message and encouraging public interaction all the way. Do have a read of their blog if you have a moment – there are some great fashion, style and other features going on there and whilst you’re at it check out their LookBook which features plenty of photos of past customers donning their marvellous clothes. Plus of course you can also meet and greet 410BC via Myspace, Flickr and see their latest vids at Youtube – oh and check out their latest contest too!

However ethics asides what’s as if not more satisfying for me is that their creative stance is as powerful as their ecological one with a cornucopia of great designs available at the store, an ecelctic range of sources and ideas for their particularly unique style, and to top it off a rather fabulous website to showcase their work. Let’s take a trip to 410BC and see exactly what makes them so special in the market today…

Save Me From Technology Tee

Unfortunately I can’t link directly to any 410BC tees as they’ve embedded the links but all of them (along with a whole range of clothing and skateboards) are available at their store. Save Me From Technology is available for men and women at $20 in sizes small to large (up to x-large for the guys), I do particularly like this design, it reminds me of quite a few New Wave album covers of the alte 1970s and early 1980s as well as a few magazines at the time such as i-D and The Face. The iconic style at the time infused the last generation of expert photo-montage artists (before the arrival of such software applications as Photoshop) and a hankering for shock value to get a message across as quickly and powerfully as possible. I feel the same kind of vibe is going on in this t-shirt, possibly the trendiest and most stylish political comment t-shirt of all time, I have to admit I am in full agreement with its sentiment. Ironically, unless you don’t mind living like a hobo you’ll have to be pretty well off to escape the clutches of overbearing political and corporate interests around the world. I’ve always wanted to live a more basic lifestyle without the need for all this technological garbage we have to wade through these days. But if you’re not connected to the hive we call society you won’t make money, and without money you’ll starve. Sure you could grow you own food and generate energy but that still takes an enormous amount of time, money and land to be productive enough to live a trouble-free life. Take it from me, the world is doomed, at least we can watch a few videos-on-demand whilst we wait.

Loose Lips Sink Ships Tee

This rather fab t-shirt seems to be the best seller right now and I can understand why! It’s pretty damn fine as tees go, again just $20 and available for men and women, the image features an enormous pair of lips rising on the crest of a wave on the verge of engulfing a ship (looks more like a boat) crossing its path. Based on the old WW2 propaganda Loose Lips Save Ships, some other favourites at the time were ‘Walls Have Ears’ and ‘If You Speak German I Will Shoot You’ – okay okay the last one I made up but still it makes you think how paranoid must it have been back then. Everyone suspicious of everyone, democracies declaring totalitarian control over their own people in the name of the war effort, a lack of resources, restricted freedom, oh just a minute, I’m wrong, it never did change!

I’ve just been watching a documentary on 9/11 on Controversial TV here in the UK and that made a mockery of just about every mainstream coverage of the time, don’t worry I know you’re probably sick of hearing about how military rather than commercial planes crashed into the towers and that the hole in the Pentagon was too small for an airliner, besides no one wants to rock the boat these days (let alone sink ships) – after all where’s the profit in that? If I do make millions one day for some inexplicable reason and manage to buy my own island I hopefully will be able to re-engage in the art of free speech. Oh if you fancy escaping the oncoming fascist dictatorship of the so-called Western Democracy – do let me know and I’ll reserve a mud hut for you as soon as poss :/

Pegasus Tee

“Everywhere the winged horse struck his hoof to the earth, an inspiring spring burst forth” – on a lighter note here’s 410BC’s Pegasus tee available for both sexes and rather sweet all in all. A perfect representation of freedom if ever there was one,. I have a vested interest in seeing horses fly. Essentially a clumsy oaf of an old nag trod on my toes as a kid and I’ve never really got on with them since, I know, I know, they’re beautiful creatures, but I’m just not one of those doggy horsey type of people. Still, flying horses, that would be nice.

Although you’d need to carry an umbrella wherever you roamed as more than likely a steamy pile of manure would surely be heading your way sooner or later. This rather fine illustrated tee harks back to a mythology that’s most in keeping with the brand name 410BC, something of a historical venture rather than a contemporary discourse I like the creative connections summoned up by this image. The fountain Hippocrene, on the Muses’ Mount Helicon, was opened by a kick from his hoof. Hence, he has often been associated with the arts, especially poetry. Very light and airy this tee provides relief from the pseudo-political rantings from obsessive reviewers like myself. Great for the summer, even if you’re not trekking around Greece. Available for men and women for $25.

Dead Vogue Tee

I love skulls, I think that most graffiti artists do, perhaps it’s to do with mortality and creation and the juxtaposition of both and the irony that if you’re very lucky, and I mean lottery winning lucky, your creations may just out live you by years, decades, centuries even, but you’d better be good, the best, the best there ever was. Still getting back to the point, death and beauty, have you noticed how many freaks, the sort that love to Botox every spare mm of their body have taken over everything from the catwalk to the movie screen to the TV? Sure you have, you’re just used to it, I know. But now and again one of those media types doesn’t quite manage to get their injections and all hell’s let loose, their face literally melts all over the screen and the paparazzi are on to them like flies on a dog turd. I am a man (well what a surprise) and I hate crap like Sex In The City, The Devil Wears Prada, all that gumph (wow really I’d have never guessed?), women can call me a party pooper (usually much worse), but every time I see someone glorifying falseness like it’s some kind of religion I want to be sick.

Don’t spend all your money on magazines that tell you you’re old and fat or young and fat, or young and ugly, or old, fat, ugly and badly dressed. At least read a magazine (or even a book – does anyone do that these days?) that makes you feel stupid, and then learn the junk you didn’t know and then spend your time at dinner parties slating that writer and proving that all their writing is mere conjecture, and get real respect, because the mind is a beautiful thing. I am sure there are some guys out there that think the mind is sexy, that intelligence is beautiful, that wit is gorgeous, that creativity is the best thing since size zero – I mean am I the only one? Vogue and every other merchant of physical degradation out there is designed to sell overpriced rubbish to insecure women addicted to shopping.

Even men have started doing it, designer clothes, designer fragrances, designer hair, designer underpants and everything that fills it (or not) – people who are happy with who they are infuriate the couture fashion industry. If people don’t feel bad about themselves then no one buys magazines like Vogue and that means no advertising and that means the writers and editors will have to live like the rest of us – which is in essence how normality should work. Still I’d better get off my soap box now – before someone from the fashionista brigade hunts me down with a gold sequinned AK47 ;) Dead Vogue – a classic at $20 for men and women…

410BC – perhaps my favourite ancient historical moment and fashion brand combined – decide for yourself at www.410BC.com

I know that Giorgio Armani used to offer their black Cashmere Tee at $1000+, but it’s a big name brand and it’s made from cashmere, it’s still not worth the price tag but there are some partial reasons for the excess. Then there are retro tees, I mean original vintage ones, sure if Jimi Hendrix used to wear it or The Sex Pistols auctioned off a limited original selection, or indeed for any famous association I can again (to a degree) understand the inflated price tag. But why are the likes of Christian Audiger and Fendi charging such astronomical prices? Well the short answer is they can get away with it.

The fact is you will always expect to pay a premium for an established world wide designer brand, be it a catwalk designer or a sports clothing company, but what about when a brand is still establishing itself on a global stage? Sure you may have heard of it but has everyone? I know who Christian Audiger is but I know my t-shirt designers, if I stepped outside and asked the next ten people who Audiger was I’m pretty sure none of them would know what he does for a living. Sure the case may be different in other countries but still is he a household name? The same can be asked of Fendi, does their brand honestly offer enough cachet to price t-shirts up to $1540? I’m guessing not seeing as they’ve slashed the price (relatively speaking) down to $199. Still I’m surprised it isn’t selling at a quarter of that reduced price.

Here’s the lowdown on Fendi’s most expensive offering in their t-shirt department…

* 100% cotton
* Intricately embroidered paillettes throughout
* Banded crewneck
* Short sleeves
* Straight hem
* Made in Italy

Hmm… okay so it’s embroidered, I’m sure that if they’d sold them all at their original price they could have bought the factory that made them! I can’t understand why they thought this could fetch such an extortionate price, even at $199 there’s no fathoming their logic on this product. I’d expect it to be embroidered in real gold thread at the very least.

So what’s different about Audiger’s premium rate line of t-shirts? Well to be honest there are some superb designs amongst the collection, not that I believe I could ever pay full price for one at the current prices, even if I could afford it I just couldn’t live with that kind of financial decision. Still. rich people need t-shirts too, I’m sure the celebs get their freebies and do a great job of touting them around La La Land, and well for the rest of us we can just stand and slobber with our tongues hanging out at their virtual shop window wondering exactly how much a copy from Thailand would set us back.

Panther and Winged Serpent Tee

This amazing all over print tee is available for a staggering $187 which to me is beyond understanding but then again I have a few reasons, firstly I’m not rich, far from it, but neither are many these days seeing as the world is deep in a global economic recession. Secondly I’m no fashion freak, I love t-shirts as an art form, a medium of creativity by the people for the people, a powerful and traditionally cheap way to express one’s individuality and introduce the man on the street to new ideas, imagery and concepts. But I’m not a slave to high-end brand fashions, I don’t care who made it, I care how well they made it and if it has the originality and design value for the price. Thirdly I’m not a fan of elitism, it reminds me of being at school when branded sports clothing just started taking off in the UK, if you were poor you were laughed at, worst still even beaten up for wearing unfashionable clothes. Still, it’s a beautiful design, I’d love to see a breakdown of Audiger’s sales, just how many people have bought their tees at these prices?

Divine Ruler Polo Neck Tee

Yet again I’m loving it but not enough to pay $165 for this tee. To be honest Shiroi Neko produce a pretty similar line and their tees start at only $36 these days. Although I have to admit that Audiger’s tees seem to offer a higher quality print judging by the product photos – no I don’t have a sample to back up that statement but I guess at these prices they’d have to be top-notch quality – I mean if they weren’t they’d be flooded with complaints – rich customers or not!

See Money Polo Tee at Christian Audiger

Another amazing design, the choice of subject seems a little ironic though, essentially this polo neck tee is all about the money, show me the money, or more appropriately show me the money on a t-shirt. So here it is, an inglorious celebration of just how rich you’ll need to be if you want a wardrobe full of Christian Audiger tees, yet again this one is priced at $165, which makes a total of $517 just for three tees, if I added on UK shipping I’m sure that’d bring it up to $600, or I could track them down in the UK and most likely pay the same figure in £ sterling, either way I don’t know anyone right now with this kind of budget for t-shirts. If you do you’re probably rich or famous or both, if you are you could probably blag a freebie via your PR consultancy or your agent, I can’t, most people can’t. So like I say we’d better just look in from the outside and watch high fashion hijack the earthiest artss medium in fashion. Your humble t-shirt.

If you want to do a little more window shopping and see how the other half live check out the rest of Christian Audiger‘s t-shirts, remember to pick up your jaw on the way out :/

MOMA even bought a few of his toys in 2007, and almost all the designers who’ve ever worked with him have gone on to fame and fortune in their own right, Budnitz is a magnet for publicity, style, cool kids and kudos. The t-shirt collection has built up quite nicely over the years and seeing as I found myself drooling over the designs there (once again) I thought I’d share a few of my favourites with you.

If you want any of these beware, apart from a few select stores and their own online shop you’ll have trouble tracking these down, besides which just about anything that leaves the KR stable ends up as a collector’s piece (some of his toys sell for up to $20,000 these days), so if you like it I’d nail it a.s.a.p.

Redrum by Frank Kozik, one of the least cute tees at KR, but just as confident in panache and flair, I love the splattered blood, fish guts never looked so appetising. If you’ve not heard of Kozik (where have you been?), he’s been credited with single-handedly reviving the medium of the concert poster. Originally from Spain he’s been praised for some of the coolest posters, album covers and flyers out there. Now based in California, he’s worked for years in the left field of the alternative music scene; designing for artists like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Nine Inch Nails, Neil Young, Sonic Youth, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction, Ice T, George Clinton, Green Day, Beck, The Offspring, He’s cool, I promise you. Check out his incredible prints and look out for his Snorkin’ Labbits at KR. Anyway Redrum is most likely a reference to the classic horror movie ‘The Shining’ so you really can’t go wrong with this shirt!

Slick, slick, slick. So slick I’m slipping off the page. As a designer you know when you’ve got it just right and KR surely has with the Radial Halftone Tee. So Op Art, so Pop Art, so cool. I’ve seen a lot of abstract tees, and a whole heap of halftones but it takes a very big pair of designer cahunas to slap it down at this scale and let it stare at you, right in the face. It’s hitting me right between the eyes and I’m not spinning off in a bad acid flashback, he must be doing something right.

Here’s one more for the road, the Kidrobot Head Tee (Blue) for Women. You can get this in red too, and there’s a torso chunk version for the guys, I love it, very deco, very pre-Disney when toons were always scary and weird without meaning to be. All the essential design elements are there, a nod to Manga, the pie-dish eyes of yesteryear, and even a fin to keep it streamlined. But what’s best is the fact it’s not a piddling little graphic floating in the middle of a sea of blue cotton, KR really understands how much scale can top off a perfect design.

Check out all the tees, sweats, hoodies and of course some mad, mad toys at Kidrobot.com – go on have some fun!

For all the budding t-shirt community stores out there hoping to make their mark, Wordans can teach you a thing or two about how to set the scene and make a unique mark in online urban fashions. Usually the immediate concerns of everything from bottom line profits, delivery mechanisms, and Google rankings get in the way of the essentials that savvy t-shirt buyers and urban fashionistas will always want. Simply to find the best of the best as soon as they hit the store. A fine balance has to be struck between presentation, quality control, and design excellence. Wordans truly know what their people want and they ensure they’re never swamped in a labyrinthian search and browse system of tags and keywords, search terms and subjects in the process.

I’d rather they skipped the Flash-based designer and I’d love to see some larger design formats than the usual, how about some all over printing? I suppose you can’t have everything can you. Asides the rather slow Flash designer, Wordans is as tactile as virtual shopping can achieve (for now – unless they invent a holographic internet), and I personally feel they’re heading in the right direction. Like the most happening ghettos of the most style conscious cities across the world, the development of a style is organic, and evolution however haphazard is always more fun than the megalomania of a business creationist.

This is cute, very street art, and a nice simple idea, Design T-Shirt by Bendesign gets straight to the point and leaves behind the pretentiousness that could’ve have haunted this work. A cool free-flowing style tops off the crunchy iconography for a t-shirt with meat on its bones.

Kinda creepy I suppose but what a refreshing change from all those awfully glib slogan t-shirts, most slogans leave me cold, and sure IANAM does the same, but at least it does it for all the right reasons. With the world’s climate of paranoia and oncoming doom and gloom, I can see this being a hit with the more cynical fashionista looking to make an impact on the old men who run the game called society.

I seem to be picking out all the monotones at Wordans but I do like a wisecrack and this tops them all, New York Taxi is very tidy, quick to the point and rather amusing in it’s own strange little way. I must remember to get a flaming torch the next time I need to hail a cab there, maybe it would help who knows.

I’ve noticed quite a few by Kanari, one of the more popular designers at Wordans, check out these two, Gangster and Hip Hop Baby:-

So there you have it – a real quality act all round – I really like the way that Wordans.com obviously appreciates its designers, they offer a decent subdomain for each store, and by the looks of it plenty of opportunity for designers to customise their own little corner of the web, and Wordans definitely know how to sort the wheat from the chaff. If you’re sick of ‘I Love Some City Or Other’ tees, and flags and hearts and all the usual gumpf then you should really check out Wordans, they are already breaking the mould, one to look out for at the very least.