410BC – An Age of Teemocracy

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     410BC, 410bc.com, NY fashion, designer, designer t-shirts, ethical fashion, hip hop, indie, political tees, punk, sweatshop free tees, urban wear

410BC is a New York based clothing company and arts collective with their finger on the pulse and their eyes on the horizon of change and equality. With a strong ethical background and a total commitment to the ecology and conscious consumerism in every aspect of the brand, they focus on strong conceptual design in equal measure favouring a wide spectrum of subculture arts including skater, punk, hip-hop, indie and D.I.Y. There is a really strong sense of community at their site www.410BC.com and they actively encourage participation from both their wide and loyal customer base and their eclectic band of designers and artists.

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… read more

Tees and Tats – Where East Meets West

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     Marco Serio, NY fashion, limited edition fashion, t-shirt art, tattoo t-shirts, tattoos, world famous tattoos

Tattoo T-Shirts have always been a firm favourite in the graphic art t-shirt scene, and Tees and Tats (TeesAndTats.com), a relatively newcomer has recently released its first offerings, all of which have been designed by one of the world’s most celebrated tattoo artists, Marco Serio. Marco Serio began tattooing in a small town on the outskirts of Lisbon, Portugal. He always had a dream of building a reputation as a world class Japanese-style tattooist, before long Mario relocated to New York where he perfected his style further, garnering the admiration of both the global tattoo community and eventually the arts world as a whole.

As word spread throughout the close-knit New York arts scene, two forward thinking and highly ambitious modern Jewish Orthodox cousins (Jeremy and Ben Parker) hooked up with Marco and convinced him that his work was what the fashion industry had been waiting for. Mario spent considerable time designing each exclusive print at the prestigious Invisible NYC art gallery and tattoo studio on Orchard Street. As soon as the artwork was completed for the Parker brothers’ seven original and licensed t-shirt designs, commissioned specifically for Tees and Tats, Jeremy and Ben soon launched and began to promote their tattoo print collection of signature contemporary art shirts.

Jeremy in particular was proverbially ‘over the moon’ at the formation of the label ‘Tees and Tats’, having been fascinated by the intricacy and superb illustrative style of Eastern tattoo art. Soon the two fashion entrepreneurs continue to build the brand and showcase their revolutionary collection of high-art streetwear, setting a new standard, previously unseen in the industry. Every shirt is as I have stated, an original design, forming a fabulous and unique limited edition (700 numbered shirts for each design). Each tee is signed by the artist, printed to the most impeccable standards, made from the softest 100% combed ringspun cotton, and as you would expect, centred around Serio’s glorious Japanese tattoo artwork read more