Dephect

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     Dephect, UK t-shirts, designer, graff t-shirts, graphic tees, hip-hop t-shirts, indie tees, urban tees

I’ve been meaning to get around to reviewing UK label Dephect for ages, I have no excuses bar the fact they’re so well known I wasn’t sure what I could “add to the mix”, but seeing as I’ve already reviewed their mates over at Sutsu it seems only fair! If you haven’t come across Dephect before (where have you been?) then you’re in for a treat. As for all those more familiar with the label I’ve lined up a few of their delectable screen printed tees from their latest Spring / Summer 2011 Collection. So it’s all good ;)

Dephect was borne from the mutual love of skater culture, the 90′s hip hop scene, and the passion of four friends in London for underground art and design. All this and more was to collide in a symphony of creative energy that eventually developed into a signature urban Brit fashion label with fans across the world. The site is as slick as the tees, and this latest collection pulls out all the stops when it comes to street savvy style with a London bad ass attitude that takes no prisoners.

In addition to their classic graphic tees Dephect have released a selection of high-end progressive cut and sew pieces, heightening the quality and experimentation for this unique brand all the more. Original design is abound at their store, created by hand picked artistic talent from around the world, each with their own cool biography page. Men’s tees are RRP. £24.99 but with the sale on there are plenty up at just £14.99 and for the girls £22.99 RRP and just £9.99 for the sale items!

Scrawl Tee

Damn, nice style! Designed by UK graff artist Dan Kitchener, this takes me back to the good old days, 2000 AD, Alan Moore knows the score. Sweet. (Also available in white).

Face Tee

This one’s by El Niño de las Pinturas (The Boy of Paintings) who’s something of a cult hero in the streets of Granada. A dreamy graffiti style tee that’s available in a selection of colours and cuts.

London Black Book Tee

This limited edition shirt, designed by old school London graf artist Met, to accompany the London Black Book which features rare and unseen sketches and characters from over 200 of London’s top graffiti artists including Elk, Zomby, Drax, Mode 2, Cazbee, Goldie, Teach, Coma, Vibes, Neas and Met plus many more. Also available in white. Funny thing is the book is cheaper :0

Skull ‘N’ Mics Tee

The ultimate pirate tee, if you’re gonna’ rip that beat do it in style ;) Also available for guys in heather.

Finally a couple of real bargains from the sale section…

Mr Vinyl Tee

Love it, vinyl nostalgia, the best there is. Get this one in heather and charcoal for the guys and olive for the girls.

Staying on the vinyl theme here’s another total bargain from the sale…

Remixomatic Tee

Ver..ver..ver.v..v..v..very funky with a nice set of colours to match you can get this at £9.99 for girls and £14.99 for guys. Loving the gold version to bits, or should that be bytes?

There’s plenty more on offer including sweats, hoodies and prints, plus videos and tunes when you’re brassic. Unleash your dephectiveness at www.Dephect.com.

East Coast Hip Hop Legends Tee

admin    T-Shirts     NY Tees, The Booth Society, hip hop tees, hip-hop t-shirts, music t-shirts

The East Coast Hip Hop Legends Tee by The Booth Society pays homage to all the East Coast Hip Hop Legends, giving them the respect they deserve. The Booth Society is a hip hop brand from N.Y.C with a love of all things urban. A rough and ready design that visually hangs somewhere betwixt a crossword and a ransom demand, you’ll find plenty of names big and small from the largely neglected East Coast scene. Asides those who made it big like Jay Z and the Notorious B.I.G and plenty of classics from way back like Eric B. Rakim and Slick Rick, plus a whole load more I don’t even recognise. Definitely a tee for the hardcore hip hop scene, very gritty.

You can buy this shirt for $25 in sizes S-XXL, it features a 2 colour hybrid ink screen print that uses a discharge under-base for a softer feel. There are plenty more urban tees to scope, all available at the store, plus hats and theoretically CDs (although the CD link leads to the same t-shirts so something definitely needs fixing there). A promising start, albeit a few technical details, from a young radical urban label kicking up some trouble on the East Coast. See ‘em all at www.TheBoothSociety.com.

Hotlife – Hotter Than Ever!

admin    T-Shirt Discounts, T-Shirt News     Living The Hotlife, biker tees, hip-hop t-shirts, hotlife, tattoo tees

It’s been over a year since I’ve heard from MikeC of Hotlife – a t-shirt label and subculture community and I can tell he’s been very very busy. The site has been completely reinvented with a very kewl hip hop/tattoo style branding and store. To celebrate their massive revamp Hotlife are offering up all their 2010 designed, water-based ink, hand screen printed tees at just $17 each – available in all sizes at their site www.LivingTheHotlife.com.

Here’s a few to give you a taster (and as always they’re damn slick):

Abstract Tee

Totally mint :D

BARS Tee

A ‘graffitee’ with class.

Flamingo Girls Tank

Kitsch as they come. This one’s only $15!!

Felix Tee

Okay this one ain’t in the sale ($20), but it’s still my fave and besides it is a limited edition collaboration between Ruckus and Hotlife. Hotlife has this All Red classic style, Ruckus, has the Yellow and Red style. Both feature a custom printed inner tag and exceptional ultra soft and bold printing.

The Sick Kids

admin    T-Shirt News, T-Shirt Reviews     British tees, The Sick Kids, character t-shirts, hip-hop t-shirts, indie tees, music tees, rap, toon shirts

The Sick Kids is a streetwear brand launched in South London during the Summer of 2009 by comedy female rapper Kelly Jackson aka Jackson Kid, who makes up one third of ‘The Sick Kids’ alongside her sister Lele [SPEAKS], who is also a published solo artist through EMI Records. [SPEAKS] set out on her own, fresh from finishing up at ‘the Brit school of arts’ in Croydon and started working with various random producers making beats and sending them over to her on Myspace, as well as collaborating with her rapper boyfriend ‘Worthless’ and their beat maker friend ‘Pig Man Dan’, recording on basic home studio equipment and software.

It was whilst performing gigs that she and her sister came up with a few t-shirts for a show in Camden Town, it wasn’t long before the team branched off into t-shirt design, and what started as band merchandise has now become a fully fledged indie t-shirt label. The Sick Kids’ influences include a love of street fashion and music, from hip-hop sportswear to punk rock studs and denim… from cartoons, Disney, and comedy to horror, TV, the news, film, the 80’s and 90’s, toys, photography, churches, graveyards, junk food, crooked teeth and Rosehill Council Estate.

Here’s a few tees from their first collection, all are available for girls and guys in all sizes at £16.99 (some are a little cheaper)…

Ghost Kid Tee

Available in 3 colours for girls and guys.

Puppet Kids Tee

Wasteman Tee

I’m a big fan of ‘bad’ rap, the funnier the better, The Sick Kids might not be at the level of hilarity of say GLC and The Lonely Island, but considering their lo-tech roots this track is pretty impressive too:

If you fancy keeping updated with everything from the Sick Kids stable then you can hook up with them at Twitter, Facebook and Myspace.

The Peralta Project

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     Gaza, The Peralta Project, Tony Peralta, graffiti, hip hop tees, hip-hop t-shirts, political shirts

Dominican-born artist M. Tony Peralta is the sort of guy whose life might just end up being told in an urban TV documentary one day. He began his ‘creative career’ in Washington Heights as an escape from the prevailing gang culture, a former break-dancer, he quickly turned to graffiti art as a release from the violence and drug infested streets where he grew up. He first hit the headlines after being inspired by a news report about 11 year old kids learning to make home-made bombs by creating the Gaza Strip (Freedom) print, which as it happens is available at his unique site The Peralta Project. His collection of tees, hats, prints, jewellery and paintings are not a collection, or so Peralta says. He doesn’t follow the usual traditions of fashion, harking from a graffiti background and earning his living as an artist/designer. In fact he raised funds for his creative career by giving haircuts to drug dealers on street corners, his life experience enhancing a vision of how life is and how it should be, something rather unique to the t-shirt industry.

His store The Project Shop is cleanly laid out and offers a full background story on each and every design, which makes for an enticing stroll around the site, even if you’re only window shopping. Each tee explores a different aspect of gang culture, or in certain cases such as his Freedom t-shirt, the culture of violence as is so apparent in Gaza. With the recent Israeli attacks on aid ships attempting to break the blockade and bring the people of Gaza vital food and supplies, Peralta’s passion for the underdog are more pertinent than ever. I recently read that Israel were about to allow the import of confectionery which shows just how out of control the embargo has been until now. However, for the main part one can expect a particularly Washington Heights based view of culture, exploring different aspects of the ‘hood’ and how he and others have survived, armed with common knowledge and common sense.

As Peralta would say, take a look at his “art in progress”…

Uptown Livery Cab Service T-Shirt

As Tony so eloquently puts it “It’s a homage to the immigrant livery cab driver from Uptown that is out there night and day chasing the American Dream.” The Uptown Livery Cab Service T-Shirt design is a fictional advertisement for the ‘gypsy’ cab service circa 1920s. Often found in the least affluent and fructious areas of New York, picking up passengers from the street, the riders boarded “at their own risk”, however the drivers risked their lives almost every night, just to get ahead in the world. The t-shirt is available in cranberry, sizes S-XL for $35 here.

Money Makin’ Manhattan $24 Stamp T-Shirt

Again available for $35 in all sizes, the Money Makin’ Manhattan $24 Stamp tee commemorates  the purchase of Manhattan Island by the Dutch West India Company from the Lenape Indians in 1626 for $24. Perhaps the biggest con in all history. The deal took place at Inwood Hill Park, a place to hustle till you drop, make it big, and show the world you have more money than them. Great design, and a fascinating slice of history.

Defend Uptown T-Shirt

This one’s very cool. Designed to bring attention to the fight against the gentrification of Uptown (Harlem,Washington Heights,Inwood.) Killing the culture, and ousting local families, many of whom have lived there for generations. As usual when a problem gets too hot to handle, government will always take the option to shift it onto someone else, somewhere else, rather than try to fix the inequity. The Defend Uptown T-Shirt is available in all sizes for $35 here.

Freedom T-Shirt

As you’d expect I had to include Peralta’s Freedom t-shirt, a variation on the original print/artwork, I really like the guy’s stencil stylings, although I have to admit I much prefer the version featured in his interview with Giant Magazine. Available in black and only medium sizes are left (all others sold out) at $35, you can swipe yours here.

Word Up To Word Apparel

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     cool tees, fresh t-shirts, graffiti t-shirts, graffiti tees, graffito, hip hop tees, hip-hop t-shirts, tagging, urban t-shirts, urban tees, word apparel, wordapparel

Deamn Right! Here’s a fresh young label straight from the street for all you homies out there looking for something laid back yet sharp, slick but with a nice line in self-deprecating humour. Great for a night out downtown, or chillin’ with your bro’s, your first stop should be Word Apparel; created, owned and run by Levi based in Houston, Texas. His style, distinctly ghetto, his humour, toon surrealism with a great eye for colour and a great knack for one-liners. This t-shirt collection is not your usual funny ‘ha ha’ eclectic range of old tired japes you’ll normally come across. As you might (or might not) expect from the freshest of the fresh, there’s a distinct blend of the underground street about Word Apparel. Bold prints peppered with touches of pathos and cheek, backed up by an illustrative edge that any self-respecting graffiti artist would have to lay down his cap to, that’s the order of the day at WP. You should expect big things from this lad, and you won’t be disappointed…

As Levi puts it at his popular Myspace joint, “We are always doing something new, focusing on new items to release, and many more things. So check back everyday, you never know what you could miss out on if you don’t! We have your biggest concerns in mind: Quality, Comfort, a “true to size fit”, and LOOKIN’ GOOD! That’s why we only use the highest quality prints and shirts, American Apparel!” read more