Magu

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     Magu.NYC tees, NY T-Shirts, fashion tees, tattoo t-shirts

Magu is not a short sighted cartoon character from yesteryear, it’s actually a New York tee label founded in 2007 that’s got a strong following in its home territory. It’s signature tee sold out in Manhattan the moment it was released, and their house style crosses over between the street and the fashion conscious mainstream. Asides Deathrate which is quite an original type tee, most of their concepts are pretty much familiar, be it skulls, tattoos, hip hop references, Japanese art, and the prices are a little steep at $32 each, but I can see why they’re popular. They give their public what they want, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, it’d just be nice to see some more ground-breaking art, more challenging subjects, even a little more sophisticated humour. Still, I’m sure that food of thought will go down like salted nuts in a dry throat, “if it ain’t broke why fix it?.

What Magu really has going for it is its involvement with the trendy NY fashion scene, having already been involved in a couple of fashion events, and I’m sure that can only grow their following over time. The three tees featured here are $32 each and available in sizes S-2XL, some in a selection of colours too.

Death’s Royalty Tee

Also available in white, although personally I think it looks strongest in yellow, a traditional skull/tattoo tee, well executed but could do with a twist. So many skull tees out there now… don’t get me wrong, this is a good one, but still a skull.

Death Rate Tee

My favourite of the collection, and what looks like a great step forward for Magu, this one (for want of a less annoying phrase) ‘thinks outside of the box’. Yep it’s a text tee, but it’s a little more original, if only they could combine these two talents, I think Magu would see a great leap forward in recognition and exposure.

Wild Carp Tee

Yes, it’s another common  theme, a Japanese style fish-themed tee, it’s not Koi, it’s Wild Carp, and it’s drawn really well, but could do with a tad more surrealism, or at least some colour. Saying that it does come in purple and yellow too.

I wish I could be more enthusiastic, Magu has all the elements needed for a cult label, maybe even something bigger, but they need to work on some more challenging designs for their next collection if they want to cause a stir on the Web.

See more Magu gear here.

Big Apple T-Shirt

admin    T-Shirts     Big Apple, I love NY, Magritte Apple, NEW YORK USA, NY, NY T-Shirts, NYC, New York, New York T-Shirts, Son of Man, T-Shirt NY

Big Apple T-Shirt by Paul Baines

It’s funny how places can get nicknames, I checked out the origin of New York’s alter ego, and it seems the term was coined by NY jazz musicians of the 1930s and ‚Äò40s, some say it’s to do with the depression and all the apple sellers on the streets, but I think the music scene would’ve been far more influential than a few fruit sellers. Besides there was some kind of crazy jazzy dance back then called the Big Apple too, so not surprisingly the name caught on.

There isn’t much to explain about the Big Apple T-Shirt except that it’s influenced by famous painting The Son of Man by Ren√© Magritte, a Belgian Surrealist with a knack for creating the iconic. You can probably recognise the influence straight away, there aren’t many images out there that obscure a portrait with a giant apple, then again, it could just be an average apple placed close to the viewer.

I have a strange kinship with New York, all it a long-distance relationship, okay yes, in a voyeuristic sense, I do love New York! I haven’t been there, I suppose I should go, my partner has and she enjoyed herself, but she wasn’t ecstatic, I knew why, we’ve been spoiled by a history of film, one tribute after another up until the 1980s when everything on location in New York was actually filmed in Vancouver and other less populated, less memorable cities. I suppose no where can live up to my expectations these days, it’s no one’s fault in particular, just the wealth of filmography that has used New York city as a backdrop to countless stories.

I’m sure plenty of New Yorkers will be rolling their eyes by now, it’s true, how can I tell what New York is like from across the Atlantic, well, I do know that every city I’ve lived in or visited has become busier, more crowded, more congested and more polluted than the last. It’s practical to create a megatropolis in the midst of an Industrial Revolution, even at the beginning of an Information Age, but soon, very soon people begin to realise they don’t need to commute, the oil crisis will speed up the process, and more and more lumbering behemoth corporations will experience a painful commuter burnout. Then we’ll see the rise of the local economy once more, a resurgence for convenience and practicality. Then New York, London and many other incredible cities can make some room, and all we’ll use them for is entertainment, the arts, cultural and historical experiences, trade, and shopping for luxury goods, it’s what they were built for in the first place. In times gone by the only people who lived in a city lived in squalor or owned a serious chunk of real estate. Funny how things always turn full circle if you wait long enough.

Big Apple T-Shirts from only $9.99!

Big Apple T-Shirts at CafePress.com only $9.99! There are plenty of other items
available organic tees, sweatshirts and hoodies too.

Big Apple T-Shirt at RedBubble.com available
from GBP £11.94 – USD $23.94